Original Word: תּוֹתָח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: towthach
Pronunciation: toh-thakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (to-thawkh')
KJV: darts
NASB: clubs
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to smite]

1. a club

enterprise, that which thing as it is, substance, sound wisdom, working

From an unused root meaning to smite; a club -- darts.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
(a weapon) perhaps club, mace
NASB Translation
clubs (1).

תּוֺתָ֑ח noun masculine name of a weapon, perhaps club, mace (or dart, javelin; "" כִּידוֺן); — Job 41:21.

יתם (√ of following; compare Arabic , be alone, bereaved, Aramaic adjective and substantive , ᵑ7 יִתָּם = יָתוֺם; see Lag^{BN 30} Ba^{NB 194}).

Biblical Context

The single biblical appearance of the term occurs in Job 41:29, within the Lord’s discourse that portrays the untamable Leviathan as a living proof of divine supremacy. “A club is regarded as straw, and he laughs at the sound of the lance” (Job 41:29). The word denotes a heavy piercing or thrusting weapon—here the final item in a catalogue of arms rendered powerless against the creature. In the structure of Job, the verse seals God’s argument that human strength and ingenuity collapse before His creation.

Imagery of Invincibility

The mention of this formidable weapon, yet dismissed by Leviathan with derisive laughter, underscores two truths: (1) the total inadequacy of human might in confronting forces beyond its control, and (2) the absolute sovereignty of the Creator who alone sets boundaries for such powers (Job 41:11). The lance functions as a literary foil; the stronger the weapon, the more stunning its ineffectiveness, thereby magnifying God’s supremacy.

Literary Parallelism in Job 41

Verses 26–29 employ graduated weaponry—sword, spear, dart, arrow, stones, club, and finally the lance—to heighten the ironic contrast between human offense and Leviathan’s impenetrability. Each item echoes earlier military references in the book (Job 20:24; Job 39:21) and in wider Scripture, where similar weapons often symbolize human reliance on force (Psalm 20:7).

Historical Warfare Background

From the Late Bronze Age through the Iron Age, Near-Eastern armies wielded lances alongside spears and javelins, their longer shafts ideal for close-quarter thrusting behind shield walls. Ironically, the armament that once epitomized battlefield advantage becomes, in Job’s poetry, nothing more than background noise in the presence of a creature fashioned by God. The historical reality sharpens the theological point: even the best of man’s martial technology cannot secure victory apart from divine sanction.

Connection to the Theme of Divine Sovereignty

Job 41 contrasts human incapacity with divine rule. The lance episode aligns with other Old Testament scenes where God nullifies aggressive weaponry:
• “No weapon fashioned against you shall prevail” (Isaiah 54:17).
• “He makes wars to cease… He breaks the bow, He shatters the spear” (Psalm 46:9).

Such texts form a canonical chorus affirming that ultimate safety rests not in arms but in the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).

Christological and Eschatological Reflections

The futility of the lance prefigures the New Testament’s proclamation that the decisive battle belongs to the Lord: “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). The motif also anticipates the messianic hope of a future when “nation will no longer take up the sword against nation” (Isaiah 2:4), pointing toward the consummation of Christ’s reign.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Humility before God: The passage calls believers to abandon self-reliance and acknowledge divine omnipotence.
2. Spiritual warfare: It reminds the church that spiritual enemies cannot be overcome by human devices but by the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).
3. Pastoral comfort: When congregants face seemingly invincible trials, Job 41:29 encourages confidence that God alone tames the forces that terrify us.

Related Scriptures

• 1 Samuel 17:45–47 – David’s victory without conventional arms.
• 2 Chronicles 20:15 – “The battle is not yours, but God’s.”
• Psalm 91:5 – Safety from “the arrow that flies by day.”
• Hebrews 2:14 – Christ rendering the devil powerless through death.

Summary

The lone occurrence of Strong’s 8455 serves as a literary and theological pivot: a once-dreaded weapon rendered laughable in the face of a creature God controls. Its presence in Job 41:29 strengthens the wider biblical testimony that the Lord alone wields ultimate authority over creation, history, and redemption, calling His people to rest their hope in Him rather than in human strength.

תוֹתָ֑ח תותח ṯō·w·ṯāḥ toTach ṯōwṯāḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts