Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 39:1
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? [or] canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
1. canst thou mark ] Rather, dost thou. The goats of the rock are the mountain goats, a species of chamois.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ch. Job 39:1-4. The goats of the rock and the hinds.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ch. Job 38:39 Ch. Job 39:30. The manifoldness of the Divine Mind as displayed in the world of animal life
The instances chosen are the lion and the raven ( Job 38:39-41); the wild goats and the hinds (ch. Job 39:1-4); the wild ass ( Job 38:5-8; the wild ox ( Job 38:9-12); the ostrich ( Job 38:13-18); the war horse ( Job 38:19-25); the hawk and the eagle ( Job 38:26-30).
These brilliant pictures from the animal world have the same purpose as those given before ( Job 38:4-38) from inanimate nature; they make God to pass before the eye of Job. They exhibit the diversity of the animal creation, the strange dissimilarity of instinct and habit in creatures outwardly similar, the singular blending together of contradictory characteristics in the same creature, and the astonishing attributes and powers with which some of them are endowed; and all combines to illustrate the resources of mind and breadth of thought of Him who formed them and cares for them, the manifold play of an immeasurable intelligence and power in the world.
Yet though each of these pictures utters the name of God with an increasing emphasis, and though the Poet presents them in the first instance that we may hear this name from them, it is evident that his own eye follows each of the creatures which he describes with a delighted wonder and love. The Poet felt like a later poet,
He prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small,
For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.
The words of Carlyle might be quoted, who says of the Book of Job and of these descriptions in particular, “so true every way; true eyesight and vision for all things; material things no less than spiritual” ( Heroes, Lect. ii), were it not that this writer’s raptures are so often founded on intellectual mistake and imperfect appreciation of facts, and are therefore, like all such ideal raptures, only nauseous.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Knowest thou, the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? – That is, the particular season when the mountain goats bring forth their young. Of domestic animals – the sheep, the tame goat, etc., the habits would be fuIly understood. But the question here relates to the animals that roamed at large on inaccessible cliffs; that were buried in deep forests; that were far from the dwellings and observation of people; and the meaning is, that there were many facts in regard to such points of Natural History which Job could not explain. God knew all their instincts and habits, and on the inaccessible cliffs, in the deep dell, in the dark forest, he was with them, and they were the objects of his care. He not only regarded the condition of the domestic animals that had been brought into the service of man, and where man perhaps might be disposed to claim that they owed much of their comfort to his care, but he regarded also the wild, wandering beast of the mountain, where no such pretence could be advanced.
The providence of God is over them; and in the periods of their lives when they seem most to need attention, when every shepherd and herdsmen is most solicitous about his flocks and herds, then God is present, and his care is seen in their preservation. The particular point in the inquiry here is, not in regard to the time when these animals produced their young or the period of their gestation, which might probably be known, but in regard to the attention and care which was needful for them when they were so far removed from the observance of man, and had no human aid. The wild goat of the rock here referred to, is, doubtless, the Ibex, or mountain goat, that has its dwellings among the rocks, or in stony places. The Hebrew term is yael, from yaal, to ascend, to go up. They had their residence in the lofty rocks of mountains; Psa 104:18. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats.
Hebrew For the goats of the rocks – yaeliym selaiym. So in 1Sa 24:2 (3), Saul went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats; that is, where were the wild goats – hayaeliym. For a description of the wild goat, see Bochart, Hieroz. P. i. Lib. iii. c. xxiii. The animal here referred to is, doubtless, the same which Burckhardt saw on the summit of Mount Catharine, adjacent to Mount Sinai, and which he thus describes in his Travels in Syria, p. 571: As we approached the summit of the mountain (Catharine, adjacent to Mount Sinai), we saw at a distance a small flock of mountain goats feeding among the rocks. One of our Arabs left us, and by a widely circuitous route endeavored to get to the leeward of them, and near enough to fire at them. He enjoined us to remain in sight of them, and to sit down in order not to alarm them. He had nearly reached a favorable spot behind a rock, when the goats suddenly took to flight. They could not have seen the Arab, but the wind changed, and thus they smelt him. The chase of the beden, as the wild goat is called, resembles that of the chamois of the Alps, and requires as much enterprise and patience. The Arabs make long circuits to surprise them, and endeavor to come upon them early in the morning, when they feed.
The goats have a leader who keeps watch, and on any suspicious smell, sound, or object, makes a noise, which is a signal to the flock to make their escape. They have much decreased of late, if we may believe the Arabs; who say that fifty years ago, if a stranger came to a tent, and the owner of it had no sheep to kill, he took his gun and went in search of a beden. They are, however, even now more common here than in the Alps, or in the mountains to the east of the Red Sea. I had three or four of them brought to me at the convent, which I bought at three-fourths of a dollar each. The flesh is excellent, and has nearly the same flavor as that of the deer. The Bedouins make water bags of their skins, and rings of their horns, which they wear on their thumbs. When the beden is met with in the plains, the dogs of the hunters easily catch him; but they cannot come up with him among the rocks, where he can make leaps of 20 feet.
Or Canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? – The reference here is to the special care and protection of God manifested for them. The meaning is, that this animal seems to be always timid and apprehensive of danger, and that there is special care bestowed upon an animal so defenseless in enabling it to rear its young. The word hinds denotes the deer, the fawn, the most timid and defenseless, perhaps, of all animals.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 39:1-4
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?
The study of zoology a religious duty
God is here represented as calling the attention of Job to various orders of animal life. Reasons for such study.
I. Because it gives to man a high revelation of God. Next to mental and moral philosophy, there is no subject in nature that gives us so high a view of God. There is more of Him seen in the humblest sentient creature than in the orbs of heaven, the billows of ocean, the flowers of the field, or the trees of the forest. In these creatures we discover sensation, self-motion, choice; and these are not merely Divine productions, but rather Divine emanations. Whilst I would not underrate the study of physics, chemistry, botany, astronomy, I hold that zoology is a grander, more quickening, and a more religious study than either. It brings the soul into contact with much that is akin to itself, the seeing eye, the hearing ear, the quivering sensation, and the guiding instinct.
II. Because it tends to promote our spiritual culture.
1. It tends to encourage our faith in the goodness of God. The creatures specified in this chapter are all objects of His kindly regard. Surely the God who takes care of these creatures will not neglect His human children.
2. It tends to destroy our egotism. What are we in the presence of some of these creatures? What is our strength to that of the unicorn or the buffalo, our courage to that of the war horse, our vision to that of the eagle or the hawk, our speed to that of the ostrich and the wild ass? Where is boasting then?
3. It tends to promote a kindly feeling towards all sentient life.
III. They supply illustrations of human life. Let us look for this purpose at the three creatures mentioned here–the wild ass, the ostrich, and the war horse. The wild ass may be taken to illustrate–
1. The genius of freedom.
2. The ostrich may be taken to illustrate an intensely Selfish character; and she does so in three respects–heartlessness, cowardice, and pride. How heartless she is! She leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, or treateth her young ones harshly. No creature in creation seems so indifferent to its young. To an intensely selfish man, self is everything; neighbours, and even children, are sacrificed to self-gratification. In her cowardice she illustrates a selfish character. Naturalists tell us that when danger appears, she puts her head into the sand, so as not to hear or see the approaching perils. She will not look danger in the face and grapple with it. A selfish man is always cowardly, and that in proportion to his selfishness. In fact, there can be no bravery and intrepidity where there is not a generous love; it is love alone that makes the hero. How proud is the ostrich! She lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider. This creature seems to be remarkably proud of its wings, although it cannot fly, and of its power of speed. When the fleetest horse with its rider approaches, she flaps her wings as if in proud scorn, conscious that she can leave the swiftest horseman behind. So in truth she can; it is said, with the help of her wings, she can run at the rate of sixty miles an hour. In this she seems to glory. The more selfish a man is, the more he prides himself in a something that he has which others do not possess. The war horse here presented in such majestic poetry as bounding and quivering with the spirit of the campaign, may be taken to illustrate–
3. Those noble workers in the cause of human progress who are found fixed and filled with the spirit of their mission. Difficulties to them are nothing. They laugh at impossibilities; for dangers they care not; opposition they defy. Such were Paul, Luther, Garibaldi. No man can fulfil his mission whose whole nature does not glow with his spirit. (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XXXIX
Several animals described: the wild goats and hinds, 1-4.
The wild ass, 5-8.
The unicorn, 9-12.
The peacock and ostrich, 13-18.
The war-horse, 19-25.
The hawk, 26.
