Job 26:13 Translation: "Formed" vs. "Pierced"—And Why It Matters for God's Sovereignty
For years I've been using the following verse "his hand hath formed the crooked serpent":
[Job 26:13 KJV] By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
[Pro 16:4 LSB] Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.
[Isa 54:16 LSB] Behold, I Myself have created the craftsman who blows the fire of coals And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the bringer of ruin to wreak destruction.
Same verse from the KJV:
[Isa 54:16 KJV] Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
[Isa 45:6-7 KJV] That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. [7] I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Back to Job 26:13 - Many modern and later translations shift the meaning of this passage dramatically:
[Job 26:13 LSB] By His breath the heavens are made beautiful; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.
Even the Modern KJV changed it:
[Job 26:13 MKJV] By His Spirit the heavens were beautiful; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
This version praises the beauty of the heavens by God's breath, then abruptly jumps to violent action ("pierced") against a serpent—disrupting the poetic flow and context. It makes little sense in a hymn exalting God's dominion over creation and chaos.
Even the Modern KJV changed it:
[Job 26:13 MKJV] By His Spirit the heavens were beautiful; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
This version praises the beauty of the heavens by God's breath, then abruptly jumps to violent action ("pierced") against a serpent—disrupting the poetic flow and context. It makes little sense in a hymn exalting God's dominion over creation and chaos.
Geneva
[Job 26:13 Geneva] His Spirite hath garnished the heauens, & his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
1611 KJV
[Job 26:13 KJV-1611] By his spirit he hath garnished the heauens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
Bishops Bible
[Job 26:13 Bishops] His spirite hath garnished the heauens, & his hand hath made the crooked serpent.
Jubilee Bible
[Job 26:13 JUB] By his spirit he has adorned the heavens; his hand has formed the fleeing serpent.
Young's Literal Translation:
[Job 26:13 YLT] By His Spirit the heavens He beautified, Formed hath His hand the fleeing serpent.
Robert Young’s Literal Translation (YLT, 1862) used the Masoretic Text as its primary Old Testament source, specifically the Textus Receptus edition of the Hebrew Bible — the standard printed version based on the Bomberg Bible (1524–25) and the Leningrad Codex tradition.
[1] No reliance on the Septuagint (LXX) for the main text.
[2] Young occasionally noted LXX variants in footnotes (e.g., in Job, Samuel, Jeremiah) where they differed significantly from the MT.
[3] His goal was strict formal equivalence to the Hebrew consonants and grammar — hence the rigid, often awkward English.
For Job 26:12–13, YLT follows the MT exactly:
[12] By His power He hath quieted the sea, And by His understanding smitten the proud. [13] By His breath the heavens have been adorned, His hand hath formed the fleeing serpent.
No Vulgate or LXX influence in the translation itself — only the Hebrew Masoretic Text. The overarching theme of Job 26 is Yahweh's sovereignty over all of creation and all chaos. In this chapter, Job responds to Bildad’s brief speech (ch. 25) by magnifying God’s dominion in a soaring poetic hymn. The central theme is divine transcendence - God's authority extends over all... including the adversary. The serpent will be pierced to be sure (Isa 27:1), but is that what Job was communicating?
[Job 26:13 Geneva] His Spirite hath garnished the heauens, & his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
1611 KJV
[Job 26:13 KJV-1611] By his spirit he hath garnished the heauens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
Bishops Bible
[Job 26:13 Bishops] His spirite hath garnished the heauens, & his hand hath made the crooked serpent.
Jubilee Bible
[Job 26:13 JUB] By his spirit he has adorned the heavens; his hand has formed the fleeing serpent.
Young's Literal Translation:
[Job 26:13 YLT] By His Spirit the heavens He beautified, Formed hath His hand the fleeing serpent.
Robert Young’s Literal Translation (YLT, 1862) used the Masoretic Text as its primary Old Testament source, specifically the Textus Receptus edition of the Hebrew Bible — the standard printed version based on the Bomberg Bible (1524–25) and the Leningrad Codex tradition.
[1] No reliance on the Septuagint (LXX) for the main text.
[2] Young occasionally noted LXX variants in footnotes (e.g., in Job, Samuel, Jeremiah) where they differed significantly from the MT.
[3] His goal was strict formal equivalence to the Hebrew consonants and grammar — hence the rigid, often awkward English.
For Job 26:12–13, YLT follows the MT exactly:
[12] By His power He hath quieted the sea, And by His understanding smitten the proud. [13] By His breath the heavens have been adorned, His hand hath formed the fleeing serpent.
No Vulgate or LXX influence in the translation itself — only the Hebrew Masoretic Text. The overarching theme of Job 26 is Yahweh's sovereignty over all of creation and all chaos. In this chapter, Job responds to Bildad’s brief speech (ch. 25) by magnifying God’s dominion in a soaring poetic hymn. The central theme is divine transcendence - God's authority extends over all... including the adversary. The serpent will be pierced to be sure (Isa 27:1), but is that what Job was communicating?
