Bible Strands
Job 41:3
Will he beg you for mercy or speak to you softly?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God addresses Job, continuing a rhetorical interrogation about capturing the Leviathan. The question immediately follows an inquiry about piercing the creature's jaw with a hook.
The words — תַּחֲנוּנִים (taḥănûnîm) denotes supplications, and רַכּֽוֹת (rakkōt) means soft words. The Hebrew syntax frames these as alternatives the creature will not offer its captor.
The thread — The text's contrast between plea and power echoes Proverbs 18:23 on the poor man's plea for mercy. It also resonates with Psalms 55:21 and Proverbs 15:1, which examine how soft speech functions in human conflict.
Why it lands — The verse states that untamable strength cannot be reduced to begging or gentle conversation. It requires the reader to acknowledge that human authority has fixed limits against wild creation.
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
Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
Cross-references
- Psalms 55:21 His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
- Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- Proverbs 18:23 The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.
- Proverbs 25:15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
- Isaiah 30:10 They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.