And the eagle and her brood, 27-30.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIX
Verse 1. Knowest thou the time] To know time, c., only, was easy, and has nothing extraordinary in it but the meaning of these questions is, to know the circumstances, which have something peculiarly expressive of God’s providence, and make the questions proper in this place. Pliny observes, that the hind with young is by instinct directed to a certain herb, named seselis, which facilitates the birth. Thunder, also, which looks like the more immediate hand of Providence, has the same effect. Ps 29:9: “The VOICE of the Lord maketh the HINDS to CALVE.” See Dr. YOUNG. What is called the wild goat, yael, from alah, to ascend, go or mount up, is generally understood to be the ibex or mountain goat, called yael, from the wonderful manner in which it mounts to the tops of the highest rocks. It is certain, says Johnston, there is no crag of the mountains so high, prominent or steep, but this animal will mount it in a number of leaps, provided only it be rough, and have protuberances large enough to receive its hoofs in leaping. This animal is indigenous to Arabia, is of amazing strength and agility, and considerably larger than the common goat. Its horns are very long, and often bend back over the whole body of the animal; and it is said to throw itself from the tops of rocks or towers, and light upon its horns, without receiving any damage. It goes five months with young.
When the hinds do calve?] The hind is the female of the stag, or cervus elaphus, and goes eight months with young. They live to thirty-five or forty years. Incredible longevity has been attributed to some stags. One was taken by Charles VI., in the forest of Senlis, about whose neck was a collar with this inscription, Caesar hoc mihi donavit, which led some to believe that this animal had lived from the days of some one of the twelve Caesars, emperors of Rome.
I have seen the following form of this inscription: –
Tempore quo Caesar Roma dominatus in alta
Aureolo jussit collum signare monili;
Ne depascentem quisquis me gramina laedat.
Caesaris heu! caussa periturae parcere vitae!
Which has been long public in the old English ballad strain, thus: –
“When Julius Caesar reigned king,
About my neck he put this ring;
That whosoever should me take
Would save my life for Caesar’s sake.”
Aristotle mentions the longevity of the stag, but thinks it fabulous.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Knowest thou the time, that thou mayst then go to them, and afford them thy help in their hard work?
The wild goats of the rock; which dwell in high and steep rocks, where no man can come. See 1Sa 24:2; Psa 104:18.
Bring forth; which they do with great difficulty, as is implied, Psa 29:9, and noted by philosophers, wherein they have no assistance from men, but only from God.
When the hinds do calve; when God by his secret instinct directs them to a certain herb called seseli, which, as naturalists report, doth hasten and help forward their birth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. Even wild beasts, cut offfrom all care of man, are cared for by God at theirseasons of greatest need. Their instinct comes direct from God andguides them to help themselves in parturition; the very time when theherdsman is most anxious for his herds.
wild goatsibex(Psa 104:18; 1Sa 24:2).
hindsfawns; most timidand defenseless animals, yet cared for by God.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?…. Which creatures are so called, because they dwell among the rocks d 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 says e: 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, Ps 29:9; otherwise the time of their bringing forth in general is known by men, as will be observed in Job 39:2.
d “—-Amantis saxa capellae”. Ovid. Epist. 15. v. 55. e Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 53. Aelian. de Animal. l. 14. c. 16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1 Dost thou know the bearing time of the wild goats of the rock?
Observest thou the circles of the hinds?
2 Dost thou number the months which they fulfil,
And knowest thou the time of their bringing forth?
3 They bow down, they let their young break through,
They cast off their pains.
4 Their young ones gain strength, grow up in the desert,
They run away and do not return.
The strophe treats of the female chamois or steinbocks, ibices (perhaps including the certainly different kinds of chamois), and stags. The former are called , from , Arab. wl (a secondary formation from , Arab. la ), to mount, therefore: rock-climbers. is inf. Pil.: , comp. the Pul. Job 15:7. , to observe, exactly as Ecc 11:4; 1Sa 1:12; Zec 11:11. In Job 39:2 the question as to the expiration of the time of bearing is connected with that as to the time of bringing forth. , plene , as Job 14:16; ( littana , like = ) with an euphonic termination for , as Gen 42:36; Gen 21:29, and also out of pause, Rth 1:19, Ges. 91, 1, rem. 2. Instead of Olsh. wishes to read , but this (synon. ) would be: they let slip away; the former (synon. ): they cause to divide, i.e., to break through (comp. Arab. felah , the act of breaking through, freedom, prosperity). On , to kneel down as the posture of one in travail, vid., 1Sa 4:19. “They cast off their pains” is not meant of an easy working off of the after-pains (Hirz., Schlottm.), but signifies in this phrase, as Schultens has first shown, meton. directly the foetus, as Arab. habal , plur. ahbal , and , even of a child already grown up, as being the fruit of earlier travail, e.g., in Aeschylus, Agam. 1417f.; even the like phrase, = edere foetum , is found in Euripides, Ion 45. Thus born with ease, the young animals grow rapidly to maturity ( , pinguescere , pubescere , whence , a dream as the result of puberty, vid., Psychol. S. 282), grow in the desert ( , Targ. = , vid., i. 329, note), seek the plain, and return not again , sibi h. e. sui juris esse volentes (Schult.), although it might also signify ad eas , for the Hebr. is rather confused on the question of the distinction of gender, and even in and the masc. is used . We, however, prefer to interpret according to Job 6:19; Job 24:16. Moreover, Bochart is right: Non hic agitur de otiosa et mere speculativa cognitione, sed de ea cognitione, quae Deo propria est, qua res omnes non solum novit, sed et dirigit atque gubernat .
Man’s Ignorance of the Animal Creation; Description of the Wild Goat, Hind, Wild Ass, and Unicorn. B. C. 1520. 1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? 2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? 3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. 4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them. 5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? 6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. 7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. 8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing. 9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? 10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? 11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? 12 Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? God here shows Job what little acquaintance he had with the untamed creatures that run wild in the deserts and live at large, but are the care of the divine Providence. As, I. The wild goats and the hinds. That which is taken notice of concerning them is the bringing forth and bringing up of their young ones. For, as every individual is fed, so every species of animals is preserved, by the care of the divine Providence, and, for aught we know, none extinct to this day. Observe here, 1. Concerning the production of their young, (1.) Man is wholly ignorant of the time when they bring forth, Job 39:1; Job 39:2. Shall we pretend to tell what is in the womb of Providence, or what a day will bring forth, who know not the time of the pregnancy of a hind or a wild goat? (2.) Though they bring forth their young with a great deal of difficulty and sorrow, and have no assistance from man, yet, by the good providence of God, their young ones are safely produced, and their sorrows cast out and forgotten, v. 3. Some think it is intimated (Ps. xxix. 9) that God by thunder helps the hinds in calving. Let it be observed, for the comfort of women in labour, that God helps even the hinds to bring forth their young; and shall he not much more succour them, and save them in child-bearing, who are his children in covenant with him? 2. Concerning the growth of their young, (v. 4): They are in good liking; though they are brought forth in sorrow, after their dams have suckled them awhile they shift for themselves in the corn-fields, and are no more burdensome to them, which is an example to children, when they have grown up, not to be always hanging upon their parents and craving from them, but to put forth themselves to get their own livelihood and to requite their parents. II. The wild ass, a creature we frequently read of in Scripture, some say untameable. Man is said to be born as the wild ass’s colt, so hard to be governed. Two things Providence has allotted to the wild ass:– 1. An unbounded liberty (v. 5): Who but God has sent out the wild ass free? He has given a disposition to it, and therefore a dispensation for it. The tame ass is bound to labour; the wild ass has no bonds on him. Note, Freedom from service, and liberty to range at pleasure, are but the privileges of a wild ass. It is a pity that any of the children of men should covet such a liberty, or value themselves on it. It is better to labour and be good for something than ramble and be good for nothing. But if, among men, Providence sets some at liberty and suffers them to live at ease, while others are doomed to servitude, we must not marvel at the matter: it is so among the brute-creatures. 2. An unenclosed lodging (v. 6): Whose house I have made the wilderness, where he has room enough to traverse his ways, and snuff up the wind at his pleasure, as the wild ass is said to do (Jer. ii. 24), as if he had to live upon the air, for it is the barren land that is his dwelling. Observe, The tame ass, that labours, and is serviceable to man, has his master’s crib to go to both for shelter and food, and lives in a fruitful land: but the wild ass, that will have his liberty, must have it in a barren land. He that will not labour, let him not eat. He that will shall eat the labour of his hands, and have also to give to him that needs. Jacob, the shepherd, has good red pottage to spare, when Esau, a sportsman, is ready to perish for hunger. A further description of the liberty and livelihood of the wild ass we have, Job 39:7; Job 39:8. (1.) He has no owner, nor will he be in subjection: He scorns the multitude of the city. If they attempt to take him, and in order to that surround him with a multitude, he will soon get clear of them, and the crying of the driver is nothing to him. He laughs at those that live in the tumult and bustle of cities (so bishop Patrick), thinking himself happier in the wilderness; and opinion is the rate of things. (2.) Having no owner, he has no feeder, nor is any provision made for him, but he must shift for himself: The range of the mountains is his pasture, and a bare pasture it is; there he searches after here and there a green thing, as he can find it and pick it up; whereas the labouring asses have green things in plenty, without their searching for them. From the untameableness of this and other creatures we may infer how unfit we are to give law to Providence, who cannot give law even to a wild ass’s colt. III. The unicorn–rhem, a strong creature (Num. xxiii. 22), a stately proud creature, Ps. cxii. 10. He is able to serve, but not willing; and God here challenges Job to force him to it. Job expected every thing should be just as he would have it. “Since thou dost pretend” (says God) “to bring every thing beneath thy sway, begin with the unicorn, and try thy skill upon him. Now that thy oxen and asses are all gone, try whether he will be willing to serve thee in their stead (v. 9) and whether he will be content with the provision thou usedst to make for them: Will he abide by thy crib? No;” 1. “Thou canst not tame him, nor bind him with his band, nor set him to draw the harrow,” v. 10. There are creatures that are willing to serve man, that seem to take a pleasure in serving him, and to have a love for their masters; but there are such as will never be brought to serve him, which is the effect of sin. Man has revolted from his subjection to his Maker, and is therefore justly punished with the revolt of the inferior creatures from their subjection to him; and yet, as an instance of God’s good-will to man, there are some that are still serviceable to him. Though the wild bull (which some think is meant here by the unicorn) will not serve him, nor submit to his hand in the furrows, yet there are tame bullocks that will, and other animals that are not fer natur–of a wild nature, in whom man may have a property, for whom he provides, and to whose service he is entitled. Lord, what is man, that thou art thus mindful of him? 2. “Thou darest not trust him; though his strength is great, yet thou wilt not leave thy labour to him, as thou dost with thy asses or oxen, which a little child may lead or drive, leaving to them all the pains. Thou wilt never depend upon the wild bull, as likely to come to thy harvest-work, much less to go through it, to bring home thy seed and gather it into thy barn,” Job 39:11; Job 39:12. And, because he will not serve about the corn, he is not so well fed as the tame ox, whose mouth was not to be muzzled in treading out the corn; but therefore he will not draw the plough, because he that made him never designed him for it. A disposition to labour is as much the gift of God as an ability for it; and it is a great mercy if, where God gives strength for service, he gives a heart; it is what we should pray for, and reason ourselves into, which the brutes cannot do; for, as among beasts, so among men, those may justly be reckoned wild and abandoned to the deserts who have no mind either to take pains or to do good. JOB – CHAPTER 39
JEHOVAH’S ADDRESS TO JOB CONTINUED
Verses 1-30:
His Divine Care For All His Universe
Verse 1 asks Job if he is knowledgeable of the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth, give birth to their young. Or does he know when the wild hinds do give birth to their calves. Such are times when the herdsman is most concerned for his herd. The hind is the most timid and defenseless of calving, wild beasts; Yet the Lord cares for them, as well as for the sturdy wild mountain goats, which are His, Psa 104:18; 1Sa 24:2.
Verse 2 Inquires if Job knows or keeps up the number of months that the wild goats or wild hinds are pregnant, or when they are about to give birth to their young, like a shepherd or herdsman does with his domestic flocks and herds. No, Job did not know about or watch over these wild beasts, but the Lord does, is the idea. He causes these wild beasts to bring forth with ease, as He cares for them, even as He does for all wild creatures, not permitting the fall of a sparrow without His note of it, Mat 10:29; Luk 12:6-7.
Verses 3, 4 relate that these wild animals are objects of God’s continual compassionate care and protection and preservation. They bow or bend themselves on their knees and give birth with ease, 1Sa 4:19. And in a moment they bring forth their womb pains or sorrows in birth of the offspring, in “good liking” or good condition, strong. They grow up like corn that is in the field. They go forth and return not, foraging for their own survival, providing for themselves very young.
Verse 5 asks, just who has sent out the wild ass free? the wild ass of the woods? Or who has loosed (released) the bonds of the wild ass, given it liberty, freedom to roam wild? Man can rob animals of freedom, but he can not give them freedom. God has done this, subject to their submission to fixed laws, Job 6:5; Job 11:12; Job 24:5; Jer 2:24.
Verse 6 recounts Jehovah’s declaration that it was He who had made the wilderness a house, residence, or dwelling place, on the barren land for the wild mountain goat and the hind. For He cares for His own creation, Job 24:5; Jer 2:24; Hos 8:9; Psa 107:34.
Verses 7, 8 assert that he (the goat and the hind) scorns the multitude of the city and does not regard care for the voice of the driver of the domesticated ass. Both of these wild animals defy being driven, fenced in by men. The wild ass is now numbered as a beast of an uncontrolled freedom, respected by Persian Kings of the East for their free spirit. The range of the Mountains is his pasture or foraging place for his food. And he (the mountain goat and the hind) searches after every kind of green thing, to bind his necessary food, that God has provided him, Job 40:15; Job 40:20; Job 40:22; Gen 1:29-30; Psa 104:27-28; Psa 145:15-16.
Verses 9, 10 ask four questions of Job, about the unicorn, either the wild ox, buffalo, or the rhinoceros, an untamable beast, in contrast with the ox which may be tamed to plow, Num 23:22; Deu 33:17; Psa 22:21. The questions are 1) Would the unicorn be willing to serve Job? or 2) to stay near his crib to be fed? Spend the night there? 3) Could Job find or harness him to plow the furrow? or 4) harrow the valleys? Isa 1:3.
Verses 11, 12 continue Jehovah’s rhetoric-like questions to Job about the wild unicorn: He would not trust him, because of his great untamable strength or leave his labor (rustic work) for him to do, would he? You would not trust him, to bring his seed, or haul home his produce, all the way to the barn threshing floor or storing place, would he? 1Sa 8:15; Pro 3:10.
Verse 13 continues Jehovah’s inquiry of Job’s knowledge of the wild fowls. He has not given the goodly wings of feathered beauty to the peacock or the strong wings to the ostrich, has He? It was the peacock among the rarities imported from afar, perhaps from India, by Solomon, 1Kg 10:22; See also Isa 13:21.
Verses 14-18 describe the ostrich as a huge, dumb, stupid fowl that … v.14 leaves her eggs (lays them) in the earth and warms them in the dust, burying them near one foot in the ground, Deu 22:6; Isa 10:14-16; and, v.15 adds she forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them, eat them for food, those she deliberately leaves to feed her young, preserving their early lives, which makes her seem not quite so stupid. V. 16 states that she is hardened against her young ones, as if they were not her own, will leave them, at the slightest noise. Her labor is in vain, as they are destroyed; She seems to have no fear or remorse, as other birds, Lev 26:29; Deu 28:52-57; Deuteronomy 1 Kg 3:26, 27; Psa 103:13; Isa 49:15; Jer 19:9; La 4:3; Eze 5:10; Mat 7:11; Rom 1:31.
Verse 17 states that God has deprived her of wisdom and has not given her understanding, as other creatures, by His own sovereign will, Deu 2:30; 2Ch 32:31; Isa 19:11; Isa 19:14; Isa 57:17. Arabs use the phrase “Foolish as an ostrich,” till today. Yet God designs to care for the ostrich. Shall He not also for men, even under afflictions, like ?Job Verse18 asserts that when she lifts up her wings on high, as if to fly, she scorns the horse and rider, by out-running them.
Verse 19 inquires of Job, you have not given the horse his strength or clothed his neck with thunder, the heavy mane, have you? Horses are not mentioned among job’s possessions. It is believed they were primarily then used for war purposes. And Job was not a man of war, Deu 17:16; Psa 32:9; Psa 147:10.
Verse 20 asks if Job can make the horse afraid or to jump like a grasshopper, as God could the grasshopper or locust. They are mentioned with the locusts, Joe 2:4. The glory of the horse is said to be in his nostrils as he snorts furiously, Jer 8:16.
Verse 21 relates that the horse “paws in the valley,” rejoicing in his strength, from which he goes forward furiously into battle, with flaming nostrils and lifted mane, Num 1:3; Zec 10:3; Jer 8:6; Pro 21:31.
Verse 22 states that the horse makes a mockery of fear, and is not frightened, neither will he turn to run from the sword, in the midst of battle.
Verse 23 declares that the quivers that sheath the arrows rattle against him, while the glittering of the flashing spear, flashes like lightning, yet he carries his rider forward in battle, fiercely, yet without any cowing fear, Gen 27:3; Psa 127:5; Jos 8:18.
Verse 24 declares also that the war-horse swallows the ground digging in his hoofs to support the rider and dashes on in battle with fierceness and rage. He will not stand still for the sound of the trumpet, when the note of the trumpet sounds, so ready is he for battle, till death, Num 10:9; Eze 33:3.
Verse 25 relates that the horse saith (neighs) among the sounding of the battle-cry trumpets, showing his love for battle. He sniffeth, smells or discerns preparation for the encounter from afar, a long way off. The thundering voice of the captain and the shouting of the soldiers key him for battle encounters, he discerns, Isa 11:3; Jos 6:5.
Verses 26, 27 recount Jehovah’s further inquiry of Job whether or not the hawks fly by his wisdom or spread her wings toward the south? Did Job cause the hawk to have the migratory instinct to go south, to a warmer climate, as the cold came down? Lev 11:16. And did the eagle mount up, soar very high, above all other birds, as the bird of heaven, and make her nest on high, high peaks and places, at the command, mandate, or direction of Job? Exo 19:4; Jer 49:16; Oba 1:4.
Verse 28 declares that she dwells, resides, or abides on the rock, the crag, too in or high point of the rock, securely from which she surveys the earth and dashes to seize her prey below.
Verse 29 adds that from that high crag she seeks the prey; Her “eyes behold afar off.” By sight, rather than smell, the eagle is able to detect movement of its prey on land, in the air, or near the surface of the water for a long distance away. The proverb is thus “sharp as an eagle’s eye.” Spotting her prey from far in the sky, the eagle can descend almost like a bullet to seize the prey, Job 9:26.
Verse 30,concludes that her young ones (young eagles) suck up blood from the fresh-killed prey, either on the spot of the kill or where the mother eagle carries it nearby; Where the slain is, there is the mother eagle, standing sentinel guard over her trophy of prey; This was partly quoted of our lord, also alluding to the vulture, Mat 24:28.
Notes
Job. 39:13. Gatest thou the goodly wings unto the peacock, or wings and feathers into the ostrich? (MARGIN: The feathers of the stork and ostrich.) The whole verse very variously rendered. In the first member, instead of the peacock, the term (renanim) is more correctly translated ostriches, being derived from (ranan) to sing, or utter a shrill sound, and applied to the ostrich from its shrill nocturnal cry. SO BOCHART, SCHULTENS, GESENIUS, and others. Other reasons given for this translation:
(1) The authority of Jerome; (3) The alacrity of the ostrich depending all on its wings; The rendering of the second member of the verse ( im ebhrah hasidhah ve-nolsah) equally various. According to GESENIUS, (ebhrah) from the unused Root (abhar), probably to be strong, able to mount aloft; a pinion or strong feather: distinguished from (canaph) a wing, and (natsah) a common feather. PISCATOR, and some earlier interpreters, make the word, which is elsewhere a feather, to be here an ostrich. The SEPTUAGINT leaves the words and untranslated. The VULGATE has: [the wing of the ostrich is extolled] like the wing of the heron and the hawk; reading as if or SYRIAC and ARABIC: It flies, and comes, and builds its nest. COPTIC: If the stork and ostrich could comprehend it; which seems to be as destitute of meaning as the Septuagint itself. COVERDALE: [Fairer] than the wings of the sparrow-hawk. LUTHER: Than the wings and feathers of the stork. MARTIN (French): Or to the ostrich [gavest thou] the wings and the feathers? DIODATI (Italian): Has the ostrich its feathers and plumage from thee? MERCER, VATABLUS, and PAGNINUS: Is the wing of the stork and its feathers so? i.e., is it joyful or a cause of pleasure? or, has the stork such a wing and plumage? or, is it from thee? MUNSTER: Or hast thou given wings and plumage to the stork? SCULTETUS: Or the wing of the stork and ostrich? GROTLUS, PISCATOR, JUNIUS, and TREMELLIUS: Or feathers to the stork and ostrich? COCCEIUS: Or if you wish a larger wing, that of the stork and ostrich. CASTALIO, including the preceding member: Which are more noble, the wing of the ostrich, or the feathers and plumage of the stork? So OSIANDER: Are the wings of the ostrich more elegant than the wing and feather of the stork? TIGURINE version: The wing of the ostrich bears the palm, if you compare with it the wing or feather of the stork. BOCHART: [The wing of the ostrich exults]; verily the wing of the stork and the feathers; i.e., which are verily a wing and plumage as is in the stork; or, the wings, I say, of the stork? being understood as in Gen. 19:9; the ostrich being not so much a bird as a beast; whence the Arab proverb: The ostrich is neither bird nor camel; and its name among the Persians, the camel-bird, as resembling a camel in its neck, height and walk, and a bird in its bill and feathers. SIMON: Does it resemble the tail and feathers of the stork? SCHULTENS: Is its wing and plumage an affectionate one? with allusion to the stork. HUFNAGEL and MICHAELIS: The ostrich flies like the stork and the hawk. DODERLEIN: With the feathers of the stork and the hawk. STOCK: Hath her affection taken wings and flown away? PARKHURSIS But is it the wing of the stork and it: plumage? STICKEL: Is it the stork-like, affectionate, pinions and feathers? EWALD: Is it a pious pinion and plumage? being interrogative. DE WETTE: Is his wing also affectionate, and his plumage? SCOTT: Is it the pinion and feathers of the stork?not like the stork, providing for the security of its young. UMBREIT: Is it not like the quill and feathers of the pious bird the stork?is it like the pious bird? surely not. NOYES: But is it with loving pinion and feathers? CAREY: Is the feather and plumage that of the stork? BARNES: Has it the wing and plumage of the stork?flying without being endowed with the wings of the stork, and contrasted in its habits with those of that bird. BOOTHROYD: Her pinions and feathers as those of the stork. COLEMAN: Truly they have goodly pinions and plumage. FRY: Or is the swollen pinion and plumage from thee? LEE: Or are her choice feathers and head-plumage from thee? GOOD and WEMYSS: But the wings of the stork and the falcon are for flight. ROSENMULLER: Truly its wing and plumage is like that of the stork. ZOCKLER: Though, is it a pious pinion and plumage?
JEHOVAHS ADDRESS CONTINUED
Continuation of the questioning. Job now pointed to the animal creation; the passage from inanimate to animated nature having been made at the 39th verse of the previous chapter, instead of the beginning of this. Specimens or representatives of the various great classes of animals adducedfirst beasts, then birds, then the inhabitants of the water, or of both land and water. The animals referred to mostly those of the wild class, or in a wild state, rather than domestic or domesticated ones. Exhibited for the most part in their native character as coming from the hand of their Creator. The animals selected distinguished for some special property, habit, or instinct, as indicative of the Creators power in making, and His Providence in caring for them. The object of the references to reprove and humble Job, by reminding him of the greatness, majesty, sovereignty, power, wisdom, and goodness of Him whose providential dealings he had been tempted to arraign. Many things in connection with the lower animals mysterious and incomprehensible to man; why not in connection with man himself? The manifestation of Divine power in the animal creation, as well as of Divine wisdom and goodness in providing for, sustaining, preserving, and governing the various tribes of living creatures, a sufficient argument to silence all objections and murmurs as to the justice of His providential dealings.
The appeal here made by Jehovah to animated nature an indication of mans duty, as far as he has opportunity, to observe and make himself acquainted with the structure and habits of the lower animals. The visible, and especially the animal creation, moreover, to be observed and studied as works of God, and as expressive of His attributes and perfections, both as its Creator and Governor. Man always and everywhere surrounded with memorials and lessons of Gods character and providence. The works of nature, both animate and inanimate, intended by their Creator to be so observed and studied by men, that He may derive praise, and they both pleasure and profit. The language of an eminent philosopher (Sedgwick) as true of natural history as of the Newtonian philosophy: A study affecting our moral powers and capabilities; teaches us to see the finger of God in all things, animate and inanimate, and gives us an exalted conception of His attributes, placing before us the clearest proofs of their reality; and so prepares, or ought to prepare, the mind for the reception of that higher illumination which brings the rebellious faculties into obedience to the Divine will. Constant reference in Scripture to the animal creation as illustrative of Gods character and mans duty. Nature, or creationGods own Bookever open to our view. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider the ravens; Behold the lilies of the field,recorded specimens of Divine teaching.
The reference here made to the various animals, such as to indicate the pleasure and satisfaction with which the Almighty contemplates the visible works of His hand. In accordance with the Mosaic narrative, God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (Gen. 1:31). The Lord shall rejoice in His works (Psa. 104:31). A sufficient reason why man should rejoice in them. The better a man is acquainted with Gods works in general, and with the animal creation in particular, the greater the pleasure he will derive from them. After the lion and the raven, Job is pointed to
1. The Wild Goat or Ibex. Job. 39:1.Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? The wild goat, probably the animal known among naturalists as the Ibexthe Bedin of the Arabsa bold and powerful animal, armed with two huge sweeping horns, curving over its back and often three feet long. Inhabits the most elevated summits of the highest mountain ranges in the whole eastern continent. Stands two feet six or eight inches in height, and is extremely active and vigorous. Vigilant and wary, it only descends during the night to pasture in the woods, repairing again at sunrise to the bleak mountain summits. Its chase very arduous; the animal leading its pursuer, unless he can steal upon it unawares with his rifle, a dangerous track over steep and rugged mountain pinnacles, along the brink of precipices, and over fearful chasms; and when at last, hard pressed, often turning upon its foe with impetuous rapidity, and hurling him down the steep rocks. Its favourite haunts in Europe the Alps, the Apennines, the Pyrenees, and the Tyrolese mountains. Doubtful whether it or the Paseng of the Caucasus and of Persia (the Capra gagra of Cuvier), is the original stock of our domestic goat. The wild goat referred to as being so far beyond mans power to manage it, or even become familiarly acquainted with its habits. The knowledge intended probably not simply that of mere acquaintance, but of care. Knowest thou, &c., so as to attend to, watch over, &c. Certain animals so constituted that man may both become easily and thoroughly acquainted with them and their habits, and be able to attend to their wants and aid them in their emergencies. The case with others the reverse. The shepherd knows the time when his ewes are to lamb: but who knows the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Hence, observe
(1) A proof of the Creators care over the animal creation. With no human eye to observe the wild goats, and no shepherds hand to aid them, Gods eye marks and His hand helps them in their greatest difficulties.
(2) A lesson of humility and modesty. Man ignorant of the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth; how then shall he be able to fathom the designs and understand the reasons of God in His providential dealings? What presumption for a creature of so limited knowledge, even of the humbler works of God, to question the wisdom and justice of His moral government!
(3.) A comfort for Gods tried people. Even the wild goats of the rock have their time of parturition assigned them by their Creator. That time known, marked, and attended to by Him. How much more everything connected with His intelligent offspring, and most of all with those who love and fear Him! If God so watches over and cares for the wild goat, will He not much more watch over and care for you?
2. The Hind, or Female Slag or Antelope. Job. 39:1-4.Canst thou mark (or watch) when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months that they fulfil (knowing the period of their gestation, and waiting like the shepherd in regard to his ewes, till they bring forth their fawns)? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? They how themselves (or go down on their knees in their labour), they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows (put forth their young which occasion their pains). Their young ones are in good liking (sleek and in good condition); they grow up with corn (or, in the desert or open country); they go forth (to obtain food for themselves), and return not again unto them (viz., to the hinds, their mothers). The animal more especially alluded to doubtless the gazelle, or Arabian antelope. Formerly numerous in Syria and Arabia. Seen in large herds, bounding over the plain with amazing fleetness. Resemble the stags in the lightness of their figure and the swiftness of their course. In Africa, the usual prey of the lion and the panther. Remarkable for their timidity, as well as for their elegance and beauty; especially for the soft expression of their large, dark, lustrous eyes. The hind or female referred to is, like the ibex, an animal beyond human care and attention, but observed and provided for by its Creator. The providence of God noted in not only delivering the mother in her pangs, but in caring for her offspring. Without either man or mother to attend to its wants, the young fawn, under the care of its Creator, grows up sleek and well-conditioned. Observe
(1.) The tenderness of the Creators care. Indicated by the special reference to the animals labourthe time of its maternal sorrows. Its labour said to be naturally with difficulty and pain. The animal, however, said to be taught by the instinct given to it, to employ an herb called Siselis in order to facilitate the birth.
(2.) Comfort to suffering believers. The Creator not indifferent to the pangs of the hind. Will He be indifferent to the sorrows and pains of His intelligent creatures, made after His own image, and especially of His own redeemed and adopted children? If He attends to the labour of the irrational creatures, and marks the time when it takes place, is anything connected with His own children beyond his observation and regard?
(3.) Humbling, that while the Creator makes the sufferings of such creatures the object of his care, man should occasion them in the prosecution of his sport. Touching picture, drawn by the greatest of uninspired poets, of a dying stag shot by the hunter:
The wretched animal heavd forth such groans 3. The Wild Ass. Job. 39:5-8.Who hath sent out the wild ass free (unrestrained to roam at large)? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass (a different name in the original text from the former; that employed more in Palestine, this in Chaldea; both indicative of a rapid flight; the latter, perhaps, also of the animals noise in braying)? Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land (Marg., salt places) his dwellings (or haunts). He scorneth the multitude (or din) of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver (or officer compelling to public servicethe animal enjoying his liberty in the desert, and defying all attempts to subdue and domesticate him). The range of the mountains is his pasture (or he searches or roams the mountains as his pasture), and he searcheth out every green thing (as rare in the desert, his proper habitation). The wild ass, an animal met with in great numbers in Arabia Petra. According to the Arabs, perfectly untamable. In fleetness equal to the gazelle; to overtake it a feat which only one or two of the most celebrated mares have been known to accomplish. Its food the saltest plants of the desert. In the East, the symbol of uncontrolled freedom. Its name assumed by Persian kings. The wild independence of Ishmael and his descendants (the Bedouin Arabs) indicated by the same figure: He will be a wild (Heb., wild ass) man (Gen. 16:12). A picture also of the wayward and self-willed (ch Job. 11:12; Jer. 2:24; Hos. 8:9). The wild ass here selected by the Almighty on account of its natural freedom from restraint and its wild enjoyment of its desert haunts. Referred to in order to show
(1) The Creators sovereignly, in not only making some species of animals naturally wild and others tame, but making a similar difference in the same species.
(2) The Almightys power over animated nature.
(3) His universally extended providence. The wild ass, though beyond mans power to overtake or capture, yet only one of the innumerable objects of Jehovahs care. Its freedom and wildness given by Him. Its abode in the wilderness appointed by Him. The salt plants of the desert given by Him for its support. Hence observe
(1) Man himself entirely in the Almightys hands.
(2) Jehovahs right to dispose of His creatures as He sees good. The potter has power over the clay to make out of the same mass vessels of various kinds and for various purposes (Jer. 18:6; Rom. 9:21)
(3) Man, unable to give law to the wild ass, how much less to His Maker?(Henry).
(4) God, who has the wild ass entirely under His control, can easily subdue the wildest and most wayward human spirit. (6) Mans true liberty, not that of the wild ass,an unrestrained independence; but to be under willing, intelligent and loving subjection to his Makers laws. The liberty of a child of God not to be without law to God, but under the law to Christ (1Co. 9:21). The true liberty that with which Christ makes his people free (Gal. 5:1). His yoke easy, and his burden light (Mat. 11:30).
4. The Unicorn. Job. 39:9-12.Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib (or, spend the night at thy stall, like an ox or other domesticanimal)? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow (guide him with a rope or rein in ploughing thy field)? or will he harrow the valleys (or low grounds, especially suited for tillage) after thee (after thy direction and following thy steps like the quiet ox,the husbandman going before the harrow, though behind the plough)? Wilt thou trust him (have confidence in him as an animal helpful in the labour of the fields) because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him (thy grain, the fruit of thy labour,to watch it by night while remaining on the threshing floor)? Wilt thou believe him that he will bring home thy seed (or grain, from the field after being reaped or threshed, like an ox yoked in the waggon), and gather it into thy barn (or granary)?
The animal here intended apparently one of the ox kind, probably the wild ox or oryx (aurochs),the urus of the ancients, generally but erroneously considered as the wild stock of our horned cattle. A savage animal that has now taken refuge in the great marshy forests of Lithunia, the Krapacs, and the Caucasus; but which formerly inhabited all the temperate parts of Europe. The largest quadruped proper to Europe(Cuvier). The animal subdued with difficulty. Extremely powerful: hence the reference in the text. Probably the strong bulls of Bashan (Psa. 22:12). Once roamed freely in the forests of Palestine. Large herds of them still in the region beyond Jordan. Often mentioned by Arabian poets. Its two horns include a space of ten feet from tip to tip. The animal thought, however, by some to be a species of antelope with two horns, formerly abundant in Egypt and the south-west of Asia; described by Aristotle as one-horned, and appearing on the Egyptian monuments sometimes with one and sometimes with two horns. By others, the unicorn, or reem, thought to be the rhinocerus, one species of whichthe rhinoceros of Indiahas only one horn. This well-known animal also one of enormous strength, being scarcely less in size than the elephant. That of India, sluggish in his movements, and wandering through his native plains with a heavy step. At certain times very dangerous, impetuously attacking every animal that attracts his notice. The African rhinocerus has a double horn, the principal one rising about nine or ten inches above the nose, and inclining backwards; the other immediately behind it, a short thick one. The Hebrew name (reem) generally translated in our English Bible the unicorn, or one-horned. The animal, however, apparently spoken of as having two horns (Num. 23:8; Deu. 33:17; Psa. 22:21.) Frequently mentioned in Scripture as distinguished for its strength. The reem of the Arabs an animal with two horns. The name apparently significant of its loftiness and power. The unicorn of heraldry long thought a merely fabulous animal. Its existence, however, now contended for by some, who allege ancient and modern eye-witnesses of it. Its figurea head like a horse, cloven feet, the tail of a boar, and one horn in the forehead. The representation of such an animal found among the ruins of Perscpolis.
The animal referred to in the text as one of huge strength, but beyond the power of man to render it serviceable to him in the works of the field. Fitted by its physical structure and great strength, to be employed like the ox or ass in agricultural pursuits; but, from its intractable disposition, not to be subjugated by man for that purpose. The reference intended by the Almighty to remind Job of his own littleness and the power of his Creator. Observe
(1) A lesson of humility and modesty for man. If unable to bind and bring into his service an animal like the reem, how should he be able to contend with his Maker? If unable to rule a mere creature, how unfit to question the dealings of his Creator!
(2) The effect of sin. The animals originally designed to serve man. Dominion over them given him by the Creator (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 1:28; Psa. 8:6). That dominion forfeited by the Fall.
(3) The Divine sovereignty. Some animals apparently such as by nature to be more useful and serviceable to man than others. Gods reasons for endowing the animals with their various properties unknown to us. Mysteries in creation; no wonder if we find similar mysteries in providence.
5. The Ostrich. Job. 39:13-18.Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? (Marg., the feathers of the stork and ostrich? Or the whole verse may read thus: The wing of the ostriches moveth gaily: but is it the wing and feathers of the stork?a bird remarkable for maternal affection, of which the ostrich appears to be so deficient). Which (or because, since) she leaveth (or, deposits) her eggs in the ground, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them (in the exposed place where she lays them). She is hardened (or acts hardly) against her young ones, as though they were not hers (or, for those which are not her own): her labour (in preparing her nest, and sitting on her eggs) is in vain, without fear (she being without solicitude for the preservation of her young). Because God hath deprived her (or, made her forgetful) of wisdom (the prudence necessary for preserving her young), neither hath he imparted unto her understanding (such, or so much as he has implanted in the animals in general, usually called instinct). What time she lifteth up (or rouseth) herself on high (erecting her head and body as well as her wings, the latter being used to aid her in running rather than flying), she scorneth the horse and his rider (when pursuing her in the chase).
The ostrich referred to as an animal generally regarded as deficient in natural forethought, especially in reference to the perservation of her young (Lam. 4:3), while endowed with extraordinary speed, so as to be able to secure her own safety by flight. One of the two known species (the struthio camelus) abounds in the sandy deserts of Arabia and Africa. This the ostrich mentioned here and elsewhere in the Bible. Attains the height of eight feet. So swift that no animal is able to overtake it. The wings white and black, not unlike those of the stork; furnished with the well-known loose and flexible, elegant and slender-stemmed feathers; and sufficiently long to increase the animals speed in running, serving both for sail and oar. Being found in hot countries, the ostrich is content to lay its eggs, from thirty to fifty at a time, each weighing nearly three pounds, about a foot below the surface in the sand. Outside the tropics, however, she is said to brood over her eggs with great care, and courageously to defend her young. From the animals known neglect of her young in Arabia, it is designated by the Arabs the impious bird, as in contrast with the stork, which is called the pious one. Said to hatch her eggs only for a time, and to leave them frequently during the day at the least noise, going to a great distance and sometimes never returning to them. Plays and frisks about on all occasions, moving her wings gaily, and would be always fanning and hiding herself with them. Her eggs left exposed to the view of the traveller and the foot of the wild beasts that frequent the desert. Often addled before she returns from her long absence in search for food. Sometimes, during her absence, found sitting on the eggs of another bird. Its sense of taste so obtuse that it swallows rags, leather, &c., and even pebbles and pieces of metal. The bird proverbially stupid. More foolish than an ostrich, an Arab proverb. Its speed calculated by Dr. Livingstone to be about twenty-six miles an hour. The stride of one in the Sahara found to be from twenty-two to twenty-eight feet.
The peacockprobably not intended in the verse. The word so rendered, quite different from that in 1Ki. 10:22. Literally, denotes singing ones, and probably given to characterize the ostrich, distinguished for its cries. The peacock distinguished not so much for the beauty of its wings as of its tail. Originally brought from India. First known in Palestine and Arabia in the time of Solomon, who imported it into his kingdom. Introduced into Europe by Alexander the Great. Its magnificent plumage, most splendid in a wild state, like the flowers of the field,indicative of the Creators pleasure in the beautiful, and of the beauty residing in Himself. In the peacock, the beauty apparently not accompanied with other excellencies.
From the whole section, observe
(1) Gods providential care of His creatures. Provides for the young of the ostrich even when the care and affection of the parent fail.
(2) His sovereignty in the endowments of His creatures. Instinctive care for the preservation of offspring strong in the animals in general; weak in the ostrich. Wisdom and understandingwhether in the lower form as in the brute creation, or in the higher, as in manthe gift of God. Its degrees in both cases according to His own pleasure. The ostrich endowed with remarkable speed, but with little sense. The stork, with much humbler plumage, yet gifted with much greater natural affection. An example related of two which had built their nest on the roof of a house in Delft, a town of Holland, and which, when the house was on fire, first endeavoured to carry off all their young, and when unable to do this, kept flapping their wings over them as if to cool the air; and at last, as the flames drew nearer, sat down over the nest to die with them.
(3) The various endowments of animals designed for mans instruction. Intended to teach man both concerning God and himself. Some of those endowments designed for mans imitation; others the reverse. The stork an example to parents in regard to their children; the ostrich a warning. Indifference and neglect in regard to those committed to our care monstrous even in irrational creatures: much more so in man. Like the labour of the ostrich, that of parents and teachers often in vain, from the want of fear and solicitude for the preservation of those for whom they have laboured. Those most likely to lose their labour who have least fear of losing it. While men sleep, the enemy sows his tares. Such solicitude especially needful in the case of children leaving the parental roof. Watchful care always necessary to guard the young against the influence of evil company, and the dangers incident from an ungodly world. Prayerful solicitude constantly required on behalf of those for whose spiritual benefit we have laboured, and in whom have appeared the beginnings of grace. Early grace watched over by God, but not therefore the less to be watched over by man.
6. The Horse. Job. 39:19-25.Hast thou given the horse strength (or courage, or rather both combined)? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder (with the terror of his neighings; or, with lofty quivering manethe indistinctness of the figure heightening its sublimity)? Canst, thou make him afraid as a grasshopper (or, bound like a locust)? The glory of his nostrils (or neighings) is terrible (or, a terrormore especially to the Hebrews, little acquainted with war-horses, Jer. 8:16). He paweth in the valley (or plainusually selected for the battle-field where cavalry were to be employed); and rejoiceth in his strength. He goeth on to meet the armed men (or, boldly he advanced against the weapons). He mocketh at fear (what would cause fear in others), and is not affrighted (by all the terrors of the battle-field); neither turneth he back from the [face or presence of] of the sword. The quiver (or its contents, the arrows) rattleth against (or upon) him: the glittering spear and the shield (or, the flash of the spear and the lance). He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage (in his impetuous eagerness for the fight): neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet (or, standeth still when there is the sound of the trumpet). He saith among (or at the blast of) the trumpets, Ha, ha: and he smelleth the battle afar offthe thunder of the captains (animating the hosts to the fight), and the shouting (of the warriors).
The reference to the horse apparently suggested by the mention made at the close of the preceding paragraph, of the horse and his rider. The war-horse here especially referred to. The description acknowledged to be unequalled anywhere for sublimity. Sufficient in itself to place the writer among the first of poets. The war-horse referred to as an example of courage and noble bearing. The reference intended to impress Job with the majesty of Him whose creature this noble and courageous animal is.
The horse exhibited in the text as the noblest specimen among inferior animals. Those of Arabia and Egypt especially famous. The horse believed to exist in Arabia, the home of the patriarch, in a finer condition than in any other country. Still the chief treasure of the Bedawin Arab. Formerly many of them in a wild state in the Arabian deserts; only caught in pits, and then subjugated through hunger and fatigue. Believed by the Arabs to be endowed with a nature superior to that of other animals, and to be next to man himself. At first employed by fallen man chiefly in war, yoked to a chariot in which the warrior stood. The carliest mention of them in connection with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exo. 14:6-9). Probably employed in Egypt and elsewhere on state occasions (Gen. 41:43). Used also early in the chase, apparently intended in Job. 39:18. Among Egyptian monuments, only one of a horse and its rider, and that comparatively recent. Horses mentioned among the valuable possessions of Solomon brought up by him from Egypt. Among the ancient Assyrians used indiscriminately for war and hunting. Israel spoken of by Jehovah as His goodly horse in the battle; as endowed by Him with strength and courage, and employed for the conquest of heathen adversaries (Zec. 10:3). The horse, as distinguished for its beauty as well as its strength and courage, employed as a simile for the Church of Christ under the figure of a beautiful woman (Son. 1:9). Elsewhere noticed in Scripture for his strength and eagerness for the battle (Psa. 147:10; Jer. 8:6), Yet a vain thing for safety (Psa. 33:17).
From the description of the war-horse observe
(1) The example of the Almighty in contemplating and admiring the works of His hand. God represented as rejoicing in His works, whether the feathers of the ostrich or the spirit of the war-horse, the intelligence of a seraph or the piety of a man. A refined pleasure in contemplating and admiring the works of God; a Divine pleasure in contemplating them as such. Gods example to be imitated by His intelligent children.
(2) An example exhibited in the war-horse, of courage and fearlessness in the discharge of duty and in the service of our Divine Master (See again Zec. 10:3; Son. 1:9). The courage and impetuosity of the war-horse too often imitated in a contrary direction (Jer. 8:6). Man capable of being employed as Satans war-horse as well as Jesus Christs. The latter his glory and felicity; the former his disgrace and ruin.
(3) The war-horse, in some respects, a faint reflection of his Makers excellence. Who would set the briars and thorns against Me in battle? (Isa. 27:4). All creature excellence only a shadow of the infinite and uncreated excellence of the Creator. All endowments and excellencies found in the creature intended to lead the thoughts to the Creator as the source and sum of all excellence.
(4) Mystery connected with all Gods works. The horse, the noblest of Gods irrational creatures, yet here admired by his Maker as displaying his excellence in what cannot but be regarded as, in many respects, Satans work. The battle-field, usually the theatre of evil passions, and the delight of the enemy of God and man. Sin, the origin of all strife and warfare; yet war and battle not always sinful. Sometimes mans duty, and commanded by God. In some respects, the battle is the Lords. The Lord of hosts mustereth the hosts for the battle. Nebuchadnezzar Gods servant in his war against Tyre (Eze. 29:17-20. War employed by God as His own terrible instrument in His government of the world. Gods glory in overruling mans sin and Satans malice to his own praise and the welfare of the universe. Napoleon and his battles, Gods scourge for the benefit of Europe and the world. Yet on the field of Waterloo, those terrible grey horses a terror to him who had been the terror of the nations. I have created the waster to destroy. A prospective use in many of Gods creatures. The creature made subject to vanity through Adams fall. The time to come when the creature, groaning and travailing in pain until now through mans sin, shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom. 8:20-22). The day hastening on, when the noble horse shall find other employment than rushing with its rider into the din of the battle, and careering among garments rolled in blood. The promise in connection with Christs kingdom to be fulfilled: They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. (Isa. 2:4; Psa. 46:9). The last inspired mention of the war-horse, and perhaps the last use of him as such, made in connection with the battle of the great day of God Almighty, in the place called in the Hebrew tongue Amageddon; and with the symbolical appearance of the Faithful and True witness upon a white horse, clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, in righteousness judging and making war as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and followed by the armies of heaven; these also upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 16:14-16; Rev. 19:11-14; Rev. 19:18-21.
7. The Hawk. Job. 39:26.Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings towards the south? The reference to birds of prey and those feeding on carrion probably suggested by the battle-field mentioned in the previous section. The hawk, or falcon, selected as a specimen and representative of the feathered tribe, from the rapidity of its flight, and perhaps also from its being migratory in its habits. Birds of the hawk order (accipitres), placed by naturalists highest in the list, including not only hawks and falcons, but eagles and vultures. Are among birds what the lion and other carnivorous animals are among quadrupeds. Known by their talons and hooked beaks, by which they seize and devour other birds and even the weaker quadrupeds and reptiles. Plumage dense and quills strong, giving them great power on the wing, and enabling them to pursue or pounce at once upon their prey. Perhaps the name in the text one of a generic kind, including all such birds of prey. Falcons, with naturalists, the second and by far the most numerous division of those predaceous birds that pursue their prey in the daytime. The greater number prey on living animals. The falcon proper, the most courageous bird in proportion to its size.Two things in the text referred to as indicative of the wisdom of God in relation to the hawk:
First: Its FlightDoth the hawk fly by thy wisdom? The hawk mentioned by Homer as the swiftest of birds. The rapidity with which the hawk and many other birds occasionally fly, probably not less than at the rate of 150 miles an hour. A falcon escaping from Fontainbleau, in France, found to have reached Malta, 1350 miles distant, after twenty-four hours. The common falcon formerly employed in hunting, chiefly from its rapid flight. Builds her nest in the most elevated and inaccessible cliffs, whence she darts down with rapid wing upon her prey, descried at a distance. An inhabitant of northern latitudes, whence her flight towards the South.
Second: Its Migration.Stretcheth her wings towards the south,as if for a warmer climate. Many animals, unfit to provide against the vicissitude of the seasons by varying the quantity or colour of their dress, enabled by the providence of God to protect themselves by shifting their quarters, so as to live throughout the whole year in a temperature suited to their constitution, and at the same time to obtain an abundant supply of food. The migration of birds an object of observation from an early period. The stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow observe the time of their coming (Jer. 8:7). Birds of passage not confined to any particular order or tribe; nor distinguished by similarity in habits or kind of food. Some birds stationary in one district, migratory in another.
Observe
(1) The wisdom of God in adapting birds for flight. The general form of the body of birds, one best calculated for gliding with the last resistance through the air. Everything in its structure contrived to give it lightness. The horny materials of the feathers formed into hollow cylinders, exceedingly strong when compared with their weight. A similar shape given to the cylindrical bones, which are fashioned into tubes, with dense but thin sides; most of the other bones likewise made hollow, but containing only air. The neck exceedingly long and flexible, to enable the bird in flying exactly to balance itself, by bringing the centre of gravity precisely to the proper point. The feathers of the bird a marvellous contrivance. Made to consist of three partsthe quill, the shaft, and the vane. A mould made for every feather, in what may be called a feather manufactory. This manufactory not merely in action once during the life of the bird, but at every time of moultinggenerally once a year. The feather remarkable for its strength as well as its lightness. The vane of the feather so disposed that the impulse of the air occurs first where the feather does not yield. The wing adapted for flight by its striking the air below it with a certain force, and so causing a reaction of the air upwards exactly equal to it, the bird rising or sinking as the force of the stroke is greater or less than its weight. The wings also employed by the bird in steering its course, as the rower turns his boat by using only his right or left oar. The tail made to act as a supplementary organ for the same purpose. The tail, howeverin addition to its serving as the rudder of a ship,by expanding and offering a considerable surface to the air, fulfils some of the offices of a third wing, and serves also to poise the body of the bird.
(2) The wisdom and goodness of God in the migration of birds. An admirable instance of the Creators care, that birds are endowed with an instinct which enables them to know where and when to direct their flight, so as to find a more genial climate during the colder season in their native home.
(3) The hawk, as well as other migratory birds, an example to men in relation to God their Saviour. The stork, &c., know the time of their coming: but my people know not the judgment of the Lord (Jer. 8:7). Christ provided by the love of God, as the sinners shelter from the certain storm of Divine wrath against sin. Men invited to dwell in Him as in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places; when it shall hail, coming down on the forest (Isa. 32:2; Isa. 32:18). The Saviours complaint that sinners know not the time of their merciful visitation. O, Jerusalem! how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not (Luk. 19:41-44; Mat. 23:37).