Vulgate (Latin) Text of Job 26:13
The Clementine Vulgate (standard edition, 1592) reads:
spiritu eius ornatus est caelus et obstetrice manu illius eductus est coluber tortuosus
Literal English Rendering:
"By his spirit the heaven is adorned; and by his hand acting as midwife, the twisted serpent was brought forth."
This sentiment of Jerome's translation is seen in the English translation of his Latin Vulgate:
Douay-Rheims
"By his spirit the heaven is adorned; and by his hand acting as midwife, the twisted serpent was brought forth."
This sentiment of Jerome's translation is seen in the English translation of his Latin Vulgate:
Douay-Rheims
[Job 26:13 DRB] His spirit hath adorned the heavens, and his obstetric hand brought forth the winding serpent.
And, to make matters even tougher... חֹלֲלָה is used only once in all of the OT... here, in Job 26:13.
The Hebrew form חֹלֲלָה (Piel perfect 3fs of the root חלל) appears only once in the entire Old Testament: Job 26:13.
This form is a hapax legomenon (unique occurrence).
The Hebrew form חֹלֲלָה (Piel perfect 3fs of the root חלל) appears only once in the entire Old Testament: Job 26:13.
This form is a hapax legomenon (unique occurrence).
Iuxta Hebraeos (Latin for "according to the Hebrews") refers to St. Jerome’s direct translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts into Latin, completed around 405 CE.
Key Facts:
Part of the Vulgate: While most of the Vulgate Old Testament was translated from the Greek Septuagint (LXX), Jerome produced iuxta Hebraeos versions of several books — including Job, Psalms (Gallican Psalter), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and the historical/prophetic books — directly from the Hebrew Masoretic Text (or its early forms).
Part of the Vulgate: While most of the Vulgate Old Testament was translated from the Greek Septuagint (LXX), Jerome produced iuxta Hebraeos versions of several books — including Job, Psalms (Gallican Psalter), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and the historical/prophetic books — directly from the Hebrew Masoretic Text (or its early forms).
Purpose: Jerome sought greater accuracy by bypassing the LXX, which he saw as sometimes interpretive or corrupt.
Impact: These translations became the standard Latin text of the Catholic Bible (officially adopted at the Council of Trent, 1546).
Example in Context (Job 26:13):
Vulgate (iuxta Hebraeos): obstetrice manu illius eductus est coluber tortuosus
Vulgate (iuxta Hebraeos): obstetrice manu illius eductus est coluber tortuosus
Jerome’s unique rendering from Hebrew חֹלֲלָה, not from the LXX’s "stretched out the neck."
I find it interesting that most ECFs relied on the Septuagint (LXX) for their commentaries while others refused to use the LXX (citing corruption and interpretive translation) and instead preferred the original Hebrew texts.
It's also known that ECFs, such as Origen, considered the LXX as authoritative for teaching (ecclesially), but that the LXX was proved interpretive scholarly. Meaning, the translators were not faithful in translating word-for-word from the Hebrew texts into the Greek Septuagint.
Jerome renders חֹלֲלָה with eductus est ("brought forth") via obstetrice manu ("midwife hand")—a birth metaphor for creation/order emerging from chaos. He connects this to Isaiah 27:1 in his Commentary on Isaiah, seeing the "twisted serpent" (coluber tortuosus) as Leviathan: drawn forth in creation, slain in final judgment.
Vulgate (Latin) Text of Isaiah 27:1
The Clementine Vulgate (1592) reads:
in die illa visitabit Dominus in gladio suo duro et magno et forti super Leviathan serpentem vectem et super Leviathan serpentem tortuosum et occidet cetum qui in mari est
Literal English Rendering:
"On that day the Lord will visit with his hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the piercing [or: barring] serpent, and upon Leviathan the twisted serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea."
Jerome links Job 26:13 to Isaiah 27:1 in his Commentary on Isaiah (Book 10):
"The twisted serpent (coluber tortuosus) of Job is the same Leviathan of Isaiah — drawn forth in creation, slain in judgment."
It seems nowhere else is this Hebrew word חֹלֲלָה used as in "obstetrics"... only in Jerome's Aramaic inspired allegory. What's interesting about this though is that Job would have indeed spoken in Aramaic.
The literary composition of Job is in Classical Biblical Hebrew (ca. 6th–4th c. BCE), but with Aramaic loanwords and poetic style suggesting an oral tradition from an Aramaic-speaking social environment. Marvin Pope (Anchor Bible: Job): “Job’s world is Aramaic-speaking Edom; the Hebrew is a translation or redaction.” C.L. Seow (Job 1–21): “The dialogues reflect Aramaic poetic conventions.”
I would suggest that Jerome got his translation mostly right.
From Keil & Delitzsch:
But this dependent passage is an important indication for the correct rendering of חֹלְלָה. One thing is certain at the outset, that שִׁפְרָה is not perf. Piel = שִׁפְרָה, and for this reason, that the Dagesh which characterizes Piel cannot be omitted from any of the six mutae; the translation of Jerome, spiritus ejus ornavit coelos, and all similar ones, are therefore false. But it is possible to translate: “by His spirit (creative spirit) the heavens are beauty, His hand has formed the flying dragon.” Thus, in the signification to bring forth (as Pro_25:23; Pro_8:24.)
In summary, Young's Literal Translation is a perfect fit for the Scriptural context on the creation of Satan. Yahweh created the adversary, Satan, to destroy.
See my blog on the "Lucifer" nonsense Click Here!
[Job 26:13 YLT] By His Spirit the heavens He beautified, Formed hath His hand the fleeing serpent.
"On that day the Lord will visit with his hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan the piercing [or: barring] serpent, and upon Leviathan the twisted serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea."
Jerome links Job 26:13 to Isaiah 27:1 in his Commentary on Isaiah (Book 10):
"The twisted serpent (coluber tortuosus) of Job is the same Leviathan of Isaiah — drawn forth in creation, slain in judgment."
It seems nowhere else is this Hebrew word חֹלֲלָה used as in "obstetrics"... only in Jerome's Aramaic inspired allegory. What's interesting about this though is that Job would have indeed spoken in Aramaic.
The literary composition of Job is in Classical Biblical Hebrew (ca. 6th–4th c. BCE), but with Aramaic loanwords and poetic style suggesting an oral tradition from an Aramaic-speaking social environment. Marvin Pope (Anchor Bible: Job): “Job’s world is Aramaic-speaking Edom; the Hebrew is a translation or redaction.” C.L. Seow (Job 1–21): “The dialogues reflect Aramaic poetic conventions.”
I would suggest that Jerome got his translation mostly right.
From Keil & Delitzsch:
But this dependent passage is an important indication for the correct rendering of חֹלְלָה. One thing is certain at the outset, that שִׁפְרָה is not perf. Piel = שִׁפְרָה, and for this reason, that the Dagesh which characterizes Piel cannot be omitted from any of the six mutae; the translation of Jerome, spiritus ejus ornavit coelos, and all similar ones, are therefore false. But it is possible to translate: “by His spirit (creative spirit) the heavens are beauty, His hand has formed the flying dragon.” Thus, in the signification to bring forth (as Pro_25:23; Pro_8:24.)
In summary, Young's Literal Translation is a perfect fit for the Scriptural context on the creation of Satan. Yahweh created the adversary, Satan, to destroy.
See my blog on the "Lucifer" nonsense Click Here!
[Job 26:13 YLT] By His Spirit the heavens He beautified, Formed hath His hand the fleeing serpent.
As much as Theologians hate it, and try to dismiss the following verse, Job 25:13 and Isa. 45:7 fit perfectly together in unison. Yahweh, created ALL of it for His purposes.
[Isa 45:7 KJV] I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Context in Job 26: Yahweh's Total Sovereignty Over Creation and Chaos
Job 26 is a poetic hymn magnifying Yahweh's transcendence—over sea, proud powers, heavens, and chaos monsters—in response to Bildad. The theme: God's authority extends to all, including what later theology calls the adversary.
The "crooked/fleeing serpent" here emphasizes formation/creation by God's hand—not piercing (which belongs to future judgment in Isa 27:1). Job isn't prophesying Leviathan's death; he's declaring Yahweh made even the chaotic serpent as part of His ordered cosmos.
Theologians often resist this because it ties directly to Isa 45:7—Yahweh creates evil/darkness too. They prefer "pierced" to shift focus to combat and creaturely rebellion, avoiding God's responsibility. But the older translations and Hebrew sense fit seamlessly: Yahweh formed the "waster to destroy" from the beginning, for His purposes.
In short, "his hand hath formed the crooked serpent" upholds the consistent biblical truth: Yahweh created all—light and darkness, peace and evil, beauty and the adversary—for His glory and plan. The modern shift to "pierced" softens that sovereignty.
[Isa 45:7 KJV] I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Context in Job 26: Yahweh's Total Sovereignty Over Creation and Chaos
Job 26 is a poetic hymn magnifying Yahweh's transcendence—over sea, proud powers, heavens, and chaos monsters—in response to Bildad. The theme: God's authority extends to all, including what later theology calls the adversary.
The "crooked/fleeing serpent" here emphasizes formation/creation by God's hand—not piercing (which belongs to future judgment in Isa 27:1). Job isn't prophesying Leviathan's death; he's declaring Yahweh made even the chaotic serpent as part of His ordered cosmos.
Theologians often resist this because it ties directly to Isa 45:7—Yahweh creates evil/darkness too. They prefer "pierced" to shift focus to combat and creaturely rebellion, avoiding God's responsibility. But the older translations and Hebrew sense fit seamlessly: Yahweh formed the "waster to destroy" from the beginning, for His purposes.
In short, "his hand hath formed the crooked serpent" upholds the consistent biblical truth: Yahweh created all—light and darkness, peace and evil, beauty and the adversary—for His glory and plan. The modern shift to "pierced" softens that sovereignty.
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