Tyndale Open Study NotesJob 26

Job’s friends did not help him (12:2; 16:4). Bildad's claim that innocence was impossible upset Job deeply (10:1–7; 13:3, 13–19; 16:18–21; 19:23–27; 23:2–7).

Eliphaz, Zophar, and Elihu all claimed that the right spirit was guiding them (4:15; 20:3; 32:18; 33:4; see also Jeremiah 29:8–9; 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 John 4:1).

• The Hebrew word, Sheol, is where all dead people go. It is beneath the waters.

• The Hebrew word, Abaddon, is the place where evil people go to their destruction.

The Hebrew word tsapon means north. It sometimes refers to the northern mountain of the Canaanite gods, similar to Mount Olympus (Genesis 13:14). The Berean Standard Bible refers to it as the sky, stretched over empty space (see Genesis 1:6–8; Psalm 104:2–3; Isaiah 40:22–23).

has inscribed a horizon: See Genesis 1:6–10; Psalm 104:6–9; Proverbs 8:29.

People once believed that mountains at the edge of the horizon were the foundations or "pillars" of heaven or the earth (Judges 16:25–26; Job 9:6). They thought these mountains extended from beneath the sea's waters up to the clouds, supporting the dome of the heavens (Jonah 2:6).

• He stirred the sea (compare Exodus 14:21; Mark 4:39; compare Isaiah 51:15; Jeremiah 31:35). God performed a miracle for his people.

• He shattered Rahab: God showed control over the sea symbolized as a monster ("Rahab"), challenging myths about the sea being divine. See also Psalms 74:13–14; 89:9–10; Isaiah 27:1; 51:9–10.

• His breath (or wind): God's authority clears the skies after a storm (26:12).

• The fleeing serpent relates to "Yam" and "Rahab" (see study note on 7:12). It provides background for the image of Satan as a "dragon" (Isaiah 27:1; also Psalm 74:13–14; see Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:9; 20:2).