The irony continues as the LORD asks Job if he will make a plaything out of this fierce beast. In Psalm 104.26 Leviathan is described as playing in the sea.

Play with him as with a bird probably refers to the practice in some areas of children catching small birds and tying a string to the bird’s leg and letting it fly to the end of the string.

In the second line the question asks if Job will tie the beast with a rope to lead him and amuse his servant girls. For your maidens may require making the purpose clear; for example, “For your servant girls to watch.” The verse may be expressed “Will you tie him as you tie a bird to play with, or will you lead him around with a rope so your servant girls can watch?”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .