Job 40:23

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 40:23 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.
Job 40:23 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 40

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
23Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Behold, he drinketh up a river, [and] hasteth not, etc.] The elephant is indeed a very thirsty animal, and drinks largely; the philosopher f1500 says it drinks nine Macedonian bushels at a feeding, and that it will drink fourteen Macedonian measures of water at once, and eight more at noon; but to drink up a river seems to be too great an hyperbole; wherefore the words may be rendered, “Behold, let a river oppress him”, or “bear” ever so hard upon him, and come with the greatest force and pressure on him f1501, “he hasteth not” to get out of it; or he is not frightened or troubled, as the Targum; which agrees with the river horse, who walks into the river, and proceeds on in it, with the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Rather, "(Though) a river be violent (overflow), he trembleth not"; (for though living on land, he can live in the water, too); he is secure, though a Jordan swell up to his mouth. "Jordan" is used for any great river (consonant with the "behemoth"), being a poetical generalization (see on Job 40:15). The author cannot have been a Hebrew as UMBREIT asserts, or he would not adduce the Jordan, where there were no river horses. He alludes to it as a name for any river, but not as one known to him, except by hearsay.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Behold he drinketh up a river - Margin, “oppresseth.” The margin expresses the proper meaning of the Hebrew word, עשׁק ‛âshaq. It usually means to oppress, to treat with violence and injustice; and to defraud, or extort. But a very different sense is given to this verse by Bochart, Gesenius, Noyes, Schultens, Umbreit, Prof. Lee, and Rosenmuller. According to the interpretation given by them the meaning is, “The stream overfloweth, and he feareth not; he is secure, even though Jordan rush forth even to his mouth.” The reference then would be, not to the fact that he was greedy in his mode of drinking, but to the fact that this huge and fierce animal, that found its food often on the land,…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“River - A great quantity of water, hyperbolically called a river. Hasteth not - He drinks not with fear and caution; but such is his courage, that he fears no enemy either by water or by land. He drinks as if he designed, to drink up the whole river. He mentions Jordan, as a river well known, in and nigh unto Job's land. Job 40:24”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“drinketh: Heb. oppresseth, Isa 37:25 hasteth: Psa 55:8; Isa 28:16 Jordan: Gen 13:10; Jos 3:15 Job 40:24”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification