Bible Strands
Job 26:12
By His power He stirred the sea; by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job addresses his friends and the broader assembly, speaking during his prolonged defense of his own innocence while cataloging God's cosmic authority. The speech occurs in the midst of his monologue, immediately following a description of the heavens quaking at God's rebuke.
The words — The Hebrew בְּכֹחוֹ (be-kho·kho) means "by His power," and רָגַע (ra·ga) translates literally as "He stirred up." These terms describe God's direct action over the primordial waters and the chaos figure Rahab.
The thread — This motif of God stirring the sea appears in Isaiah 51:15 and Jeremiah 31:35, while the reference to Rahab connects to Job 9:13. These passages collectively portray the same theme of divine authority over chaotic waters.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that God's power and understanding actively subdue chaos rather than merely observing it. A reader must acknowledge this reality without attributing the chaos to God's origin or losing sight of His sovereign control.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 51:15 For I am the LORD your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
- Jeremiah 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:
- Job 9:13 God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
- Job 12:13 Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.
- Psalms 89:9 You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.
- 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?
- Psalms 74:13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
- Psalms 93:3 The floodwaters have risen, O LORD; the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their pounding waves.
- Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
- Job 40:11 Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low.