Job 41:20 · Bible study
Job 41:20 Commentary: Smoke of Leviathan's Nostrils
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explores the literal and symbolic dimensions of the smoke from Leviathan's nostrils in Job 41:20, with insights from ancient natural history and
Research Summary
- Meaning: Leviathan’s breath is compared to smoke from a boiling pot, portraying the crocodile’s warm exhalation in cold air.
- Key words: smoke, nostrils, boiling pot, fire of reeds (the latter also used for fuel in the ancient Near East).
- Main debate: Whether Leviathan is a literal crocodile or a mythological chaos monster, and whether the smoke is a natural observation or purely symbolic.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over the most dangerous elements of creation, calling humans to humility.
- Best use: A vivid reminder that God’s power exceeds human understanding, fitted for sermons on awe, suffering, or divine sovereignty.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
KJV King James Version 1769
Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and burning rushes.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a boiling pot and cauldron.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
As stubble will he esteem the hammer, and he will laugh him to scorn who shaketh the spear.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
De sus narices sale humo, como de una olla ó caldero que hierve.
De suas narinas sai fumaça, como de uma panela fervente ou de um caldeirão.
Il ne voit dans la massue qu’ un brin de paille,
[41:12] Aus seiner Nase geht Rauch wie von heißen Töpfen und Kesseln.
Uit zijn neusgaten komt rook voort, als uit een ziedenden pot en ruimen ketel.
(H41-12) Dalle sue narici esce un fumo, come da una pignatta che bolla o da una caldaia.
Strzelbę sobie poczyta jako słomę, a pośmiewa się z szermowania włócznią.
Дочь лука не обратит его в бегство; пращные камни обращаются для него в плеву.
從牠鼻孔 冒出 煙來，如燒開的 鍋 和點著的蘆葦。
Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators consistently read this verse as a close observation of the crocodile (or alligator) exhaling in cool air. Barnes cites an 18th-century traveler who saw an alligator emit thick smoke from its nostrils. The Cambridge Bible explains that the hot breath, long repressed under water, is blown out upon emergence and shines in the sun like a fiery stream. Gill notes the crocodile's very large nostrils and compares the exhalation to a furnace. Keil and Delitzsch describe the reflex sneezing of a basking crocodile, misting water droplets that catch the light. The simile of a boiling pot and burning reeds points to the creature's habitat along the reed beds of the Nile. Although the portrait is poetically heightened, it rests on genuine natural history. The main point is theological: God presents this fearsome animal to display His creative authority over all forces, even those that seem unmanageable to humans.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal natural observation: The detailed match with crocodile behavior (warm breath producing steam, sneezing reflex) supports a straightforward natural reading.
- Symbolic of chaos or evil: Leviathan appears elsewhere as a chaos monster (Isaiah 27:1; Psalms 74:14); the smoking breath could evoke demonic power or the threat of judgment.
- Both literal and symbolic: The poet uses a real animal’s features to create a symbol that points beyond itself to God’s sovereignty over all forces, natural and supernatural.
What is clear: God uses the description of Leviathan’s smoking nostrils to display His authority over the most fearsome part of creation, calling Job to trust and humility.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of Leviathan | Most commentators agree that Leviathan is a real animal, likely the Nile crocodile, described with poetic exaggeration. | Some traditions read Leviathan as a symbol of primeval chaos or Satan (especially in early church allegory), while others insist on a literal animal. |
| Literal vs. symbolic interpretation of the smoke | All agree the image conveys terrifying power and that it is grounded in observable phenomena (warm breath condensing). | The degree of literalism varies: some see a precise natural description (Barnes, Cambridge), others emphasize the hyperbolic function to humble Job. |
| Role in the book of Job | The description is part of God’s rhetorical response to Job, demonstrating His creative authority. | Whether the speech answers Job’s question about justice or simply silences him is debated. Some see it as a rebuke, others as a revelation of God’s grandeur. |
| Connection to Jeremiah’s boiling pot | Both passages use a pot over a fire to evoke heat, judgment, and something out of human control. | Jeremiah’s pot is explicitly a symbol of judgment; Job’s may serve that role indirectly or may simply be a simile for the creature’s breath. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The second divine speech in Job (chapters 40, 41) concludes with two great beasts: Behemoth and Leviathan. Many scholars identify Leviathan with the Nile crocodile, though some see it as a mythological chaos monster. The image of smoke from the nostrils fits the crocodile's habit of emerging from water and forcefully exhaling warm, moist air that condenses into steam on a cool morning. Keil and Delitzsch, drawing on ancient accounts, note that crocodiles sun themselves on sandbanks with open jaws, and their sneezing reflexes produce a visible spray.
The phrase a boiling pot over a fire of reeds paints a vivid scene. In Egypt and Mesopotamia, dried reeds were common fuel for cooking fires, often used under large pots. The comparison may also echo Jeremiah's vision of a boiling caldron tipping from the north (Jeremiah 1:13, 14), where the image symbolizes impending judgment. Here it reinforces the creature's raw, threatening energy. Reed beds were the crocodile's hunting territory, so the fire of reeds also links the monster to its own environment. God uses this culturally familiar scene to press home His question to Job: if you cannot control a mere creature, how can you stand before its Maker?
