Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
Read it in contextThe LORD Challenges Job Again
Start reading at Job 40:6 (Job 40:6 to Job 40:24).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
40:6Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
40:7Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
40:8Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
40:9Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
40:10Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
40:11Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
40:12Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
40:13Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
40:14Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
40:15Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
40:16Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
40:17He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
40:18His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
40:19He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
40:20Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
40:21He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
40:22The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
40:23Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
40:24He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? The author is unknown. Moses is one ancient traditional proposal, but neither that proposal nor another named author can be established with confidence. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). book background
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Job 38:1–41:34): The LORD addresses Job out of the whirlwind; Job gives a brief response within the exchange. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Readers within Israel's wisdom tradition, wrestling with innocent suffering, justice, and the limits of human judgment. No named individual or first community is identified. Biblical references: Job 28:28; Job 42:7. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? The LORD Challenges Job Again. Read Job 40:6 through Job 40:24 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The book supplies no royal date or exact historical year for Job's experiences. Proposed patriarchal-era settings are historical inferences, not a date explicitly stated by the narrative. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Job is introduced as a man in the land of Uz. The poetic speeches range through imagined and remembered scenes that should not all be treated as the speakers' physical locations. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in The LORD Challenges Job Again (Job 40:6 to Job 40:24).
Start reading at Job 40:6. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? James refers to Job's endurance and the Lord's compassion. Connections between Job's suffering and Christ may be considered as comparisons; Job's speeches should not all be treated as direct predictions of Jesus. See Job 1:1, James 5:11, Hebrews 4:15. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Do not assume that a sufferer's losses prove a hidden sin. Listen carefully, distinguish the speakers, and read their claims alongside the LORD's concluding rebuke of the friends. interpretation
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Job 40
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Job
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated.
Connection to the wholeThe narrative establishes Job's losses and integrity before the speeches begin, giving readers information the disputing friends do not possess.
Connection to the wholeThe argument sharpens as the friends connect suffering with wickedness and Job challenges their account of the wicked's fortunes.
Connection to the wholeA new speaker responds to Job and the friends before the LORD's speeches begin; his speech must be distinguished from the divine answer.
Connection to the wholeThe LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
Connection to the wholeJob responds, the friends are rebuked, and the narrative closes with intercession and restoration without turning every speech into endorsed doctrine.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.