The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text uses the word for "shades" or "departed spirits" – a term often associated with mighty, ancient figures – to show that even these powerful beings tremble in the watery depths. This powerfully suggests that God's dominion extends not just to the seen world, but to the deepest, most hidden realms, where even the most formidable dead are subject to His might.
The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Bildad's challenging words, Job responds by expanding on God's incredible power, asserting it reaches even the deepest, most hidden realms. He contrasts Bildad's focus on the heavens with God's dominion over the underworld, where even the spirits of the dead and the mysterious inhabitants of the deep tremble before Him. Job is essentially saying, "You think God's power is limited? Let me show you where it really goes."
The Hebrew word here is surprisingly rich, painting a picture far more vivid than 'dead things.' Who are these 'Rephaim' that tremble?
The word translated as 'dead things' in many English versions is 'Rephaim' in Hebrew. This term refers specifically to the departed spirits, the shades of the mighty dead, kings, and ancient heroes who have gone down to Sheol (the underworld).
Think of them as the ghosts of powerful figures from history. They aren't just inert objects; they are conscious beings, albeit in a state of spectral existence in the realm of the dead. Job uses this term to emphasize that God's dominion extends even to these shadowy inhabitants of the netherworld.
Job contrasts Bildad's focus on the heavens with a bold assertion about God's authority in the deepest, darkest places.
Bildad had spoken of God's glory in the heavens and the stars. Job, however, expands this view dramatically. He declares that God's power and presence are not confined to the celestial realms but extend to the very depths of the earth and the underworld.
The phrase 'under the waters' could refer to the great ocean, a symbol of the unknown and chaotic, or it could be a poetic way of describing the watery abyss beneath the earth where Sheol was believed to be located. Regardless of the precise imagery, the point is clear: there is no place, no depth, no realm hidden from God's sovereign oversight.
Even the Rephaim, dwelling in the darkness of Sheol, 'tremble' before Him. This means they are acutely aware of His overwhelming power and majesty, a power that makes even the spirits of the dead quake.
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Understand the original words
rephaim · Hebrew Noun
Those who have departed from this life; in the Old Testament, it often refers to those residing in Sheol (the place of the dead). It carries a sense of shadowy existence apart from the living world.
chul · Hebrew Verb
To shake, quiver, or be agitated. It often denotes a reaction of fear or awe in the presence of divine power or overwhelming judgment.
she'ol · Hebrew Noun
The realm of the dead or the underworld, often associated with the grave, where the spirits of the departed reside, entirely exposed to God's presence and judgment.
'abaddon · Hebrew Noun
A term signifying destruction, the place of ruin, or the abyss, often used in parallel with Sheol to denote the depths of death or the grave that cannot hide anything from God.
This verse directly echoes Job's thought, stating that if one ascends to heaven or descends to Sheol (the realm of the dead), God is still there, emphasizing His omnipresence even in the deepest, darkest places.
Proverbs 15:11This proverb states, 'Sheol and Abaddon are before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man!' This reinforces the idea that even the realm of the dead and destruction is fully exposed and known to God, just as Job implies in 26:5.
Revelation 20:13This passage describes the sea giving up its dead, which relates to Job 26:5's mention of 'the inhabitants thereof' of the waters. It shows that God's authority extends even to those lost in the depths and brought forth at His command.
Isaiah 14:9This passage vividly describes Sheol (the realm of the dead) being stirred up to meet the arriving king, showing a similar theme of the departed being affected by events and the presence of powers beyond their own. It highlights the spiritual reality of the underworld Job touches upon.
barnesJob 26:5: "Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof."
Dead things - Job here commences his description of God, to show that his views of his majesty and glory were in no way inferior to those which had been expressed by Bildad, and that what Bildad had said conveyed to him no real information. In this description he far surpasses Bildad in loftiness of conception, and sublimity of description. Indeed, it may be doubted whether for grandeur this passage is surpas…
clarkeJob 26:5: "Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof."
Dead things are formed from under the waters - This verse, as it stands in our version, seems to convey no meaning; and the Hebrew is obscure; הרפאים, harephaim, "the Rephaim," certainly means not dead things; nor can there be any propriety in saying that dead things, or things without life, are formed under the waters, for such things are formed everywhere in the earth, and under the earth, as well as under…
The text uses the word for "shades" or "departed spirits" – a term often associated with mighty, ancient figures – to show that even these powerful beings tremble in the watery depths. This powerfully suggests that God's dominion extends not just to the seen world, but to the deepest, most hidden realms, where even the most formidable dead are subject to His might.
After Bildad's challenging words, Job responds by expanding on God's incredible power, asserting it reaches even the deepest, most hidden realms. He contrasts Bildad's focus on the heavens with God's dominion over the underworld, where even the spirits of the dead and the mysterious inhabitants of the deep tremble before Him. Job is essentially saying, "You think God's power is limited? Let me show you where it really goes."
After Bildad's challenging words, Job responds by expanding on God's incredible power, asserting it reaches even the deepest, most hidden realms. He contrasts Bildad's focus on the heavens with God's dominion over the underworld, where even the spirits of the dead and the mysterious inhabitants of the deep tremble before Him. Job is essentially saying, "You think God's power is limited? Let me show you where it really goes."
"The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering." — The text uses the word for "shades" or "departed spirits" – a term often associated with mighty, ancient figures – to show that even these powerful beings tremble in the watery depths. This powerfull…
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Last reviewed October 2026