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Job Chapter
Thirty-nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 39
This
chapter treats of various creatures
beasts and birds
which Job had little
knowledge of
had no concern in the making of them
and scarcely any power over
them; as of the goats and hinds
Job 39:1; of the
wild ass
Job 39:5; of the
unicorn
Job 39:9; of the
peacock and ostrich
Job 39:13; of the
horse
Job 39:19; and of
the hawk and eagle
Job 39:26.
Job 39:1 “Do
you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you
mark when the deer gives birth?
YLT
1Hast thou known the time of
The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? The bringing forth of hinds thou
dost mark!
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?.... Which
creatures are so called
because they dwell among the rocksF4"----Amantis
saxa capellae". Ovid. Epist. 15. v. 55. and run upon them; and though
their heads are loaded with a vast burden of horns upon them
yet can so poise
themselves
as with the greatest swiftness
to leap from mountain to mountain
as
Pliny saysF5Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 53. Aelian. de Animal. l. 14. c. 16.
: and if they bring forth their young in the rocks
as Olympiodorus asserts
and which is not improbable
it is not to be wondered
that the time of their
bringing forth should not be known by men
to whom the rocks they run upon are
inaccessible;
or canst thou mark the time
when the hinds do calve? that is
precisely and exactly
and so as to direct
order
and
manage
and bring it about
as the Lord does: and it is wonderful that they
should calve
and not cast their young before their time
when they are
continually in flight and fright
through men or wild beasts
and are almost
always running and leaping about; and often scared with thunder
which hastens
birth
Psalm 29:9;
otherwise the time of their bringing forth in general is known by men
as will
be observed in Job 39:2.
Job 39:2 2 Can you number the months that
they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young?
YLT
2Thou dost number the months
they fulfil? And thou hast known the time of their bringing forth!
Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?.... Which
some understand both of wild goats and hinds. Common goats fulfil five months
they conceive in November
and bring forth in March
as PlinyF6Nat.
Hist. l. 8. c. 50. observes; but how many the wild goats of the rock fulfil is
not said by him or any other I know of: the same writer saysF7Ib. c.
32. of hinds
that they go eight months;
or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? naturalistsF8Ib.
& l. 2. c. 47. Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 6. c. 29. Solinus
c. 31. tell us
that the hinds conceive after the rise of the star Arcturus
which rises eleven
days before the autumnal equinox; so that they conceive in September; and as
they go eight months
they bring forth in April; but then the exact time to a
day and hour is not known. Besides
who has fixed the time for their bringing
forth
and carries them in it through so many dangers and difficulties? None
but the Lord himself. Now if such common things in nature were not known
perfectly by Job
how should he be able to search into and find out the causes
and reasons of God's providential dealings with men
or what is in the womb of
Providence?
Job 39:3 3 They bow down
They bring
forth their young
They deliver their offspring.[a]
YLT
3They bow down
Their young
ones they bring forth safely
Their pangs they cast forth.
They bow themselves
.... That they may bring
forth their young with greater ease and more safety: for it seems the hinds
bring forth their young with great difficulty; and there are provisions in
nature made to lessen it; as thunder
before observed
which causes them to
bring forth the sooner; and there is an herb called "seselis"
which
it is saidF9Cicero de Natura Deoram
l. 2. Plin. Nat. Hist. c. 8.
32. Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 5. they feed upon before birth
to make it
the easier; as well as they use that
and another called "aros"
after the birth
to ease them of their later pains;
they bring forth their young ones; renting and cleaving
asunder the membrane
as the word signifies
in which their young is wrapped;
they cast out their sorrows; either their young
which they bring forth in pains and which then cease; or the secundines
or
afterbirth
in which the young is wrapped
and which the philosopher saysF11Aristot.
ib. they eat
and is supposed to be medical to them. None but a woman seems to
bring forth with more pain than this creature; and a wife is compared to it
Proverbs 5:19.
Job 39:4 4 Their young ones are
healthy
They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them.
YLT
4Safe are their young ones
They grow up in the field
they have gone out
And have not returned to them.
Their young ones are in good liking
.... Plump
fat
and
sleek
as fawns are:
they grow up with corn; by which they grow
or
without in the field
as the word also signifies; and their growth and increase
is very quick
as Aristotle observesF12Ib. (Aristot. Hist. Animal.)
l. 6. c. 29. ;
they go forth
and return not unto them: they go forth
into the fields
and shift and provide for themselves
and trouble their dams
no more; and return not to them
nor are they known by them.
Job 39:5 5 “Who set the wild donkey
free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager
YLT
5Who hath sent forth the
wild ass free? Yea
the bands of the wild ass who opened?
Who hath sent out the wild ass free?.... Into the wide waste
where it is
ranges at pleasure
and is not under the restraint of any; a
creature which
as it is naturally wild
is naturally averse to servitude
is
desirous of liberty and maintains it: not but that it may be tamed
as PlinyF13Nat.
Hist. l. 8. c. 44. speaks of such as are; but it chooses to be free
and
agreeably to its nature
it is sent out into the wilderness as such: not that
it is set free from bondage
for in that it never was until it is tamed; but
its nature and inclination
and course it pursues
is to be free. And now the
question is
who gave this creature such a nature
and desire after liberty?
and such power to maintain it? and directs it to take such methods to secure
it
and keep clear of bondage? It is of God;
or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? not that it
has any naturally upon it
and is loosed from them; but because it is as clear
of them as such creatures are
which have been in bands and are freed from
them: therefore this mode of expression is used
and which signifies the same
as before.
Job 39:6 6 Whose home I have made the
wilderness
And the barren land his dwelling?
YLT
6Whose house I have made the
wilderness
And his dwellings the barren land
Whose house I have made the wilderness
.... Appointed
that to be his place of residence
as being agreeable to his nature
at a
distance from men
and in the less danger of being brought into subjection by
them. Such were the deserts of Arabia; where
as XenophonF14De
Expedition. Cyri
l. 1. relates
were many of these creatures
and which he
represents as very swift: and Leo AfricanusF15Descriptio Africae
l.
9. p. 752. says
great numbers of them are found in deserts
and on the borders
of deserts; hence said to be used to the wilderness Jeremiah 2:24;
and the barren land his dwellings; not entirely barren
for
then it could not live there; but comparatively
with respect to land that is
fruitful: or "salt land"F16מלחה
"salsuginem"
Montanus; "salsuginosam terram"
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator. ; for
as PlinyF17Nat. Hist. l. 31. c. 7.
says
every place where salt is
is barren.
Job 39:7 7 He scorns the tumult of
the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
YLT
7He doth laugh at the
multitude of a city
The cries of an exactor he heareth not.
He scorneth the multitude of the city
.... Choosing
rather to be alone in the wilderness and free than to be among a multitude of
men in a city
and be a slave as the tame ass; or it despises and defies a
multitude of men
that may come out of cities to take it
Leo Africanus saysF18Ut
supra. (Descriptio Africae
l. 9. p. 752.) it yields to none for swiftness but
Barbary horses: according to XenophonF19Ut supra. (De Expedition.
Cyril
l. 1.)
it exceeds the horse in swiftness; and when pursued by
horsemen
it will outrun them
and stand still and rest till they come near it
and then start again; so that there is no taking it
unless many are employed.
AristotleF20Hist. Animal. l. 6. c. 36. says it excels in swiftness;
and
according to BochartF21Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 1. c. 9. Colossians 63.
it has its name in Hebrew from the
Chaldee word פדא
"to run". Or it may be
rendered
"the noise of the city"
so Cocceius; the stir and bustle
in it
through a multiplicity of men in business;
neither regardeth he the crying of the driver; or
"hears"F23לא ישמע
"non audiet"
Pagninus
Montanus. : he neither feels his blows
nor
hears his words; urging him to move faster and make quicker dispatch
as the
tame ass does; he being neither ridden nor driven
nor drawing in a cart or
plough.
Job 39:8 8 The range of the mountains
is his pasture
And he searches after every green thing.
YLT
8The range of mountains [is]
his pasture
And after every green thing he seeketh.
The range of the mountains is his pasture
.... It ranges
about the mountains for food; it looks about for it
as the word signifies
and
tries first one place and then another to get some
it having short commons
there;
and he searcheth after every green thing; herb or
plant
be it what it will that is green
it seeks after; and which being scarce
in deserts and mountains
it searches about for and feeds upon it
wherever it
can find it; grass being the peculiar food of these creatures
see Job 6:5; and which
is observed by naturalistsF24Oppiani Cyneget. l. 3. .
Job 39:9 9 “Will the wild ox be
willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger?
YLT
9Is a Reem willing to serve
thee? Doth he lodge by thy crib?
Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee
.... Whether
there is or ever was such a creature
as described under the name of an
unicorn
is a question: it is thought the accounts of it are for the most part
fabulous; though VartomannusF25Navigat. l. 1. c. 19. says he saw two
at Mecca
which came from Ethiopia
the largest of which had a horn in his forehead
three cubits long. There are indeed several creatures which may be called
"monocerots"
who have but one horn; as the "rhinoceros"
and the Indian horses and assesF26Vid. Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 1.
l. 3. c. 26. . The Arabic geographerF1Nub. Clim. 1. par. 8. speaks
of a beast in the Indies
called "carcaddan"
which is lesser than an
elephant and bigger than a buffalo; having in the middle of the forehead an
horn long and thick
as much as two hands can grasp: and not only on land
but in
the sea are such
as the "nahr whal"
or Greenland whaleF2Ludolf.
