This page gives you ready-made study questions for Job 40, with leader’s notes for each one. It suits a small group, a Sunday class, or a quiet personal study. You will find observation, interpretation and application questions, plus verses to read aloud and a closing prayer for the group.
Job 40 at a Glance
Job 40 is the second half of God’s answer to Job out of the whirlwind. The chapter opens with God inviting Job to answer back, and Job responds with humility, admitting he has nothing to say. God then speaks again, challenging Job to rise to the task of governing the world if he thinks he could do better than God.
The chapter closes with two great creatures, Behemoth in verses 15 to 24, presented as a display of God’s creative power that Job cannot tame or capture. Read the chapter as a shift from Job’s demand for an explanation to a call to trust the Creator who knows what Job cannot.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the words on the page and keep the discussion grounded in what the chapter says. Let people read the text aloud again if the answers start to drift.
Job 40:4
“Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
(WEB)
Read this verse when the group reaches Job’s answer to God. It captures the shift from complaint to humility. Ask someone to read it slowly, then invite a brief silence before discussion begins.
Job 40:8
Will you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?
(WEB)
This verse brings God’s question about judgment into focus. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the challenge directly. It also sets up the discussion about the limits of human justice.
Job 40:10-12
10 “Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honor and majesty. 11 Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low. 12 Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place.
(WEB)
These verses show God’s invitation for Job to take up the work of governing. Reading them together lets the group feel the force of the challenge. Use this passage to open a conversation about power and responsibility.
Job 40:15-16
15 “See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox. 16 Look now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly.
(WEB)
The description of Behemoth begins here, so reading these verses marks the turn in the chapter. Pause after the reading to let the group picture the creature. Ask them what stands out most in the description of its strength.
Job 40:19
He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.
(WEB)
This verse names Behemoth as the chief of God’s ways and shows God’s sovereignty over creation. Reading it aloud helps the group see the chapter’s movement from judgment to wonder. Use it to close the observation section before moving to interpretation.
Memory Verse for Job 40
Job 40:2
“Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
(WEB)
This verse asks who would argue with the Almighty, and it is worth remembering in moments of frustration. Keeping it in mind can help you bring hard questions to God with reverence and openness. Repeat it aloud as a reminder during the week.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you aware of how small we are and how much we do not understand. Thank you that you answer us, even when your answers humble us. Teach us to listen as Job learned to listen, with honesty and without pretense. Help us trust your wisdom in creation and in our own lives, especially where we cannot see what you are doing. Make us gentle with one another and quick to give you the authority that belongs to you alone. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
