איוב, פרק מ׳, פסוק כ״ט

A sharp rhetorical question highlights the sheer powerlessness of humanity when facing the massive sea monster known as the Leviathan. The imagery relies on a striking, ironic contrast between a terrifying creature and a small, harmless pet. The primary approach among commentators is that the inquiry challenges whether a person could possibly play and have fun with this sea monster as though it were merely a little bird [רש"י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, another perspective understands this interaction in the sense of mockery or deception. From this angle, the challenge is whether one could hunt the Leviathan through clever tricks, much like a person deceives a bird, luring it down into a trap with scattered grains of wheat [מצודת דוד].

Building on this vivid imagery, the thought continues by asking if someone could tie up the Leviathan to keep it from escaping, simply to hand it over to their young children for their amusement. This reflects an ancient custom where people would tie strings to small birds and give them to babies to soothe and entertain them [רש"י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].