Ethiop. Hist. l. 1. c. 10. Of this narhual
or sea unicorn
see the Philosoph.
Transact. abridged
vol. 9. p. 71
72. ; but then they do not answer to the
creature so called in Scripture: and
besides
this must be a creature well
known to Job
as it was to the Israelites; and must be a strong creature
from
the account that gives of it
and not to be taken as here. And SolinusF3Polyhistor.
c. 65. speaks of such "monocerots" or unicorns
which may be killed
but cannot be taken
and were never known to be in any man's possession alive;
and so AelianusF4De Animal. l. 16. c. 20. says of the like creature
that it never was remembered that anyone of them had been taken. Some think the
"rhinoceros" is meant; but that
though a very strong creature
and
so may be thought fit for the uses after mentioned
yet may be tamed; whereas
the creature here is represented as untamable
and not to be subdued
and
brought under a yoke and managed; and besides
it is not very probable that it
was known by Job. BochartF5Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 27. col. 969
&c. takes it to be the "oryx"
a creature of the goat kind; but
to me it seems more likely to be of the ox kind
to be similar to them
and so
might be thought to do the business of one; and the rather
because of its
great strength
and yet could not be brought to do it
nor be trusted with it:
for the questions concerning it relate to the work of oxen; and as the wild ass
is opposed to the tame one in the preceding paragraph
so here the wild ox to a
tame one. And both StraboF6Geograph. l. 16. p. 533. and Diodorus
SiculusF7Bibliothec. l. 3. p. 175. relate
that among the
Troglodytes
a people that dwelt near the Red sea
and not far from Arabia
where Job lived
were abundance of wild oxen or bulls
and which far exceeded
the common ones in size and swiftness; and the creature called the seem in the
original
has its name from height. Now the question is
could Job take one of
these wild bulls or oxen
and tame it
and make it willing to do any work or
service he should choose to put it to? No
he could not;
or abide by thy crib? manger or stall
as the
tame or common ox will; who
when it has done its labour
is glad to be led to
its stall and feed
and then lie down and rest
and there abide; see Isaiah 1:3; but not
so the wild ox.
Job 39:10 10 Can you bind the wild ox
in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
YLT
10Dost thou bind a Reem in a
furrow [with] his thick band? Doth he harrow valleys after thee?
Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow?.... Put the
yoke and harness upon him
and fasten it to the plough to draw it
that he may
make furrows with it in the field
or plough up the ground as the tame ox does?
thou canst not;
or will he harrow the valleys after thee? draw the
harrow which is used after ploughing to break the clods
and make the land
smooth and even? he will not: valleys are particularly mentioned
because
arable land is usually in them; see Psalm 65:13.
Job 39:11 11 Will you trust him because
his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him?
YLT
11Dost thou trust in him
because great [is] his power? And dost thou leave unto him thy labour?
Wilt thou trust him
because his strength is great?.... No; tame
oxen are employed because they are strong to labour
Psalm 144:14; and
they are to be trusted
in ploughing or treading out the corn
under direction
because they are manageable
and will attend to business with constancy; but
the wild ox
though stronger
and so fitter for labour
is yet not to be
trusted
because unruly and unmanageable: if that sort of wild oxen called
"uri" could be thought to be meant
for which BootiusF8Animadvers.
Sacr. l. 3. c. 1. s. 14. contends
Caesar's account of them would agree with
this character of the "reem"
as to his great strength: he says of
themF9Comment. de Bello Gall. l. 6. c. 27.
they are in size a
little smaller than elephants
of the kind
colour
and shape of a bull; they
are of great strength and of great swiftness
and not to be tamed;
or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? to plough thy
fields
to harrow thy lands
and to bring home the ripe corn? as in Job 39:12; thou
wilt not.
Job 39:12 12 Will you trust him to
bring home your grain
And gather it to your threshing floor?
YLT
12Dost thou trust in him That
he doth bring back thy seed? And [to] thy threshing-floor doth gather [it]?
Wilt thou believe him that he will bring home thy seed?.... Draw in
the cart
and bring home the ripe sheaves of corn
as the tame ox does? no;
thou knowest him too well to believe he will bring it home in safety;
and gather it into thy barn; to be trodden out
which
used to be done by oxen in those times: if therefore Job could not manage such
unruly creatures as the wild ass and the wild ox
and make them serviceable to
him
how unfit must he be to govern the world
or to direct in the affairs of
Providence?
Job 39:13 13 “The wings of the ostrich
wave proudly
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
YLT
13The wing of the rattling
ones exulteth
Whether the pinion of the ostrich or hawk.
Gavest thou the goodly
wings unto the peacocks?.... Rather "ostriches"
as the Vulgate Latin and
Tigurine versions render it; some render it
"the wing of those that exult
is joyful"
so Montanus; that is
of the ostriches; who
in confidence of
their wings
exult and glory over the horse and his rider
Job 39:18; for
peacocks are not remarkable for their wings
but for their tails; whereas the
wings of the ostrich are as sails unto them
as several writers observeF11Xenophon.
de Expedit. Cyri
l. 1. Aelian. de. Animal. l. 2. c. 77. ; and with which they
rather run
or row
than fly: hence it is called by PlautusF12Persa
Act. 2. Sc. 2. v. 17. "passer marinus"
the sea sparrow: and the
feathers of it are more goodly than those of the wings of the peacock; and
besides
it is a question whether the peacock was where Job lived
and in his
times; since it is originally from the Indies
and from thence it was brought
to Judea in the times of Solomon; and was not known in Greece and RomeF13Aelian.
de Animal. l. 5. c. 21. until later ages. Alexander the Great
when he first
saw them in India
was surprised at them; and yet SolonF14Laert.
Vit. Solon. l. 1. c. 2. speaks of them in his time as seen by him
which was at
least two hundred years before Alexander; though at Rome not common in the
times of HoraceF15Sermon. l. 2. Sat. 2. v. 25
26. Vid. Plin. Nat.
Hist. l. 10. c. 20. Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. 13.
who calls a peacock
"rara avis"; and speaks of them as sold for a great price; but
ostriches were well known in Arabia
where Job lived
as is testified by
XenophonF16Ut supra. (Xenophon. de Expedit. Cyri
l. 1.)
StraboF17Geograph.
l. 16. p. 531.
and Diodorus SiculusF18Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 133. .
Moreover
what is said in the following verses is only true of the ostrich
and
that only is spoken of here and there
as it follows;
or wings and feathers unto the ostrich; or whose
wings and feathers are like the storks; and so Bochart renders the words
truly
they have "the wing and feather of the stork"; the colours of which
are black and white
from whence it has its name πελαγροςF19Suidas
in voce πελαγρος. in Greek; and
so Leo AfricanusF20Descriptio Africae
l. 9. p. 766. says of the
ostriches
that they have in their wings large feathers of a black and white
colour; and this was a creature well known in ArabiaF21Diodor.
Sicul. ut supra. (Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 133.)
in which Job lived.
Job 39:14 14 For she leaves her eggs on
the ground
And warms them in the dust;
YLT
14For she leaveth on the
earth her eggs
And on the dust she doth warm them
Which leaveth her eggs in the earth
.... Lays them and leaves
them there. Aelianus
agreeably to this
saysF23De Animal. l. 14. c.
17.
that it builds a low nest in the ground
making a hollow in the sand with
its feet; though he seems to be mistaken as to the number of its eggs
which he
makes to be more than eighty; more truly Leo AfricanusF24Ut supra.
(Descriptio Africaae
l. 9. p. 766.)
who reckons them ten or twelve; which
he says
it lays in the sand
and each of them are of the size of a cannon
ball
and weigh fifteen pounds
more or less. Hence
with the Arabs
it is
called
"the
mother of eggs
'
because
of the large eggs it lays; and with them it is a proverb
"meaner
or of a lesser account
than the eggs of an ostrich
'
because
its eggs are neglected by itF25Hottinger. Smegm. Orient. l. 1. c. 7.
p. 128. ;
and warmeth them in the dust; not that she leaves them
to be warmed by the hot sand
or by the heat of the sun upon them
by which
they are hatched
as has been commonly said
for thereby they would rather be
corrupted and become rotten; but she herself warms them and hatches them
by
sitting upon them in the dust and sand: and for this the above historian is
express
who saysF26Descript. Africae
ut supra. (l. 9. p. 766.)
Vid. Aelian. l. 4. c. 37.
the female lighting on these eggs
whether her own
or another's
sits on them and heats them. Concerning the ostrich hatching its
eggs
VanslebF1Relation of a Voyage to Egypt
p. 64.
from an
Arabic manuscript
relates what is incredible
that they are hatched by the
male and female with their eye only; that one or other of them keep continually
looking at them until they are all hatched; and this I observe is asserted also
by another writerF2Coelius
l. 10. c. 5. apud Sanctium in loc. .
