By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Job is answering Bildad. He describes a God whose reach runs from the depths below to the heights above, and he closes with two short lines: one about the Spirit, one about a serpent. What does it mean that the heavens were made fair, and who or what is the fleeing serpent His hand pierced?
Job's Picture of the World
The verse closes a speech about God's power. One writer weighs Job's picture of the world against the stories other nations told.
William KellyThis description of the world is far nobler and more accurate than anything in the myths or philosophy of the nations! It is by His Spirit that the heavens are brightness, and it is His hand that wounds the fleeing serpent — a figurative description of the constellation in the sky.
The Heavens Made Beautiful
Older translations say the heavens were "garnished"; it means adorned, made beautiful. One writer sets the line next to the opening of Genesis, where the Spirit of God moves over the waters.
W. T. P. WolstonGenesis 1 speaks of the Spirit of God moving on the face of the waters. It has in view the chaotic state of the earth as God saw it, before He made it fit for man's home. This other scripture turns our attention to the Holy Spirit in relation to heaven... On the one hand, He acts to make the earth fit for man to live on. On the other, He adorns the heavens with beauty. So wherever man has his place here on earth, he can lift his eyes to heaven and find them shining with a galaxy that gives him delight to behold.
The Spirit's Share in Creation
This line credits the making of the heavens to God's Spirit. One writer asks what that tells us about who made the stars.
A. J. PollockDoes the Word of God attribute creation to the Holy Spirit? We read, "By His Spirit He garnished [furnished] the heavens" (Job 26:13). Look up at the heavens on a dark night. Millions of stars stud the sky in lavish, unexplored abundance, our little insignificant planet among them. The Father created them. The Son created them. The Holy Spirit created them.
The Serpent: Formed, or Pierced?
Translations differ here. One writer gives another rendering of the whole verse, then shows what hangs on a single verb.
Samuel RidoutOne translator renders it, "By His breath the heavens become cheerful; His hand has formed the fleeing dragon." But a clear meaning of the verb here translated "form" is "wound, or pierce." This agrees with Isaiah 27:1, where the thought is a blending of these two verses, 12 and 13. The connection, then, would suggest the overthrow of the enemy — Satan, the embodiment of pride, "the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan" (Revelation 20:2).
The same writer allows a second reading. It keeps the whole verse on what God has made, not on what He has defeated.
Samuel RidoutOn the other hand we may, as some do, apply it all to the creative power of God. He has adorned the heavens, and His hands have formed the crooked serpent — the constellation Draco, which winds about the northern skies. Given the astronomical knowledge displayed in this book, this is quite a possible rendering.
What Adorns Heaven Now
Job spoke of stars. One writer looks at what fills heaven now, and at the one who wanted that place for himself.
Leslie M. Grant"By His Spirit He adorned the heavens." We know for certain this is true today. God, by His Spirit, raised the Lord Jesus from death. He set Him at His own right hand in glory. Heaven is therefore adorned with the glories of One who has won the victory over sin and death. Not that Job was thinking of this adornment, but God had it in mind from eternity. "His hand pierced the fleeing serpent." Satan had the idea of climbing up into heaven and being "like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14). But the Most High pierced this proud serpent with a solemn word of judgment. God alone rules in heaven.
The Settled Conclusion
Whichever reading of the serpent you take, both halves of the verse say the same thing about God.
Samuel RidoutThe general meaning, then, seems clear: God is supreme in heaven as on earth — creating, controlling and delivering. In spiritual terms, He will overthrow everything that spoils His fair creation. And that creation proclaims His glory.
Summary
- Adorned — God's Spirit made the heavens beautiful. The Spirit who prepared the earth for man to live on hung beauty over his head, so he could look up and be glad.
- Adorned by God Himself — This line gives the work to God's Spirit. The Father, the Son and the Spirit all created the stars.
- Adorned with Christ — Heaven's true ornament is the risen Lord Jesus at God's right hand. God had that in mind from eternity, long before Job looked at the stars.
- The serpent answered — The verb can mean formed or pierced, and commentators differ. Some see the winding constellation in the north. Others see God wounding the enemy who wanted heaven for himself.
- The last word — God is supreme in heaven as on earth. He creates, He controls, He delivers, and He will overthrow all that spoils His creation.