His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour from his mouth.
Parallel translations
- WEB His breath kindles coals. A flame goes out of his mouth.
- KJV His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
- NKJV His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.
- NASB “His breath sets coals aglow, And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
- NLT Its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Leviathan's breath kindles coals and flame leaps from his mouth. The vivid imagery magnifies the creature's terrifying might.
Overview
The description of breath that kindles coals and flames from the mouth continues the awe-inspiring portrait of Leviathan. The poetic language conveys a creature of unmatched ferocity. Throughout, the aim is to fill Job with wonder at the Creator's power. If God can fashion and command such a beast, Job has every reason to trust his wise and just rule over all things.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ps 18:8Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
- Hab 3:5Plague went before Him, and fever followed in His steps.
- Ps 18:12From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
- Isa 30:33For Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 41:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.