Job 39:15 15 She forgets that a foot
may crush them
Or that a wild beast may break them.
YLT
15And she forgetteth that a
foot may press it
And a beast of the field tread it down.
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them
.... The foot
of the traveller
they being laid in the ground
where he may walk
or on the
sand of the seashore
where he may tread and trample upon them unawares
and
crush them to pieces; to prevent which this creature has no foresight;
or that the wild beast may break them; supposing
they may be
though not where men walk
yet where wild beasts frequent
they
may be as easily broken by the one as the other; against which it guards not
having no instinct in nature
as some creatures have
to direct to the
preservation of them.
Job 39:16 16 She treats her young
harshly
as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain
without
concern
YLT
16Her young ones it hath
hardened without her
In vain [is] her labour without fear.
She is hardened against her young ones
as though they were
not hers
.... Hence said to be cruel
Lamentations 4:3;
not against the young ones she hatches
for AelianusF3Ut supra.
(Vid. Aelian. l. 4. c. 37.) reports her as very tender of her young
and
exposing herself to danger for the preservation of them; but being a very
forgetful creature
having laid its eggs in the sand
where it leaves them
forgets where it has laid them; and finding other eggs sits on them and hatches
them
and regards the young as its own
and is hardened against its true and
real young
as not belonging to her;
her labour is in vain without fear; in laying her eggs and
leaving them in the dust
without fear of their being crushed and broken
which
yet they are
and so her labour is in vain; or her labour in hatching the eggs
of others
without any fear or care of their belonging to others
which yet they
do
and so she labours in vain.
Job 39:17 17 Because God deprived her
of wisdom
And did not endow her with understanding.
YLT
17For God hath caused her to
forget wisdom
And He hath not given a portion To her in understanding:
Because God hath deprived her of wisdom
.... Or
"made her to forget"F4השה
"oblivisci fecit eum"
Montanus
Mercerus
Drusius
Cocceius
Michaelis
Schultens. what she had; an instance of her forgetfulness is
mentioned Job 39:15; and so
Leo AfricanusF5Ut supra. (Desciptio. Africae
l. 9. p. 766.) says of
it
that it is of a very short memory
and presently forgets the place where
its eggs are laid;
neither hath he imparted to her understanding; many
instances are given of its stupidity by historians
as that it will take
anything that is offered to it to eat
stones
iron
&c.F6Aelian.
ut supra. (de Animal. l. 5. c. 21.) Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 1. ; that it
will thrust its head and neck into a thicket
fancying: it is hid and covered
and that none can see it; which PlinyF7Ibid. (Plin. Nat. Hist. l.
10. c. 1.) remarks as an instance of its foolishness; though Diodorus SiculusF8Ut
supra. (Diodor. Sicul. Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 133.) takes this to be a point of
prudence
for the preservation of those parts of it which are weakest. Strabo
givesF9Geograph. l. 16. p. 531. another instance of its stupidity
its being so easily deceived by sportsmen
who
by putting the skin of an
ostrich on their hands
and reaching out fruits or seeds to it
it will receive
them of them
and be taken. Others observe the smallness of their heads
and so
of their brains
as an argument of their want of understanding; and it has been
remarked
as a proof of their having but few brains
that Heliogabalus
the Roman
emperor
had six hundred heads of ostriches dressed at once for his supper
for
the sake of their brainsF11Lamprid. Vit. Heliogab. c. 20
30. .
Job 39:18 18 When she lifts herself on
high
She scorns the horse and its rider.
YLT
18At the time on high she
lifteth herself up
She laugheth at the horse and at his rider.
What time she lifted up herself on high
.... It is
sometimes eight foot highF12Philosoph. Transact. abridged
vol. 2.
p. 360. ; when alarmed with approaching danger she raises up herself
being
sitting on the ground
and erects her wings for flight
or rather running;
she scorneth the horse and his rider; being then
as PlinyF13Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 1. says
higher than a man on
horseback
and superior to a horse in swiftness; and though horsemen have been
able to take wild asses and goats
very swift creatures
yet never ostriches
as Xenophon relatesF14De Expedit. Cyri
l. 1. of those in Arabia;
and this creature has another method
when pursued
by which it defies and
despises
as well as hurts and incommodes its pursuers
which is by casting
stones backward at them with its feet as out of a slingF15Plin. ut
supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 1.) Aelian. de Animal. l. 4. c. 37. .
Job 39:19 19 “Have you given the horse
strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?[b]
YLT
19Dost thou give to the horse
might? Dost thou clothe his neck [with] a mane?
Hast thou given the horse strength?.... Not only to bear
burdens and draw carriages
but for war; for it is the war horse that is here
spoken of
as what follows shows
and his strength denotes; not strength of
body only
but fortitude and courage; for which
as well as the other
the
horse is eminent
and both are the gift of God
and not of men;
hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? or with
strength
as the Targum; the horse having particularly great strength in its
neck
as well as in other parts; or with strength of voice
as Ben Gersom
explains it; and it has been generally understood of the neighing of horses
which comes through and out of their neck
and makes a vehement sound: some
render it
"with a mane"F16Bochart
Bootius
&c. ; and
could it be made to appear that the word is so used in any other place
or in
any other writings
or in any of the dialects
it would afford a very good
sense
since a fine large mane to a horse is a great ornament and
recommendation: the Septuagint render it by "fear"
and Jarchi
interprets it of "terror"; and refers to the sense of
he word in Ezekiel 27:35; and
it may signify such a tremor as thunder makes
from whence that has its name;
and it may be observed that between the neck and shoulder bone of an horse
there is a tremulous and quavering motion; and which is more vehement in
battle
not from any fearfulness of it
but rather through eagerness to engage
in it; and therefore Schultens translates the words
"hast thou clothed
his neck with a cheerful tremor?"
Job 39:20 20 Can you frighten him like
a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror.
YLT
20Dost thou cause him to rush
as a locust? The majesty of his snorting [is] terrible.
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?.... Which is
frightened at every noise
and at any approach of men; but not so the horse; or
canst thou move him
or cause him to skip and jump
or rather leap like a
grasshopper? that is
hast thou given
or canst thou give him the faculty of
leaping over hedges and ditches
for which the horse is famous? so Neptune's
war horses are saidF17Homeri Iliad. 13. v. 31. to be ευσκαρθμοι
good leapers;
the glory of his nostrils is terrible: which may be
understood of his sneezing
snorting
pawing
and neighing
when his nostrils
are broad
spread
and enlarged; and especially when enraged and in battle
when he foams and fumes
and his breath comes out of his nostrils like smokeF18"Iguescunt
patulae nares". Claudian. in 4. Consul. Honor.
and is very terrible.
Job 39:21 21 He paws in the valley
and
rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.
YLT
21They dig in a valley
and
he rejoiceth in power
He goeth forth to meet the armour.
He paweth in the valley
.... Where armies are
usually pitched and set in battle army
and especially the cavalry
for which
the valley is most convenient; and here the horse is impatient of engaging
cannot stand still
but rises up with his fore feet and paws and prances
and
as the word signifies
digs the earth and makes it hollow
by a continual
striking upon it; so generally horses are commonly described in this mannerF19"Cavatque
tellurem". Virgil. Georgic. l. 3. v. 87. ;
and rejoiceth in his strength; of which he
is sensible
and glories in it; marches to the battle with pride and
stateliness
defying
as it were
the enemy
and as if sure of victory
of
which he has knowledge when obtained; for Lactantius saysF20Institut.
l. 3. c. 8. of horses
when conquerors they exult
when conquered they grieve;
it has its name in the Hebrew language from rejoicingF21שוש "gavisus est". Vid. Buxtorf. in voce סוס. ;
he goeth on to meet the armed men; without any fear or
dread of them
as follows.
Job 39:22 22 He mocks at fear
and is
not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword.
YLT
22He laugheth at fear
and is
not affrighted
And he turneth not back from the face of the sword.
He mocketh at fear
and is not affrighted
.... At those
things which cause fear and fright to men; as arms
though ever so terrible
and armies
though never so numerous;
neither turneth he back from the sword; the naked
sword
when it is drawn against him
and ready to be thrust into him; the horse
being so bold and courageous was with the Egyptians a symbol of courage and
boldnessF22Clement. Alex. Stromat. l. 5. p. 567. .
Job 39:23 23 The quiver rattles against
him
The glittering spear and javelin.
YLT
23Against him rattle doth
quiver
The flame of a spear
and a halbert.
The quiver rattleth against him
.... The quiver is what
arrows are put into and carried in
and seems here to be put for arrows
which
being shot by the enemy come whizzing about him
but do not intimidate him;
unless this is to be understood of arrows rattling in the quiver when carried
by the rider "upon him"
so some render the last word; and thus HomerF23Iliad.
1. v. 4. and VirgilF24"Pharetramqne sonantem". Aeneid. 9.
v. 666. speak of the rattling quiver and sounding arrows in it
as carried on
the back or shoulder; but the first sense seems best
in which another poet
uses itF25"----audito sonitu per inane pharetrae". Ovid.
