^41:9 His sneezing is a splendor of fire, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
^41:10 From his mouth lamps go forth, like torches of fire enkindled.
^41:11 From his nostrils smoke proceeds, like a heated pot of boiling water.
^41:12 His breath makes coals burn, and flame goes forth from his mouth.
^41:13 Strength will dwell in his neck, and want will precede his face;
^41:14 the members of his flesh cleave to one another. He will send lightning bolts against him, and they will not be carried to another place.
^41:15 His heart will be hardened like stone and tightened like a blacksmith’s anvil.
^41:16 When he has been lifted up, the Angels will fear, and, terrified, they will be purified.
^41:17 When the sword has seized him, it will not be able to stand, nor the spear nor the breastplate.
^41:18 For he will reckon iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.
^41:19 The archer will not put him to flight; the stones of the sling have been turned into stubble for him.
^41:20 He will esteem the hammer like stubble, and he will deride the brandished spear.
^41:21 Under him will be the rays of the sun; he will spread gold for himself like mud.
^41:22 He will make the deep sea boil like a pot; he will set it as when ointments boil.
^41:23 After him the path will shine; he will esteem the abyss as though growing old.
^41:24 There is no power on earth that may be compared to him. He was made so that he would fear none;
^41:25 he sees every high thing: he is king over all the children of pride.

557. His sneezing is a splendor of fire, etc. After the Lord described the disposition of Leviathan, here he describes the operation of his strength; and just as he first described the disposition of the head before the body, so also he begins first to enumerate the operations pertaining to the head. Now the first and principal part of the head is the brain, from whose movement an animal’s sneezing is caused; and therefore, describing the sneezing of Leviathan, he says: His sneezing is a splendor of fire, because, namely, from the sneezing of Leviathan there is made so great a commotion of waters that a certain whiteness of the stirred-up waters is caused, like the splendor of fire. Or it can also be referred to this, that when the head or eyes are strongly moved, it seems to us that a certain splendor of fire flashes forth; hence, since the movement of Leviathan’s head from his sneezing is much greater, much more does such a splendor proceed. But by this is signified that through the movement of the head of the devil, that is, through his temptations, there flashes forth the splendor of fire, namely, of anger or concupiscence or even vainglory.

But among the other parts of the head, the eyes are chief, whence he adds: and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn: for the eye, by reason of its brightness, is luminous. Now the whale has great eyes according to the size of its head and of its whole body, and therefore in the sight of them there appears a certain diffused brightness, like the brightness of dawn; by this is designated the temporal prosperity that the devil promises to man.

Third, he describes the operation or effect of his mouth when he says: From his mouth lamps go forth, like torches of fire enkindled. Here it should be considered that a torch is a certain wood that, when enkindled, gives forth a sweet odor. But it is said of the whale that when it is very hungry, it emits from its mouth an odoriferous vapor in the manner of the scent of ambergris; delighted by this, fish enter its mouth and are thus devoured by it. Therefore the vapors emitted from the mouth of the whale are called lamps because of the greatness of the heat that goes forth from its inward parts, and they are compared to enkindled torches because of the fragrance, as has been said. But by this is designated that the devil inflames men to the concupiscence of sin through the display of some good, as though through a certain fragrance.

Fourth, the operation of his nostrils is set down: for this animal has lungs and breathes like the dolphin, and to designate this he adds: From his nostrils, which, namely, are the principal instruments of breathing, proceeds, namely, through respiration, smoke, that is, air heated from the multitude of heat that is necessary for this animal to move so great a bulk; and therefore he expressly adds: like a heated pot of boiling water. For the air that is emitted by breathing was contained in the lung, in which it was heated by the heat of the heart that is joined to the lung, just as water in a pot becomes hot and boils because fire is applied. And because the animal breathes not only through the nostrils but also through the mouth, therefore, fifth, he adds the operation of the mouth, saying: His breath, that is, the exhalation proceeding from the mouth, makes coals burn, that is, it is so hot and strong that it would suffice to enkindle coals; for he speaks in the likeness of those who enkindle coals by blowing, whence he adds: and flame goes forth from his mouth, because, namely, the vapor going forth from his mouth is so hot and fiery that it can rightly be compared to flame. But by all these things is designated that the devil, by his hidden or manifest suggestion, enkindles in man the fire of perverse desire.

558. Therefore, after setting forth these things that pertain to the power of the head of Leviathan, he proceeds to recount those things that pertain to the power of his other members. Now it should be considered that, as Aristotle says in the second book On Animals, no fish has a neck except those that generate animals, such as dolphins, and whales also are of this genus; and therefore he begins to describe the strength of his neck when he says: Strength will dwell in his neck, which indeed is necessary for so great an animal to carry the weight of its head. And because through the neck the head is joined to the body, by the neck of Leviathan can be designated those through whom the devil exercises his malice against others, who for the most part are powerful men whom others revere or even fear. Now it is manifest that this animal, since it is of great body, needs much food, and therefore when a whale has been in some part of the sea, it swallows the multitude of fish existing there, so that the sea in its sight remains, as it were, empty of fish; and this is what he adds: and want will precede his face, because, namely, it draws fish to itself, as was said above, and the sea remains empty of fish before it. By this is signified that want of virtues is caused in men before the face of the devil, that is, through his suggestion. Consequently he shows his strength with respect to the other parts of the body when he says: the members of his flesh cleave to one another, namely, because of their thickness, by which is designated the consent of the members of the devil in evil.

559. Therefore, after setting forth these things concerning the strength of Leviathan for acting, he consequently treats of his strength for resisting. But although he can resist the acting human power, nevertheless he cannot in every way resist the power of divine action; and therefore he first shows what God does against him when he says: He will send lightning bolts against him. For it is manifest that lightning bolts frequently fall into the sea, by which at times even ships are endangered; hence it is also probable that at times whales are struck by lightning. And this work is especially attributed to God because of the greatness and terror of this effect; whence above in 38:35 the Lord said: Will you send forth lightnings, and will they go, etc. But he adds: and they will not be carried to another place, which can be referred to two intentions:

first indeed, to designate the size of his body: for lightning, when it strikes some place, is accustomed by a certain rebound to be reflected to other places nearby; but the body of Leviathan is so great that lightning striking him is not reflected outside his body. In another way, it can be referred to the infallibility of the divine operation: therefore, just as a wise archer sends forth arrows directly so that he strikes nothing except the target, so when God wills to send lightning bolts, as certain arrows, against Leviathan or any other creature, they go to no other place except where he sends them, according to Wisdom 5:22: the emissions of lightning bolts will go directly. By this are designated the divine scourges that God sends against the devil and his members in such a way that they are not carried against others: for if at times the good are scourged by God through temporal adversities, nevertheless this yields to the glorification of the Saints and to the greater damnation of the devil and the impious.

560. Second, he shows how Leviathan relates to the things that God does against him, when he says: His heart will be hardened like stone. But hard signifies natural potency, namely, that something is not easily corrupted by an exterior agent: therefore, by this is designated the natural strength that is in the heart of the whale, so that it is not easily corrupted by an exterior action bringing some harm. And to designate that hardness, the example of stone was sufficient with respect to light blows, but not with respect to heavy ones: for although a stone is not broken by the hand, nevertheless it is broken by an iron hammer. And therefore, to designate the strength of the whale even against grave harms, he adds: and it will be tightened like a blacksmith’s anvil, which, namely, is not broken by the striking of hammers, but rather seems to be made solid. Therefore, by this is signified the obstinacy of the devil and of his members, because by no divine blow are they softened from their malice.

561. Third, the final effect of the divine blow is shown: for however much he may seem to resist the divine scourges, nevertheless he must finally be overcome by them; whence he adds: When he has been lifted up, namely, by divine power from his place, the Angels will fear, admiring the divine power. In this admiration many effects of divine power become known to them, and therefore he adds: and, terrified, they will be purified; for, as Dionysius says in chapter 6 of On the Divine Names, the Angels are said to be purified not from uncleanness but from ignorance. But because every bodily creature is something small in comparison with the holy Angels, this does not seem principally to have been said to signify that the heavenly Angels greatly wonder at the killing of some bodily whale, unless perhaps by Angels we understand holy men; but it is better that it be referred principally to the spiritual Leviathan, namely, the devil, who was lifted up by divine power when he fell from heaven through sin: and then the Angels, admiring the divine majesty, were purified by separation from his company. Likewise also on the day of judgment, when the devil with all his members will be thrust down into Hell, the Angels and all the Saints will admire the divine power and thereafter will be purified by total separation from the wicked; and this is signified in Revelation 12:10, where, after the devil has been cast down, a loud voice is heard in heaven saying: Now have come the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God.

562. Thus, therefore, having shown how he relates to the assault of God, he shows how he relates to the assault of a creature, and first how he relates to the assault of man. Now man attacks both from near at hand and from afar: from near at hand, indeed, armed with sword and spear for striking, and with breastplate for his own defense; and with respect to this he says: When the sword, namely, of man, has seized him, namely Leviathan, it will not be able to stand, namely, the sword, without being broken because of the hardness of his body, nor the spear, namely, will be able to stand, nor the breastplate, with which the breast is defended, will be able to stand against Leviathan. And he assigns the reason for this, adding: For he will reckon iron as straw, because, namely, just as man cannot be harmed by straw and easily breaks it, so Leviathan cannot be harmed by the iron of sword or spear, but easily breaks such things; and likewise he will reckon bronze, namely, of the breastplate, as rotten wood, which, namely, cannot resist a blow. But by this is signified that no human power is effective for harming the devil or resisting him, but every human power is reckoned as nothing by the devil.

563. Man also attacks from afar by arrows and stones from a sling, but neither do these avail against the whale; whence he adds: The archer will not put him to flight, namely, by the shooting of arrows, which he does not fear, since he cannot be harmed by them. But just as arrows shot from afar harm inwardly by wounding, so stones from a sling harm outwardly by bruising; yet just as the whale cannot be pierced by arrows, so he cannot be crushed by stones thrown against him, whence he adds: The stones of the sling have been turned into stubble for him, because, namely, just as stubble on account of its lightness can crush no one, so neither can the whale suffer any harm from stones of a sling. But by this is signified that, just as the devil cannot be harmed by human power as though by a blow from near at hand, so also he cannot be harmed by human cunning as though by a blow from afar. And just as someone is bruised from afar by stones from a sling, so also something is bruised from near at hand by a hammer; yet neither in this way can the whale be harmed by man, whence he adds: He will esteem the hammer like stubble, which can also be referred to the same signification as the preceding, except that the blow of a hammer is heavier than that of stones from a sling; hence it can signify that however much man’s strength and effort is intensified, it is despised by the devil.

564. Now men are accustomed to overcome some not only by striking but also by threatening a blow; yet neither the whale nor the devil fears any threat of man, whence it is added: and he will deride the brandished spear; for the brandishing of a spear seems to be a certain threat of a blow. But just as man sometimes overcomes another by threatening, so also by enticing with promises; but especially are gifts promised accustomed to entice man because of beauty or because of preciousness. Yet nothing among bodily things seems more beautiful than the rays of the sun, and by their beauty Leviathan, whether understood bodily or spiritually, is not enticed; and to signify this it is added: Under him will be the rays of the sun, because, namely, he does not value them as something great; and consequently one is given to understand that he values no other brilliant thing among human affairs. But gold is reckoned very precious among things that come into the use of man, and with respect to this he adds: and he will spread gold for himself like mud, that is, he will despise it as something vile. And thus it is clear that he cannot be enticed by man.

565. Thus, therefore, having shown that he cannot be overcome by man, he consequently shows that he cannot be overcome either by the sea or by any fish of the sea, and this through the strong operations that he exercises in the sea. Now Pliny says that there are certain beasts in the Eastern sea of such great size that they turn the seas from the bottom and make storms in the sea, and these beasts indeed seem to belong to the nature of the whale; and to signify this he adds: He will make the deep sea boil like a pot: for just as, when a pot boils, the boiling water in it is stirred up, so by the violence of this fish the waves of the sea are stirred up; and this stirring begins from the deep and reaches even to the surface of the water, whence he adds: and he will set it as when ointments boil, which, namely, make a greater foam and stirring on the surface than simple water, in which not so much air is contained;

but by this is signified the disturbance that the devil stirs up in this world. And just as he produces a great effect when he moves in the depth of the sea, so also he produces a great effect when he moves on the surface; and to signify this he adds: After him the path will shine: for just as, when a ship moves through the sea, a trace of the passing ship is left for a long distance because of the stirring and foam generated in the water, so also it happens from the motion of this fish because of its size; but by this is signified that the effect of the disturbance that the devil stirs up in the world is not immediately abolished, but sometimes lasts for a long time. Now because the whale works such strong operations in the sea, it in no way fears the depth of the sea, whence he adds: He will esteem the abyss, that is, the deep of the sea, as though growing old, that is, as though having an end and as though powerless to swallow him: for what grows old is both weak and near its end. By this is signified that the devil does not esteem the damnation of Hell so greatly that on account of it he ceases to strive against God, as if his damnation were to come to an end. And just as Leviathan cannot be overcome by man, nor by the sea or by any creature of the sea, so also he cannot be overcome by any other terrestrial creature; whence he adds: There is no power on earth that may be compared to him: for there is no animal on earth as great as the whale of the sea, whence Pliny also says that in the sea there are animals greater than terrestrial ones, and the evident cause is the abundance of moisture. But by this is signified that no bodily power can be equaled to the power of the demon, which is the power of a spiritual nature.

566. Therefore, because he had set forth many things about the properties of Leviathan as a figure of the devil, he consequently explains the aforesaid metaphor. And as has been said, all the aforesaid properties seem to pertain to two things, one of which is that he cannot be harmed by another, and with respect to this he explains and adds: He was made so that he would fear none, that is, the devil has this from the condition of his nature in which he was made by God: that he fear neither man nor any bodily creature. But the other is that Leviathan has the capacity to exercise great and strong operations, and explaining this he adds: he sees every high thing, that is, the intention of the devil is to attack whatever is lofty. And because these things seem to pertain to pride, he consequently shows that the devil is not only proud in himself, but exceeds all in pride and is the beginning for others of being proud, whence he adds: he is king over all the children of pride, that is, over those who are subjected to pride, all of whom follow his leadership. Here it should be considered that the Lord began to manifest the operation that he exercises upon the wicked with regard to the proud and ends the narration with the proud, so as to show that this especially was to be feared by Job: lest the devil, who had sought him for temptation, should especially try to induce him to pride, so that he would be transferred into his kingdom; and therefore he had to beware of affection and words that savored of pride.