Job 39: 1- 4, Do you know the mountain goats?
"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?
They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
The powerful lion was mentioned in the last chapter. Here we have the fragile mountain goats and their young. Hartley identifies this animal as most likely the Nubian ibex. Job is asked if he has any control over these animals, who give birth without human intervention and go their way.
Job 39: 5-8, Consider the feral donkeys
"Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied his ropes?
I gave him the wasteland as his home,
the salt flats as his habitat.
He laughs at the commotion in the town;
he does not hear a driver's shout.
He ranges the hills for his pasture
and searches for any green thing.
The onager (or wild ass) used to range throughout the Middle East. Now classified as "Near Threatened", various species still live in deserts in western and central Asia. They are almost as fast as a horse and well adapted to the deserts and grasslands.
Job 39: 9-12, Consider the wild ox
"Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will he stay by your manger at night?
Can you hold him to the furrow with a harness?
Will he till the valleys behind you?
Will you rely on him for his great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work to him?
Can you trust him to bring in your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
The wild ox or auroch is now extinct but species still lived in Asia and Europe during the Iron Age and were described by various cultures, including the Romans and were symbols of power and strength. They are thought to be the ancestors of domestic cattle.
Job 39: 13-18, See the silly ostrich!
"The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork.
She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.
She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.
Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.
The flightless ostrich has long been viewed as a strange, awkward bird. It is common to Africa and at one time species lived in Asia. When predators approach a female with eggs buried in the sand, she runs away, drawing the predators after them. They apparently can run faster than 40 miles per hour.
Job 39: 19-25, Consider the horse
"Do you give the horse his strength
or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?
Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?
He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength,
and charges into the fray.
He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
he does not shy away from the sword.
The quiver rattles against his side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground;
he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
At the blast of the trumpet he snorts, `Aha!'
He catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
An, of course, one should look at the magnificent horse. YHWH describes this elegant proud animal to Job and asks if Job had anything to do with the strength and attitude of the horse. In the final stanzas, the role of the horse in battle is described.
Job 39: 26-30, Consider the birds of prey
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread his wings toward the south?
Does the eagle soar at your command
and build his nest on high?
He dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag is his stronghold.
From there he seeks out his food;
his eyes detect it from afar.
His young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there is he."
Finally, Job is to look at the birds of prey, the hawk and the eagle, who soar high above, living in cliffs, spying rodents far below them. Is it Job's wisdom that guides these magnificent creatures? Surely not.
The last line in this passage may be a proverb, as large birds (eagles or vultures) feast on carrion. (A similar proverb about vultures occurs in Matthew 24: 28.)
As wisdom and knowledge are linked to power, so this chapter has a secondary effect of challenging humans to understand the universe in which they live. As I read, I digress to enjoying the explorations of nature (astronomy, meteorology, biology) that I and my colleagues have dedicated lives to studying.
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