Metamorph. l. 6. v. 230. ;
the glittering spear and the shield; the lance or javelin
as
Mr. Broughton renders it
and others; that is
he does not turn back from
these
nor is he frightened at them when they are pointed to him or flung at
him; so AelianusF26De Animal. l. 16. c. 25. speaks of the Persians
training their horses and getting them used to noises
that in battle they
might not be frightened at the clashing of arms
of swords and shields against
each other; in like manner as our war horses are trained
not to start at the
firing of a gun
or the explosion of a cannon.
Job 39:24 24 He devours the distance
with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has
sounded.
YLT
24With trembling and rage he
swalloweth the ground
And remaineth not stedfast Because of the sound of a
trumpet.
He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage
.... Being so
eager for the battle
and so full of fierceness and rage
he bounds the plain
with such swiftness that he seems rather to swallow up the ground than to run
upon it;
neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet; for joy at
hearing it; or he will not trust to his ears
but will see with his eyes
whether the battle is ready
and therefore pushes forward. Mr. Broughton and
others read it
"he will not stand still at the noise of the
trumpet"; and the word signifies firm and stable
as well as to believe;
when he hears the trumpet sound
the alarm of war
as a preparation for the
battle
he knows not how toF1"Stare loco nescit". Virgil.
Georgic. l. 3. v. 84. "Ut fremit acer equus"
&c. Ovid.
Metamorph. l. 3. Fab. 10. v. 704. stand; there is scarce any holding him in
but he rushes into the battle at once
Jeremiah 8:6.
Job 39:25 25 At the blast of the
trumpet he says
‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar
The thunder of captains
and shouting.
YLT
25Among the trumpets he
saith
Aha
And from afar he doth smell battle
Roaring of princes and
shouting.
He saith among the trumpets
ha
ha
.... As pleased with the
sound of them
rejoicing thereat
and which he signifies by neighing;
and he smelleth the battle afar off; which respects not so
much the distance of place as of time; he perceives beforehand that it is near
by the preparations making for it
and particularly by what follows; so PlinyF2Nat.
Hist. l. 8. c. 42. says of horses
they presage a fight. The thunder of the
captains
and the shouting; they understand an engagement is just about to
start by the loud and thundering voice of the captains
exhorting and
spiralling up their men
and giving them the word of command; and by the
clamorous shout of the soldiers echoing to the speech of their captains; and
which are given forth upon an onset
both to animate one another
and
intimidate the enemy. BootiusF3Animadvers. Sacr. l. 3. c. 6. s. 1.
observes
that VirgilF4Georgic. l. 3. and OppianusF5Cyneget.
l. 1. say most of the same things in praise of the horse which are here said
and seem to have taken them from hence; and someF6Horus Aegypt. apud
Steeb. Coelum Sephirot. Heb. c. 6. s. 1. p. 106. give the horse the preference
to the lion
which
when it departs from a fight
never returns
whereas the
horse will. This is an emblem both of good men
Zechariah 10:3; and
of bad men
Jeremiah 8:6.
Job 39:26 26 “Does the hawk fly by your
wisdom
And spread its wings toward the south?
YLT
26By thine understanding
flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?
Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom
.... With so much
swiftness
steadiness
and constancy
until she has seized her prey. The
Vulgate Latin version and some others read
"does she become
feathered"
or "begin to have feathers?" and so Bochart: either
when first fledged; or when
as it is saidF4Aelian. de Animal. l.
12. c. 4. she casts her old feathers and gets new ones
and this every year.
Now neither her flight nor her feathers
whether at one time or the other
are
owing to men
but to the Lord
who gives both;
and stretch her wings towards
the south? Being a bird of passage
she moves from colder climates towards
the winter
and steers her course to the south towards warmer onesF5Ibid.
l. 2. c. 43. Plin. l. 10. c. 8. ; which she does by an instinct in nature
put
into her by the Lord
and not through the instruction of man. Or
as some say
casting off her old feathers
she flies towards the south for warmth; and that
her feathers may be cherished with the heat
and grow the sooner and better.
Hence it is
perhaps
as Aelianus reportsF6De Animal. l. 7. c. 9.
& l. 10. c. 14.
that this bird was by the Egyptians consecrated to Apollo
or the sun; it being able to look upon the rays of it wistly
constantly
and
easily
without being hurt thereby. PorphyryF7De Abstinentia
l. 4.
s. 9. says
that this bird is not only acceptable to the sun; but has divinity
in it
according to the Egyptians; and is no other than Osiris
or the sun
represented by the image of itF8Kircher. Prodrom. Copt. p. 232. .
