Fish Spear
“Prong of fishes”
Summary
A harpoon or trident used for spearing fish, mentioned in Job 41 in connection with the futility of hunting Leviathan.
☩Description
The Hebrew phrase tziltzel dagim, literally 'prong of fishes,' refers to a harpoon or trident for spearing fish (Job 41:2). The Septuagint and Vulgate translate it more vaguely, but the meaning is clearly a specialized fishing implement. Such tools were used for catching larger fish that could not be easily taken with hooks or nets.
☩Context in Job
The fish-spear appears in God's challenge to Job regarding Leviathan: 'Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?' (Job 41:7). The rhetorical question emphasizes the impossibility of capturing Leviathan with ordinary fishing implements, highlighting God's power over creation and human limitations in the face of mighty creatures.
