Job 26:12

By his power he stills ¹  the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster ²  to pieces. ³ 

By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.

"He quieted the sea with His power, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

By his power the sea grew calm. By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.

By his power he stills sea storms, by his wisdom he tames sea monsters.

By his power the sea was made quiet; and by his wisdom Rahab was wounded.

By his power he stilled the Sea; by his understanding he struck down Rahab.

He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm.

By his power he stills ¹  the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster ²  to pieces. ³ 

¹ tn The verb רָגַע (raga’) has developed a Semitic polarity, i.e., having totally opposite meanings. It can mean “to disturb; to stir up” or “to calm; to still.” Gordis thinks both meanings have been invoked here. But it seems more likely that “calm” fits the context better.

² tn Heb “Rahab” (רָהַב), the mythical sea monster that represents the forces of chaos in ancient Near Eastern literature. In the translation the words “the great sea monster” have been supplied appositionally in order to clarify “Rahab.”

³ sn Here again there are possible mythological allusions or polemics. The god Yam, “Sea,” was important in Ugaritic as a god of chaos. And Rahab is another name for the monster of the deep (see Job 9:13).