His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent (Job 26:13)

KJV

Job 26:13  By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

Job 26:14  Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

NASB9+95

Job 26:13  "By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

Job 26:14  "Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?"

Job 26:13  藉他的靈使天有妝飾；他的手刺殺快蛇。

Job 26:14  看哪，這不過是神工作的些微；我們所聽於他的是何等細微的聲音！他大能的雷聲誰能明透呢？

From Bob Winton on GBN commentary on Job

1. Verse thirteen evidently describes the beauty of the heavens which God garnished through the work of his Spirit. The Holy Spirit was involved in the original creation (Gen. 1:1-2); Christ was also an active partner in that great work (Col. 1:15-17). We are able to see only a small portion of the vast universe, but what we see is very impressive! How much greater is the beauty of Heaven, which we cannot see with our human sight.

2. The reference to the crooked [or swift] serpent is clouded in mystery. Some scholars think it refers to some constellation of stars. It is not likely that Job employs the use of mythological monsters (as some scholars allege); there must be a more logical explanation, such as it referring to some constellation. “The figure of the Serpent, or ‘the Dragon,’ is still one of the constellations of the heavens, and there can be little doubt that it is the same that is referred to in this ancient book. On the celestial globes it is drawn between the Ursa Major and Cepheus...” (Barnes, Biblesoft].

   提到快蛇，是神秘的模糊地帶。 一些學者認為它指的是某些星座。 約伯不太可能使用神話中的怪物（正如一些學者所稱的那樣）；必須有一個更合乎邏輯的解釋，例如它指的是某個星座。 “蛇的形象，或'龍'，仍然是天上的星座之一，毫無疑問，它與這本古書中提到的星座相同。 在天球上，它被畫在大熊座和Cepheus之間......”

3. Barnes gives this on verse fourteen:

   “This is a small portion of his works. We see only the outlines, the surface of his mighty doings. This is still true. With all the advances which have been made in science, it is still true that we see but a small part of his works. What we are enabled to trace with all the aids of science, compared with what is unseen and unknown, may be like the analysis of a single drop of water compared with the ocean.

   “[Bu thow little a portion is heard of him?]Or, rather,‘But what a faint whisper have we heard of him!’.... The word sheemets means a transient sound rapidly passing away; and then a whisper; see the notes at Job 4:12. A ‘whisper of a word’ means a word not fully and audibly spoken, but which is whispered into the ear; and the beautiful idea here is, that what we see of God, and what he makes known to us, compared with the full and glorious reality, bears about the same relation which the gentlest whisper does to words that are fully spoken.

   “[The thunder of his power who can understand?] It is probable that there is here a comparison between the gentle ‘whisper’ and the mighty ‘thunder’; and that the idea is, if, instead of speaking to us in gentle whispers, and giving to us in that way some faint indications of his nature, he were to speak out in thunder, who could understand him? If, when he speaks in such faint and gentle tones, we are so much impressed with a sense of his greatness and glory, who would not be overwhelmed if he were to speak out as in thunder? Thus explained, the expression does not refer to literal thunder, though there is much in the heavy peal to excite adoring views of God, and much that to Job must have been inexplicable. It may be asked, even now, who can understand all the philosophy of the thunder? But with much more impressiveness it may be asked, as Job probably meant to ask, who could understand the great God, if he spoke out with the full voice of his thunder, instead of speaking in a gentle whisper?” [Barnes, Biblesoft].

   
   

   Compare with: 

   Isaiah 27:1

   (Chinese UV (T))  到那日，耶和華必用他剛硬有力的大刀刑罰鱷魚，就是那快行的蛇，刑罰鱷魚，就是那曲行的蛇，並殺海中的大魚。

   (KJV)  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.

   (NASB)  On that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

   Commentary: In that day - In that future time when the Jews would be captive in Babylon, and when they would sigh for deliverance (see the note at Isa 26:1). This verse might have been connected with the previous chapter, as it refers to the same event, and then this chapter would have more appropriately commenced with the poem or song which begins in Isa 27:2. (Albert Barnes)  

   註解：在那一天 - 在未來，當猶太人將被俘虜到巴比倫時，當他們希求拯救而嘆息時（見以賽亞書26:1的註釋）。 這節經文可能與上一章有關，因為它指的是同一事件，然後這一章會更恰當地以「以賽27:2」開頭的詩或歌開始。 （阿爾伯特·巴恩斯）