Job 41:20

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 41:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and [burning] rushes.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and [burning] rushes.
Job 41:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 41

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
20Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and [burning] rushes.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, as [out] of a seething pot or caldron.] In which flesh or anything else is boiling. It is observed that there is a likeness between the crocodile and the river horse, and particularly in their breathing f1556: and of the former it is remarked f1557, that its nostrils are very large and open, and that they breathe out a fiery smoke, as out of a furnace.”
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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
“seething--boiling: literally, "blown under," under which a fire is blown.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Out of his nostrils goeth smoke - See the quotations on Job 41:19. This appearance of the crocodile, or alligator, has been often noticed. Bertram, in his “Travels in North and South Carolina,” p. 116, says, “While I was seeking a place of rest, I encountered an alligator that in the neighboring lake rushed through the canes that grew on its banks. He inflated his enormous body, and swung his tail high in the air. A thick smoke streamed from his wide-open nostrils, with a sound that made the earth tremble.” Rosenmuller, “Alte u. neue Morgenland,” No. 778. As out of a seething-pot - A pot that is boiling. Literally, “a blown pot;” that is, a pot under which the fire is blown, or kindled. Or…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Jer 1:13, Jer 1:14 Job 41:21”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification