Chapter 39

1 Of the wild goats and hinds. 5 Of the wild ass. 9 The unicorn. 13 The peacock, stork, and ostrich. 19 The horse. 26 The hawk. 27 The eagle.

1. Knowest thou? God continues to present to Job the divine description of the wonders of the animal creation that begins in ch. 38:39. Such expressions as “knowest thou” emphasize Job’s ignorance in contrast with God’s wisdom. Man is not even able to understand those things that God is capable of creating.

Wild goats. These were very wild animals, and inhabited remote, rocky regions. Their nature made it impossible for men to become acquainted with their habits. Yet God, as the Creator, knew every detail regarding them.

Hinds. Compare Ps. 29:9. The term may refer either to the female of the wild goat species, the application thus making the second line of the text a repetition of the first, or to the deer.

2. Number the months. The gestation period of animals like the wild goat was probably not known to man, since such animals could neither be domesticated nor carefully observed. Every birth, even though it be of a wild animal, is an evidence of the life-giving power of the Creator.

4. Young ones. The self-reliance of the young of wild animals is remarkable. “In good liking” means healthy and strong (see Dan. 1:10).

Grow up with corn. In the open fields these young animals grow up and soon leave their mothers. These remarkable phenomena are in no way dependent on the wisdom or planning of man. Instead, they reveal the amazing planning of an intelligent and loving God.

5. Wild ass. See on ch. 11:12. This animal is said to be different in spirit, energy, agility, and appearance from the domestic animal of that name. In his wildness he is entirely outside the orbit of man’s influence. Anyone who considers the habits of such a creature cannot but wonder at the creative knowledge responsible for such beauty, agility, and self-reliance. This seems to be the lesson that God is trying to teach Job.

6. Barren land. Heb. melechah, literally, “saltness,” “barrenness,” here referring to the salt plains. Melechah is translated “salt land” in Jer. 17:6. God created the wild ass so that it might dwell comfortably in arid, treeless wastes where man and his domesticated animals could scarcely survive.

7. Crying of the driver. The domesticated ass is directed by man, but the commands of the driver mean nothing to the wild ass, the child of the treeless plains. He will not be curbed in his limitless freedom.

8. His pasture. The rocky ranges are the wild ass’s source of food. He survives where many another animal would starve. Whence does this beast receive his unusual abilities? Not from man, but from God.

9. Unicorn. Heb. rem, elsewhere reХem, occurring 9 times in the OT. From the various descriptions of this animal it is thought to designate the wild ox (see Num. 23:22; 24:8; Deut. 33:17; Ps. 22:21; 29:6; 92:10). The wild bull often found on Assyrian monuments was known as rйµmu. The animal was probably similar to those which Caesar found in Gaul and which he described as follows: “These uri are scarcely less than elephants in size, but in their nature, color and form are bulls. Great is their strength and great their speed. Nor do they spare man nor beast, when once they have caught sight of him. … Even when they are young, they cannot be habituated to man and made tractable. The size and shape of their horns are very different from those of our oxen” (De bello Gallico vi. 28). It is commonly believed that the contrast between the wild ox and the tame ox in vs. 9–12 is comparable to the contrast between the wild ass and the tame ass in vs. 5–8.

Serve thee. The tame ox would pull the plow, but the wild ox could not be used for such purposes.

By thy crib. The wild ox could not be kept in a domestic environment. His nature was different. Who endowed him with such different characteristics, even though outwardly he might resemble his tame brother? The answer is—God.

11. Wilt thou trust him? The wild ox cannot be depended on. His strength cannot be harnessed for man’s purposes. The variance in nature is divinely implanted, and resists all efforts toward change.

12. Bring home thy seed. The dependability of the tame ox is proverbial. Job knows well that the wild ox is entirely dissimilar in this respect. Can Job explain the reasons for the difference? Such knowledge is beyond his grasp.

13. Peacocks. The Hebrew of this verse is difficult to translate. It is generally thought that the ostrich is referred to rather than the peacock. The ostrich was common in Job’s country.