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 41:20. The verse appears consistently across the major Hebrew manuscripts and early translations. Differences in English versions (e.g. “caldron” vs. “pot”) reflect translation choices rather than textual uncertainty.
Reception History
Early Christian writers often allegorized Leviathan as a figure of Satan or the chaos God subdues at creation. Augustine and Gregory the Great saw the monsters of Job as types of the devil, with the smoking nostrils representing his fiery temptations. Medieval Jewish exegesis, however, maintained a literal reading, identifying Leviathan with a real sea creature. Reformation-era commentators like Matthew Henry and John Gill stayed close to the literal text, drawing on natural history to explain the smoke as the crocodile’s breath. Modern scholarship (Keil, Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible) continues this literal-natural reading while acknowledging the passage’s theological thrust. The verse has also been referenced in hymns that celebrate God’s power over the sea and its inhabitants, emphasizing His mastery over what frightens us most.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Breath of the Beast. The poet describes a literal observation of the crocodile’s hot breath condensing into smoke. This detail reveals that God knows His creation intimately, down to the steam from a creature’s nostrils.
- The Lesson of Leviathan. God does not answer Job’s accusations with arguments. He shows Job a creature so mighty that human weapons are like straw (Job 41:26, 27). The point is not zoology but humility before the Creator.
- The Boiling Pot of Judgment. Jeremiah’s vision of a boiling caldron (Jeremiah 1:13) uses the same image to signal God’s judgment against apostasy. Leviathan’s smoking nostrils can be seen as a hint that forces of chaos and evil exist within God’s sovereign rule. They are not outside His control.
Five-point outline
- God sees the same world we see, but He knows every detail.
- He paints a portrait of power that is both accurate and awesome.
- The creature points beyond itself to its Creator’s majesty.
- Our smallness before such power is meant to produce trust, not terror.
- In Christ, God enters the chaos and wins the greater victory over the true Leviathan of sin and death.
Illustration hooks
- Watching a whale exhale a plume of mist on a cold ocean morning. The visible breath reveals invisible heat and life.
- The steam rising from a hot engine on a frosty day. It looks like smoke but is actually water vapor.
- A pot of stew boiling over a camping fire made of dry sticks, the reeds crackling as they burn.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God spend so much of the book of Job describing a scary animal? Does this help someone who is suffering?
- Is Leviathan a real creature or a symbol of evil? Does it matter which?
- How can a description of a monster bring comfort? What does it mean that God is sovereign over chaos?
Leading a Discussion
The image of smoke rolling from Leviathan’s nostrils is striking. It challenges us to see God’s power in the details of creation and to ask how that power relates to our own struggles. Use these questions to guide your group discussion.
Discussion questions
- Read Job 41:20 in two or three translations. What words or phrases catch your attention and why?
- How does the simile of a boiling pot and burning reeds help you picture Leviathan in its environment?
- Why do you think God brings up a creature like this when Job is asking for justice? What is the effect on Job and on the reader?
- Jeremiah 1:13 also describes a boiling cauldron. How might that parallel deepen the meaning of Job 41:20?
- Is it harder for you to see God in a terrifying creature or in a gentle scene? What does this passage suggest about both?
- How does this description of power affect the way you understand God’s response to suffering or confusion?
- If you were to write a modern version of this passage, what creature or natural force would you use to convey God’s greatness?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Jeremiah 1:13 | Yahweh’s word came to me the second time, saying, “What do you see?” I said, “I see a boiling cauldron; and it is tipping away from the north.” |
| Jeremiah 1:14 | Then Yahweh said to me, “Out of the north, evil will break out on all the inhabitants of the land. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes cites an eyewitness account of an alligator emitting thick smoke from its nostrils to show that the Bible’s description is based on observable reality, not mere exaggeration. He also notes that the Hebrew phrase for “seething-pot” literally means a pot with the fire blown underneath.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The creature comes up from the water breathing fire. Its hot breath shines like a stream of flames in the sunlight.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes draw attention to the creature's complete disregard for human weapons. Darts are treated like straw, and the beast laughs at the shaking of the spear. The point emphasizes utter contempt: no human armament poses any threat or causes any fear.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points out that the smoke from the creature's nostrils is compared to steam rising from a boiling pot. He observes that both crocodiles and hippopotamuses have very large, open nostrils and were described in ancient sources as breathing out a fiery smoke like a furnace.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB points out that the English word "seething" comes from a literal Hebrew picture of a fire blown underneath a pot to make it boil. The original term suggests a process that requires active effort, not just passive heat.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the bright eyes of the creature represent light shining from darkness. The smoke coming from its nostrils is described as a heated caldron.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the description of leviathan's fiery breath as part of God's indirect method of humbling Job. By depicting these monster-beasts as mighty yet completely subject to the Almighty, the passage allegorically crushes human pride and prepares Job for his final penitent confession.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the creature described in this passage has no fear and rules over all proud people. It shows no concern for anyone else and holds absolute power over everything on earth.