"As the silent harpoon burned there like a serpent’s tongue, Starbuck grasped Ahab by the arm—'God, God is against thee, old man; forbear! ‘tis an ill voyage! ill begun, ill continued; let me square the yards, while we may, old man, and make a fair wind of it homewards, to go on a better voyage than this.'”
Musing: This is Starbuck's final attempt to convince Ahab to stop hunting the white whale and head for home. The Pequod has been damaged by the typhoon and lightening has struck and burned parts of the boat. Starbuck, unfortunately, invokes God in his effort to appeal to Ahab. Starbuck does not realize that God is the last person Ahab is willing to listen to.