Job 26:13

Job 26:13

By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

a. NLT: His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. NASB95: “By His breath the heavens are cleared;His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. [New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.]

d. ESV: By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. [Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

e. Amplified Bible Classic: By His breath the heavens are garnished; His hand pierced the [swiftly] fleeing serpent. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

f. Septuagint: And the barriers of heaven fear him, and by a command he has slain the apostate dragon.

g. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: By His breath the heavens were spread; His hand fashioned the [earth-] girdling serpent. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1. “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens…”

a. [By his] spirit [Strong: 7307 ruwach roo'-akh from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):--air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit((-ual)), tempest, X vain, ((whirl-))wind(-y).] 

1). Some translations have “breath” instead of “spirit”.

a). Job 26:13 [Christian Standard Bible] By his breath the heavens gained their beauty; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. [Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017, 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers.]

b). Job 26:13 [NASB 2020] “By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. [New American Standard Bible 2020 Copyright (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved]

c).Job 26:13 [New English Translation] By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. [The NET Bible®, New English Translation Copyright © 1996 By Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NET Bible® is a registered trademark The NET Bible® Logo, Service Mark Copyright © 1997 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.]

2). God created the heavens by the breath of His mouth. He spoke the heavens and the earth into existence.

a). Psalm 33:6-9 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

33:7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

33:8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

33:9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

b. [he hath] garnished [Strong: 8235 shiphrah shif-raw' from 8231; rightness:--garnish.] [AMG:A femine noun indicating brightness, clearness. It refers to making something appear clean, neat, clear of visibility.] [Gesenius: brightness, beauty…” by his (God’s) Spirit the heavens were made brightness”, i.e., splendid, most splendid. Several interpreters have supposed [the Hebrew] to be (to make beautiful, to adorn, with stars and constellations)…”] [Dictionary, Oxford Languages: verb; decorate or embellish (something, especially food); in law, to serve with a garnishment.]

c. [the] heavens [Strong: 8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).] [Gesenius: heaven.] [AMG:A masculine noun meaning sky, heaven, abode, firmament, air, stars.]

2. “…his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.” 

a. [his] hand [Strong: 3027 yâd, yawd; a primitive word; a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]:—( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, × presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.

b. [hath] formed [Strong: 2490  châlal, khaw-lal'; a primitive root (compare H2470); also denominative (from H2485) properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute):—begin (× men began), defile, × break, defile, × eat (as common things), × first, × gather the grape thereof, × take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute, slay (slain), sorrow, stain, wound.

1). Psalm 8:1-3 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

c. [the] crooked [Strong: 1281 bârîyach, baw-ree'-akh; or בָּרִחַ bâriach; (shortened) from H1272; a fugitive, i.e. the serpent (as fleeing), and the constellation by that name:—crooked, noble, piercing.] [Gesenius: one who flees, a fugitive, also fleeing, the epithet of the serpent, and of the constellation Isaiah 27:1]

d. serpent [Strong: 5175 nâchâsh, naw-khawsh'; from H5172; a snake (from its hiss):—serpent.]

1). This verse in the first half of the verse is referring to the creation of the heavens and depending on the translation, the last part is continuing the subject of creation or the   prophetic declaration of the defeat of the enemy, similar to Genesis 3:15. The original purpose of the heavens in particular the constellations was to reveal the plan of redemption to mankind.

2). The NLT, NIV, Amplified Bible and the Septuagint (above), all agree with the thought the serpent is being pierced. The King James and the Jewish translation favor the designing and creating the constellation. As in the case of more than a few verses in Scripture that differ, they are both correct.

(4)  Job 26:13 [ESV] By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

(5)  Job 26:13 [Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings] By His breath the heavens were spread; His hand fashioned the [earth-] girdling serpent

(6) Job 26:13 [NKJV]: By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

3). Some Bible scholars teach this is referring to the serpent of Isaiah 27:1, saying plainly that the eventual destruction of the devil and evil is depicted in the stars.

a). Isaiah 27:1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.