Job 41:15
New International Version
Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together;

New Living Translation
The scales on its back are like rows of shields tightly sealed together.

English Standard Version
His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal.

Berean Standard Bible
His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.

King James Bible
His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

New King James Version
His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal;

New American Standard Bible
His strong scales are his pride, Locked as with a tight seal.

NASB 1995
“His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.

NASB 1977
His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.

Legacy Standard Bible
Its strong scales are its pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.

Amplified Bible
“His strong scales are his pride, Bound together as with a tight seal.

Christian Standard Bible
His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together.

American Standard Version
His strong scales are his pride, Shut up together as with a close seal.

Contemporary English Version
Its back is covered with shield after shield,

English Revised Version
His strong scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Its back has rows of scales that are tightly sealed.

Good News Translation
His back is made of rows of shields, fastened together and hard as stone.

International Standard Version
His protective scales are his pride, they lie sealed tightly together.

Majority Standard Bible
His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.

NET Bible
Its back has rows of shields, shut up closely together as with a seal;

New Heart English Bible
Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.

Webster's Bible Translation
His scales are his pride, shut together as with a close seal.

World English Bible
Strong scales are his pride, shut up together with a close seal.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A pride—strong ones of shields, "" Shut up—a close seal.

Young's Literal Translation
A pride -- strong ones of shields, Shut up -- a close seal.

Smith's Literal Translation
Pride of strong shields shut up with a seal of straitness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
His body is like molten shields, shut close up with scales pressing upon one another.

Catholic Public Domain Version
His body is like shields fused together, like dense scales pressed over one another.

New American Bible
Rows of scales are on his back, tightly sealed together;

New Revised Standard Version
Its back is made of shields in rows, shut up closely as with a seal.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who can open the doors of his mouth? His teeth are terrible round about.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For in the torrent his mouth is tied up and bound and sealed
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
His scales are his pride, Shut up together as with a close seal.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
His inwards are as brazen plates, and the texture of his skin as a smyrite stone.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Power Shown in Leviathan
14Who can open his jaws, ringed by his fearsome teeth? 15His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together. 16One scale is so near to another that no air can pass between them.…

Cross References
Psalm 104:25-26
Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small. / There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.

Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

Psalm 74:13-14
You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; / You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

Psalm 18:9-10
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet. / He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.

Isaiah 43:16-17
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, / who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Psalm 89:9-10
You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them. / You crushed Rahab like a carcass; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Genesis 1:21
So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Exodus 7:9-12
“When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.” / So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. / But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts. ...

Psalm 148:7
Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,

Isaiah 11:8
The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.


Treasury of Scripture

His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

scales.

Jeremiah 9:23
Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

a close

Revelation 5:2,3,5
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? …

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Close Closely Joined Lines Ones Plates Pride Rows Scales Seal Sealed Shields Shut Stamp Strong Tight Tightly Together
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Close Closely Joined Lines Ones Plates Pride Rows Scales Seal Sealed Shields Shut Stamp Strong Tight Tightly Together
Job 41
1. Of God's great power in the leviathan














His rows of scales
The phrase "His rows of scales" refers to the protective armor of the Leviathan, a creature described in the Book of Job. In Hebrew, the word for scales is "מגן" (magen), which can also mean shield. This imagery suggests a formidable defense, symbolizing strength and invulnerability. In the ancient Near Eastern context, scales were often associated with dragons or sea monsters, creatures of chaos that only God could control. The Leviathan's scales represent the impenetrable nature of this creature, highlighting the power and majesty of God's creation.

are his pride
The word "pride" in Hebrew is "גאון" (ga'on), which can denote majesty, excellence, or arrogance. In this context, it reflects the creature's self-sufficiency and grandeur. The Leviathan's pride is not just in its physical appearance but in its role as a symbol of chaos and power. This serves as a reminder of the limitations of human strength and wisdom compared to God's sovereignty. The Leviathan's pride is a testament to the Creator's unmatched authority over all creation, including the most fearsome and untamable beings.

tightly sealed together
The phrase "tightly sealed together" emphasizes the impenetrability and unity of the Leviathan's scales. The Hebrew word "סגור" (sagur) means closed or shut, indicating that the scales are so closely knit that nothing can penetrate them. This imagery conveys the idea of perfect protection and defense, a metaphor for God's unassailable power. In a broader spiritual sense, it can inspire believers to seek refuge in God's strength, knowing that His protection is as secure and unyielding as the Leviathan's scales. This serves as a powerful reminder of the security and peace found in God's presence, encouraging trust and faith in His divine protection.

Verse 15. - His scales are his pride; or, his pride is in the channeling of his scales (literally, of his shields). The scales of the crocodile are arranged in five rows along his entire back, with a depression between the rows which is like a "channel." Each individual scale resembles a shield. They are shut up together as with a close seal; each, i.e. closely attached to its fellow,so that there is no space between them. "A rifle-ball," according to Canon Tristram, "glances off from them as from a rock" ('Natural History of the Bible,' p. 352).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
[His] rows
אֲפִיקֵ֣י (’ă·p̄î·qê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 650: Containing, a tube, a bed, valley of a, stream, a strong thing, a hero

of scales are
מָֽגִנִּ֑ים (mā·ḡin·nîm)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 4043: A shield, a protector, the scaly hide of the crocodile

[his] pride,
גַּ֭אֲוָה (ga·’ă·wāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1346: Arrogance, majesty, ornament

tightly
סָ֝ג֗וּר (sā·ḡūr)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 5462: To shut up, to surrender

sealed together.
חוֹתָ֥ם (ḥō·w·ṯām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2368: A seal, signet ring


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OT Poetry: Job 41:15 Strong scales are his pride shut up (Jb)
Job 41:14
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