Commentary on Job 40:17

This part of the commentary is concerned with interpreting the tail and nerves of the serpent.

He sets up his tail (զագին) as a cypress tree (40:17)

He sets up his his tail (զտուտն) like the sail of a ship and goes where we wants to go.

But also [it refers to] the angel of light and those who are deceived by him, for these are called a tail. It is for this reason that it says in the law of Moses, ‘you will be his tail and not his head.’ (Deuteronomy 28:44) He cautions us lest they believe them to be like the saints.

His nerves (the lemma has գիրք instead of ջիղք) are wrapped together (40:17)

He means the cunning frauds that are intertwined and are very hard. For just as the nerves and joints connect the members of the body, and the members of virtue are made to fit by the joint of Jesus’ peace and love, so too you should understand the nerves, as Isaiah says ‘I loosen the knots of injustice.’ (Isaiah 58:6). You should not be amazed that since the saints are said to be members of Christ, as He is always with them, that also certain wicked people and sorcerers are [said to be] parts of the serpent.

Stepanos' commentary follows closely the commentary of Olympiodorus the deacon, including the reference of Isaiah:

[Olymp. 361.18-21: His knavery is his nerves. He is full of complication (intertwining) and  is hard to dissolve.

There are some people who are like members of Satan and are wrapped together by his nerves. The one who destroys these people’s trap fulfilled the words of Isaiah: ‘loosen every bond of injustice and dissolve the hardening of violent transactions.’ (Isaiah 58:6)]

Commentary on Job 40:16

I had taken a brief break from translating the fragmentary commentary on Job of Step‘anos Siwnets‛i, but have now returned. The next fragment is on the serpent of chapter 40. The Armenian word that I translate as 'whale' is a transliteration of the Greek κῆτος, 'sea monster, large fish'.

Behold his power is in his loins and his strength in the navel of his belly. (40:16)

Although it is true that the whale (կետոս [= κῆτος]) is the strongest of the terrestrial and aquatic animals, scripture calls this animal a serpent because it is speaking allegorically about the rebellious serpent. 

William Blake, Book of Job

Armenian Ալադացիք and its meaning

One of the pleasures of studying ancient texts is the discovery of words that are not in any lexicon or other reference work. Just recently I came across Ալադացիք (Aladats'ik') in a commentary on the Neoplatonist David's Prolegomena to Philosophy. The commentary is attributed to the eighth century Armenian theologian Stepanos Siwnets'i. In commenting on David's allegorical interpretation of the myth of the giants Otos and Ephialtes and their attempt to attack the gods, Stepanos says that the giants are Aladats'ik'. According to Iliad 5.385 they were sons of Aloeus (Ἀλωεύς), though Odyssey 11.352-371 notes that Poseidon, Aloeus' father, was their true father. Being either sons or stepsons of Aloeus, the two were called Aloadai, with the Greek patronymic suffix -ιδης attached to Aloeus' name. The Armenian Aladats'ik' has kept the Greek suffix and appended to it the Armenian suffix of origin -ացի to form a nice example of a bilingual redundancy.

Gustav Doré, Inferno plate 65, Ephialtes in chains on left (PD-US-not renewed).