Job 41:15
New International Version
Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together;

New Living Translation
The scales on its back are like rows of shields tightly sealed together.

English Standard Version
His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal.

Berean Standard Bible
His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.

King James Bible
His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

New King James Version
His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal;

New American Standard Bible
His strong scales are his pride, Locked as with a tight seal.

NASB 1995
“His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.

NASB 1977
His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.

Legacy Standard Bible
Its strong scales are its pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.

Amplified Bible
“His strong scales are his pride, Bound together as with a tight seal.

Christian Standard Bible
His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together.

American Standard Version
His strong scales are his pride, Shut up together as with a close seal.

Contemporary English Version
Its back is covered with shield after shield,

English Revised Version
His strong scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Its back has rows of scales that are tightly sealed.

Good News Translation
His back is made of rows of shields, fastened together and hard as stone.

International Standard Version
His protective scales are his pride, they lie sealed tightly together.

Majority Standard Bible
His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.

NET Bible
Its back has rows of shields, shut up closely together as with a seal;

New Heart English Bible
Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.

Webster's Bible Translation
His scales are his pride, shut together as with a close seal.

World English Bible
Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A pride—strong ones of shields, "" Shut up—a close seal.

Young's Literal Translation
A pride -- strong ones of shields, Shut up -- a close seal.

Smith's Literal Translation
Pride of strong shields shut up with a seal of straitness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
His body is like molten shields, shut close up with scales pressing upon one another.

Catholic Public Domain Version
His body is like shields fused together, like dense scales pressed over one another.

New American Bible
Rows of scales are on his back, tightly sealed together;

New Revised Standard Version
Its back is made of shields in rows, shut up closely as with a seal.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who can open the doors of his mouth? His teeth are terrible round about.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For in the torrent his mouth is tied up and bound and sealed
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
His scales are his pride, Shut up together as with a close seal.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
His inwards are as brazen plates, and the texture of his skin as a smyrite stone.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Power Shown in Leviathan
14Who can open his jaws, ringed by his fearsome teeth? 15His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together. 16One scale is so near to another that no air can pass between them.…

Cross References
Psalm 104:25-26
Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small. / There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.

Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

Psalm 74:13-14
You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; / You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

Psalm 18:9-10
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet. / He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.

Isaiah 43:16-17
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, / who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Psalm 89:9-10
You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. / You crushed Rahab like a carcass; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Genesis 1:21
So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Exodus 7:9-12
“When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.” / So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. / But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts. ...

Psalm 148:7
Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,

Isaiah 11:8
The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.


Treasury of Scripture

His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

scales.

Jeremiah 9:23
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

a close

Revelation 5:2,3,5
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? …

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Close Closely Joined Lines Ones Plates Pride Rows Scales Seal Sealed Shields Shut Stamp Strong Tight Tightly Together
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Close Closely Joined Lines Ones Plates Pride Rows Scales Seal Sealed Shields Shut Stamp Strong Tight Tightly Together
Job 41
1. Of God's great power in the leviathan














His rows of scales are his pride
The description of the creature in this passage is often associated with the Leviathan, a formidable sea creature mentioned in various parts of the Bible. The "rows of scales" suggest a creature with a formidable and impenetrable armor, symbolizing strength and invulnerability. In ancient Near Eastern mythology, similar creatures were often depicted as symbols of chaos and were believed to be subdued by deities. The pride associated with these scales can be seen as a metaphor for the creature's self-sufficiency and power, reflecting the broader theme of God's sovereignty over all creation, including the most powerful and untamable forces.

tightly sealed together
The imagery of scales being "tightly sealed together" emphasizes the impenetrable nature of the creature's armor. This can be seen as a representation of the futility of human efforts to control or conquer such a creature, highlighting the limitations of human power in contrast to divine omnipotence. The seamless nature of the scales may also symbolize unity and completeness, attributes often associated with divine creation. In a broader theological context, this can be seen as a reminder of God's perfect and unassailable design in creation, where even the most fearsome creatures are part of His ordered world.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man of great faith and patience, who endured immense suffering and sought understanding from God.

2. Leviathan
A powerful and fearsome creature described in the Book of Job, symbolizing chaos and the untamable aspects of creation.

3. God
The Almighty Creator, who speaks to Job out of the whirlwind, highlighting His sovereignty and the mysteries of His creation.

4. The Book of Job
A poetic and philosophical text in the Old Testament that explores themes of suffering, divine justice, and human understanding.

5. The Whirlwind
The medium through which God communicates with Job, representing divine power and majesty.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
The description of Leviathan's scales as "tightly sealed together" illustrates the intricate and powerful design of God's creation, reminding us of His unmatched sovereignty.

The Mystery of God's Creation
Leviathan represents the mysterious and untamable aspects of the world, encouraging believers to trust in God's wisdom and power even when they do not fully understand His ways.

Pride and Humility
Leviathan's pride in its scales can serve as a metaphor for human pride. Believers are called to humility, recognizing that all strength and beauty come from God.

Trust in God's Protection
Just as Leviathan is protected by its scales, believers can find security in God's protection, knowing that He is in control of all circumstances.

The Limitations of Human Understanding
The detailed description of Leviathan challenges us to acknowledge the limits of human understanding and to rely on God's greater knowledge and purpose.Verse 15. - His scales are his pride; or, his pride is in the channeling of his scales (literally, of his shields). The scales of the crocodile are arranged in five rows along his entire back, with a depression between the rows which is like a "channel." Each individual scale resembles a shield. They are shut up together as with a close seal; each, i.e. closely attached to its fellow,so that there is no space between them. "A rifle-ball," according to Canon Tristram, "glances off from them as from a rock" ('Natural History of the Bible,' p. 352).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
[His] rows
אֲפִיקֵ֣י (’ă·p̄î·qê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 650: Containing, a tube, a bed, valley of a, stream, a strong thing, a hero

of scales are
מָֽגִנִּ֑ים (mā·ḡin·nîm)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 4043: A shield, a protector, the scaly hide of the crocodile

[his] pride,
גַּ֭אֲוָה (ga·’ă·wāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1346: Arrogance, majesty, ornament

tightly
סָ֝ג֗וּר (sā·ḡūr)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 5462: To shut up, to surrender

sealed together.
חוֹתָ֥ם (ḥō·w·ṯām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2368: A seal, signet ring


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OT Poetry: Job 41:15 Strong scales are his pride shut up (Jb)
Job 41:14
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