From the alternative reading given in the margin of the second clause, “the feathers of the stork and ostrich,” some have concluded that God is contrasting the stork and the ostrich, as He contrasted the tame and wild ass and the tame and wild ox. The stork is a bird that can fly easily and gracefully. The ostrich has large wings that flap while the bird runs, but these wings will scarcely lift the heavy creature off the ground. There is also a marked difference in the habits of the two birds. The stork is kind to its young, but the ostrich seems to have little regard for its young. This characteristic is developed in subsequent verses of the chapter. The idea seems to be that God, in His providence, endowed the various creatures with differing characteristics. These variations cannot be explained or controlled by man.

Other attempts to translate the extremely obscure second line are, “but are they the pinions and plumage of love?” (RSV), and “but are her pinions and feathers kindly?” (RV).

14. Leaveth her eggs. Ostriches lay their eggs in the sand to be warmed by the sun. The females of a group use one nest, one staying with the eggs part of the day while the others wander in search of food. The male incubates the eggs at night.

15. Forgetteth. The female roams unconcerned about her eggs. Later all the chicks run with the whole group. This may account for her indifference to her young.

16. Hardened. The ostrich seems to lack sufficient intelligence to show concern about her offspring (see Lam. 4:3).

In vain. Even though her eggs are broken, and she has no little ones, she remains unconcerned.

17. Deprived her. In making this creature, God apparently saw fit to endow the ostrich with limited intelligence. He does not give His reasons for so doing, and such reasons man cannot fathom. There is an Arab proverb, “As stupid as an ostrich.”

God speaks of Himself here in the third person perhaps for emphasis.

18. Scorneth the horse. Despite her stupidity and her lack of concern for her young, the ostrich has been endowed by God with a remarkable ability for speedy travel. It is well known that the bird can outrun the fastest horse.

19. Horse. Verses 19–25 describe the war horse. The following quotation from Virgil resembles this vivid picture:

“But, at the clash of arms, his ear afar

Drinks the deep sound and vibrates to the war;

Flames from each nostril roll in gathered stream,

His quivering limbs with restless motion gleam;

O’er his right shoulder, floating full and fair,

Sweeps his thick mane and spreads his pomp of hair;

Swift works his double spine, and earth around

Rings to his solid hoof that wears the ground.”

Thunder. Heb. raФmah, the meaning of which is uncertain. Some have taken the word to designate the mane of the horse. RaФmah is the feminine form of the word translated “thunder” in v. 25, but it is doubtful that the feminine form has the same meaning as the masculine. The picture is that of the excitement and eagerness of the war horse when, with arched neck, he charges into the battle.

21. He paweth. The picture of a horse pawing eagerly to be off to battle.

The armed men. Literally, “equipment,” “weapons,” “armory.”

22. Mocketh at fear. His rider may be frightened, but not he. The sword does not terrorize him.

24. Swalloweth the ground. A vivid way of describing the rapidity with which a trained war horse covers the ground.

25. Ha, ha. Perhaps a description of the horse’s snort or neigh; or it may figuratively describe the horse as uttering an expression of satisfaction when he hears the war trumpet.

Thunder. Compare Isa. 5:28–30. Lange has described the Arab horse thus: “Although docile as a lamb and requiring no other guide than the halter, when the Arab mare hears the war-cry of the tribe and sees the quivering spear of her rider, her eyes glitter with fire, her blood-red nostrils open wide, her neck is nobly arched, and her tail and mane are raised and spread out to the wind.”

26. Hawk. From the charging war horse, God transfers Job’s attention to the migrating hawk. Has Job implanted the instinct that causes the bird to seek warmer climate in the winter? Again he is confronted with an example of God’s unfathomable wisdom.

27. On high. The eagle has always been noted for the great heights to which it ascends. Has Job instructed these birds to find high pinnacles for their homes?

28. On the rock. No place is too rugged or inaccessible to be the home of an eagle.

29. From thence. Eagles, noted for their keenness of vision, sense the presence of prey from an incredible distance, and swoop down from their high nests to seize their victim. Who gave them these remarkable instincts, completely beyond anything known to man?

30. There is she. See Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37.

The phenomena mentioned illustrate the power and goodness of God. All that man has discovered about nature since Job’s time only tends to substantiate the same power and goodness.

Ellen G. White comments

26  ML 105