Job 41:6
New International Version
Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?

New Living Translation
Will merchants try to buy it to sell it in their shops?

English Standard Version
Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

Berean Standard Bible
Will traders barter for him or divide him among the merchants?

King James Bible
Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

New King James Version
Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants?

New American Standard Bible
“Will the traders bargain for him? Will they divide him among the merchants?

NASB 1995
“Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants?

NASB 1977
“Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants?

Legacy Standard Bible
Will the traders bargain over it? Will they divide it among the merchants?

Amplified Bible
“Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?

Christian Standard Bible
Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants?

American Standard Version
Will the bands of fishermen make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants?

Contemporary English Version
Is it ever chopped up and its pieces bargained for in the fish-market?

English Revised Version
Shall the bands of fishermen make traffic of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Will traders bargain over it and divide it among the merchants?

Good News Translation
Will fishermen bargain over him? Will merchants cut him up to sell?

International Standard Version
Will your business be able to buy him, Will you divide him among your merchant friends?

Majority Standard Bible
Will traders barter for him or divide him among the merchants?

NET Bible
Will partners bargain for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?

New Heart English Bible
Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants.

World English Bible
Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
(Companions feast on him, "" They divide him among the merchants!)

Young's Literal Translation
(Feast upon him do companions, They divide him among the merchants!)

Smith's Literal Translation
Shall companions give a feast upon him? shall they divide him between the Canaanites?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall friends cut him in pieces, shall merchants divide him?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Will your friends cut him into pieces, will dealers distribute him?

New American Bible
Will the traders bargain for him? Will the merchants divide him up?

New Revised Standard Version
Will traders bargain over it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Shall fishermen gather over him? Shall they divide him among many people?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Shall companions be gathered for him and divide him among many?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Will the bands of fishermen make a banquet of him? Will they part him among the merchants?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And do the nations feed upon him, and the nations of the Phoenicians share him?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Power Shown in Leviathan
5Can you pet him like a bird or put him on a leash for your maidens? 6Will traders barter for him or divide him among the merchants? 7Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?…

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 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

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 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.

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:

Ezekiel 32:2
“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’

Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Luke 11:30
For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

Jonah 1:17
Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.

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. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

Judges 14:11
And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

Jump to Previous
Bands Banquet Bargain Barter Companions Cut Divide Feast Fishermen Merchants Part Partners Profit Traders Traffic
Jump to Next
Bands Banquet Bargain Barter Companions Cut Divide Feast Fishermen Merchants Part Partners Profit Traders Traffic
Job 41
1. Of God's great power in the leviathan














Will traders barter for him
This phrase suggests the commercial value and trade practices of the ancient Near East. In biblical times, bartering was a common method of trade, where goods and services were exchanged without the use of money. The rhetorical question implies that the creature described, often identified as Leviathan, is beyond the realm of ordinary commerce. This highlights the creature's immense power and uniqueness, suggesting that it cannot be captured or traded like ordinary goods. The mention of traders also reflects the economic activities of the time, where merchants played a crucial role in the distribution of goods across regions.

or divide him among the merchants?
The idea of dividing a creature among merchants suggests the practice of distributing valuable goods among multiple buyers, a common practice in ancient trade. This phrase emphasizes the impossibility of capturing and distributing Leviathan, underscoring its formidable nature. The reference to merchants indicates the organized trade networks that existed, with merchants often traveling long distances to acquire and sell goods. This also reflects the broader biblical theme of God's creation being beyond human control or exploitation. The imagery of dividing spoils can be connected to other biblical passages where spoils of war or valuable goods are divided, such as in Joshua 7:21, but here it serves to highlight the futility of attempting to commodify something as powerful as Leviathan.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A righteous man tested by God through severe trials, including the loss of his wealth, health, and family. The book of Job explores themes of suffering, divine sovereignty, and human righteousness.

2. Leviathan
A powerful sea creature described in Job 41, symbolizing chaos and the untamable forces of nature. It represents something beyond human control and understanding.

3. Traders and Merchants
Individuals engaged in commerce, representing human attempts to control and profit from the natural world.

4. God
The ultimate speaker in Job 41, challenging Job's understanding of divine power and sovereignty through the description of Leviathan.

5. The Book of Job
A poetic and philosophical text in the Old Testament that addresses the nature of suffering and the relationship between God and humanity.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
The description of Leviathan emphasizes God's unmatched power and control over all creation, reminding us of His sovereignty in our lives.

Human Limitations
The rhetorical questions about trading Leviathan highlight human limitations in understanding and controlling the world, urging us to trust in God's wisdom.

Trust in God's Plan
Just as Job is challenged to trust God's plan despite his suffering, we are called to have faith in God's purposes, even when they are beyond our comprehension.

The Futility of Human Pride
The inability to tame Leviathan serves as a metaphor for the futility of human pride and self-reliance, encouraging humility before God.

The Mystery of God's Creation
Leviathan represents the mysterious aspects of God's creation, inviting us to marvel at the complexity and beauty of the world He has made.(6) Shall the companions make a banquet of him?--Or, Shall the bands of fishermen make traffic of him? or, dig a pit for him?--the former suiting the parallelism better.

Verse 6. - Shall the companions make a banquet of him? rather. Shall the companions make a traffic of him? By "the companions" we may understand either the guilds or companies of fishermen, which might be regarded as engaged in making the capture, or the travelling bands of merchants, who might be supposed willing to purchase him and carry him away. As no one of these last could be imagined rich enough to make the purchase alone, a further question is asked, Shall they part him among the merchants? i.e. allow a number to club together, each taking a share.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Will traders
חַבָּרִ֑ים (ḥab·bā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2271: Associate, partner (in a trade)

barter
יִכְר֣וּ (yiḵ·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3738: To dig, to plot, to bore, open

for him
עָ֭לָיו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

or divide him
יֶ֝חֱצ֗וּהוּ (ye·ḥĕ·ṣū·hū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2673: To cut, split in two, to halve

among
בֵּ֣ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

the merchants?
כְּֽנַעֲנִֽים׃ (kə·na·‘ă·nîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 3669: Canaanite -- inhabitant of Canaan


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OT Poetry: Job 41:6 Will traders barter for him? Will they (Jb)
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