StraboF9Geograph. l. 17. p. 562. speaks of a city of the hawks
where this creature is worshipped. It has its name in Greek from the sacredness
of it; and according to HesiodF11Opera & Dies
l. 1. v. 208.
is very swift
and has large wings. It is called ωκυπτερος
swift in flying
by ManethoF12Apotelesm. l. 5. v. 176. ; and by
Homer
ωκιστος πετεηνων
the
swiftest of fowlsF13Iliad. 15. v. 238. Odyss 13. v. 87. . It has its
name from נצה
to "fly"
as Kimchi observesF14Sepher
Shorash. rad. נצה. . Cyril of Jerusalem
on the
authority of the Greek version
affirmsF15Cateches. 9. s. 6.
that
by a divine instinct or order
the hawk
stretching out its wings
stands in
the midst of the air unmoved
looking towards the south. All accounts show it
to be a bird that loves warmth
which is the reason of the expression in the
text.
Job 39:27 27 Does the eagle mount up at
your command
And make its nest on high?
YLT
27At thy command goeth an
eagle up high? Or lifteth he up his nest?
Doth the eagle mount up at thy command
.... No; but
by an instinct which God has placed in it
and a capacity he has given it above
all other birds. They take a circuit in their flight
and bend about before
they soar aloft: but the eagle steers its course directly upwards towards heaven
till out of sight; and
as Apuleius saysF16Florida 1.
up to the
clouds
where it rains and snows
and beyond which there is no place for
thunder and lightning;
and make her nest on high? so the philosopher saysF17Aristot.
Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 32. ; eagles make their nests not in plains
but in high
places
especially in cragged rocks
as in Job 39:28.
Job 39:28 28 On the rock it dwells and
resides
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
YLT
28A rock he doth inhabit
Yea
he lodgeth on the tooth of a rock
and fortress.
She dwelleth and abideth on the rock
upon the crag of the rock
and the strong place. Where she and her young are safe: so PlinyF18Nat.
Hist. l. 10. 3. says
eagles make their nests in rocks
even in the precipices
of them
as the philosopher quoted in the preceding verse; and here on the
tooth
edge
or precipice of the rock
which is inaccessible
and so like a
strong fortified place.
Job 39:29 29 From there it spies out
the prey; Its eyes observe from afar.
YLT
29From thence he hath sought
food
To a far off place his eyes look attentively
From thence she seeketh the prey
.... From the high rock;
from whence she can look down into valleys
and even into the sea; and spy what
is for her purpose
and descend and seize upon them; as lambs
fawns
geese
shellfish
&c. though they may lie in the most hidden and secret places.
Wherefore in the original text it is
"she diggeth the prey or food"F19חפר אכל "fodit escam";
Montanus
Mercerus. ; as treasure hid in secret is dug or diligently searched
for; and for which she is qualified by the sharpness of her sight
as follows:
and her eyes behold afar off; from the high
rocks and higher clouds
even from the high sky
as AelianusF20De
Animal. l. 2. c. 26. & l. 1. c. 42. Aristot. & Plin. ut supra.
(Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 32. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 3.) expresses it; and
who observes that she is the most sharp sighted of all birds; and so
HomerF21Iliad.
17. v. 674
675. so Diodor. Sic. l. 3. p. 145. says
some affirm.
Job 39:30 30 Its young ones suck up
blood; And where the slain are
there it is.”
YLT
30And his brood gulph up
blood
And where the pierced [are] -- there [is] he!
Her young ones also suck up blood
.... As well as herself
being brought up to it by her. The eagle cares not for water
but drinks the
blood of her prey; and so her young ones after her
as naturalists reportF23Aristot.
de Animal. l. 8. c. 3. 18. Aelianus
l. 2. c. 26. . And Aelianus saysF24Ib.
l. 10. c. 14. the same of the hawk
that it eats no seeds
but devours flesh
and drinks blood
and nourishes her young ones with the same.
And where the slain are
there is she; where there
has been a battle
and carcasses left on the field
the eagles will gather to
them. This is particularly true of that kind of eagles called vulture eagles
as AristotleF25Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 32. and PlinyF26Nat.
Hist. l. 10. c. 3. observe; see Matthew 24:28. Now
since Job was so ignorant of the nature of these creatures
and incapable of
governing and directing them; and what they had of any excellency were of God
and not of him
nor of any man; how unfit must he be to dispute with God
and
contend with him about his works of providence? which to convince him of was
the design of this discourse about the creatures; and which had its intended
effect
as appears in the next chapter.
──《John Gill’s Exposition
of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)