What does Job Chapter 26 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Job questions the help and counsel offered to him. He describes giants, hell, earth, clouds, seas and the winding serpent; the edition separately explains the obstetric-hand image. Job calls the words a little drop and asks who can behold the thunder of God’s greatness.

Chapter breakdown

Job asks what help, counsel or teaching has been given to the weak and who supplied the spirit of the words. In his speech, giants groan under the waters with those dwelling with them, hell is naked and destruction uncovered. He describes the north stretched over empty space, earth hanging on nothing and waters bound in clouds so that they do not break out and fall together. He speaks of the throne's face withheld, clouds spread over it and bounds set about waters until light and darkness end.

Job says heaven's pillars tremble at God's beck, seas are suddenly gathered together and His wisdom strikes the proud one. His spirit adorns the heavens and His obstetric hand brings forth the winding serpent. Job calls these things only part of His ways and the words a little drop, asking who can behold the thunder of His greatness.

The separate edition note explains the obstetric hand as God's power bringing forth in time what was conceived eternally in the divine mind, and identifies the winding serpent with Draco near the north pole. This explanation remains distinct from Job's speech.

The story inside

Opening: Job questions the help and counsel offered to him. Development: He describes giants, hell, earth, clouds, seas and the winding serpent; the edition separately explains the obstetric-hand image. Conclusion: Job calls the words a little drop and asks who can behold the thunder of God’s greatness.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Job questions the help and counsel offered to him.
2
He describes giants, hell, earth, clouds, seas and the winding serpent; the edition separately explains the obstetric-hand image.
3
Job calls the words a little drop and asks who can behold the thunder of God’s greatness.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 56251–56252
He stretched out the north over the empty space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
Lines 56263–56263
The pillars of heaven tremble, and dread at his beck.
Lines 56271–56276
His obstetric hand brought forth the winding serpent.... That is, the omnipotent power of God: which brought forth all things created in time, but conceived in the Divine mind from all eternity.
Lines 56278–56280
Lo, these things are said in part of his ways: and seeing we have heard scarce a little drop of his word, who shall be able to behold the thunder of his greatness?