8. The Eagle. Job. 39:27-30.Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high. She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place (or mountain-castle). From thence she seeketh her prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is she. The eagle a species of the same order of birds as the hawk (accipitres), and belonging to the falcon genus. The largest of the genus, and the most powerful of all the birds of prey. Probably intended, however, to include vultures as well, especially the bearded or eagle-vulture (Gypaetus), which, rather than the eagle, feed on carrion. The bearded or eagle-vulture, though differing both in head and body from the eagle, yet resembling it in its robust form and general habits, except that it feeds on dead flesh, which the eagle rarely does. Equals, or exceeds, the largest eagle in size, and is found throughout the great mountain chains of the Old World. Apparently referred to in Mic. 1:16; as its head and neck are entirely destitute of feathers, which those of the proper eagle are not. The eagle referred to in the text on account of
(1) Its lofty flight. Doth the eagle mount up, &c. Its great bodily power and ample wing fit the bird for a lofty and majestic flight. The eagle-vulture about four feet from the beak to the tip of the tail, and from nine to ten feet in the extent of its wings. The peculiarity of the eagle, to fly directly upward till out of sight. Its flight referred to by the prophet: They shall mount up with wings as eagles (Isa. 40:31). Hence also said to have an eye fitted to gaze upon the sun.
(2) Its inaccessible abode. She maketh her nest on high, &c. The eagle, and the eagle-vulture, both select the most inaccessible pinnacles as the site of their eyrie.
(3) Its acute vision. Her eyes behold afar off. The sight of the eagle, as of birds of prey in general, remarkably acute. Such birds endowed with the power of pushing out and drawing in the lenses of the eye, as the object is more or less distant, so as to discern from its lofty abode the prey far beneath it, and to see it no less distinctly as it descends.
(4) Their appetite for flesh and blood. Her young ones also suck up blood, &c. The greater number of the falcon class of birds, to which the eagle belongs, feed on living prey, while the eagle-vulture, like birds of the vulture genus, also feeds on carrion. Hence the battle-field the great attraction for the latter. Eagles said only to drink blood. The young ones trained to this in the nest, to which the parent-bird brings the prey.
Observe from the section
(1) The wisdom of the Creator in respect to birds and beasts of prey. Exhibited(i.) in providing that one class of animals prey upon another. According to the present constitution of nature, no other system could long exist except that which operated as a check on animal production, and preserved a balance of power between all creatures. (ii.) In providing by means of such animals for the removal of dead bodies left on the surface of the earth. Vultures, and even eagles, among birds and wolves, jackals, and hynas, among quadrupeds, employed by the Creator as the earths scavengersin removing its offal, and especially the carcases of animals, which would otherwise tend to corrupt the air with pestilential exhalations, and unfit parts of the earth for the abode of the living.
(2) The eagle viewed as an emblem. May be regarded as an emblem(i.) Of God Himself, in His tender care of and attention to the wants of His creatures. Her young ones suck up blood. As the eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them in her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him (Deu. 32:11-12). (ii.) Of believers. (a) In their upward ascent. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. Believers journey a heavenward one. Believers not to have their affection set on things on the earth, but to seek those things that are above, where Christ sitteth (Col. 3:1-2). The unregenerate burrow in the earth, as moles and worms; believers mount upwards, as with eagles wings. The disposition to do so, from their new spiritual and Divine nature; their ability, imparted by the Holy Spirit in connection with their waiting upon God (Isa. 40:31). (b) In their lofty and safe abode. They shall dwell on high; their place of defence is the munitions of rocks (Isa. 33:16). Their dwelling in God Himself, the Rock of Ages. Their abode, the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty. Jehovah Himself their refuge and fortress. Their safe shelter, the Rock that is higher than they (Psa. 91:1-2; Psa. 61:2-3). (c) In their spiritual vision. Believers enabled to see afar off (2Pe. 1:9). Once blind, but now see. Their eyes anointed with Christs eye-salve (Rev. 3:17). Believers behold, as in a glass. the glory of the Lord. Behold the glory of Jesus, as that of the Only Begotten of the Father (2Co. 3:18; Joh. 1:14). Endure, as seeing Him who is invisible. See promised glory afar off. Look at the things that are unseen and eternal (Heb. 11:13; Heb. 11:27; 2Co. 4:18). Behold, by the eye of faith, the King in His beauty, and the land that is very far off (Isa. 33:17). (d) In their feeding, by faith, on the flesh and blood of the Lamb that was slain for them. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (Joh. 6:51; Joh. 6:54; Joh. 6:56).
2. And of the animal world (Job. 39:1Job. 40:2)
TEXT 39:130 to Job. 40:2
39 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?
Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?
Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young,
They cast out their pains.
4 Then- young ones become strong,
they grow up in the open field;
They go forth and return not again.
5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free?
Or who hath loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
6 Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the salt land his dwelling place?
7 He scorneth the tumult of the city,
Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searcheth after every green thing.
9 Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee?
Or will he abide by thy crib?
10 Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow?
Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great?
Or wilt thou leave to him thy labor?
12 Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed,
And gather the grain of thy threshing-floor?
13 The wings of the ostrich wave proudly;
But are they the pinions and plumage of love?
14 For she leaveth her eggs on the earth,
And warmeth them in the dust,
15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them.
Or that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She dealeth hardly with her young ones,
as if they were not hers: 17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
Neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
18 What time she lifteth up herself on high,
She scorneth the horse and his rider.
19 Hast thou given the horse his might?
Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?
20 Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?
The glory of his snorting is terrible.
21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:
He goeth out to meet the armed men.
22 He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;
Neither turneth he back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattleth against him,
The flashing spear and the javelin.
24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;
Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet.
25 As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith,
Aha! And he smelleth the battle afar off, 26 Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth,
And stretcheth her wings toward the south?
27 Is it at thy command that the eagle mounteth up,
And maketh her nest on high?
28 On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home,
Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.
29 From thence she spieth out the prey;
Her eyes behold it afar off.
30 Her young ones also suck up blood:
And where the slant are, there is she.
COMMENT 39:130
Job. 39:1Job, what do you know about ibex[381] or mountain goats and the laws of birth? This specie of wild goat is still found near Khirbet Qumran and En GediPsa. 104:18; 1Sa. 24:7. The inaccessible cliffs are their habitat, but Gods providence guards over them even there. Hind is a specie of deer that survived in the woodlands of Palestine, before they were denuded in the 20th centuryGen. 49:21; Deu. 12:15; Psa. 18:33; and Pro. 5:19. Job, what do you know about the existence of the hind?
[381] For contemporary efforts to save this specie of goat, see H. Weiner, The Wild Goat of Bin Gedi, 1963.
Job. 39:2There is duplication between verses one and two. But the first line is concerned with pregnancy and the second with birth. Job, do you or can you count the months before the delivery of the young?
Job. 39:3The word rendered bow as in A. V. themselves is used of human childbirth in 1Sa. 4:19. The Hebrew term hebel (as in A. V. pain) is the usual word for the pain of childbirth. The line suggests the ease with which they deliver their YoungIsa. 13:8.
Job. 39:4This verse emphasizes the rapid maturity and parental care of the ibex. The ease with which they are delivered is matched by the quickness with which they develop and become independent. God can provide this marvelous example of His care of the goats even in the open fields.
Job. 39:5God guards the wild ass, who roams the steppes. Though he freely surveys the desert, his freedom has been given bounds by God. Even this seemingly untamable creature is under Gods sovereigntyJob. 6:5; Job. 11:12; Job. 24:5; Gen. 16:12; Hos. 8:9; and Isa. 32:14. The wild ass is described here with two words, one being an Aramaic loan word. The wild ass is so mobile that only the fastest horses can equal its speed.
Job. 39:6The steppes and the salt land are the extreme ends of the fertile ground. He lives there in order to be free of man, who lives on or near the fertile landJob. 24:5; Jer. 17:6; Psa. 107:34; and Jdg. 9:45. The Qumran Targum renders the second line as His dwelling in the salt land.
Job. 39:7The wild ass, lit. laughs at the restrictions of the city. The freedom of the desert is to his liking. There he fends for himself. Freedom from oppression is derived from the labor of beastsIsa. 9:3. His yearning for freedom causes him to avoid any place inhabited by man. Man always enslaves him, if he can.
Job. 39:8The wild ass pays the price of its freedom. It refuses to be subservient to man. It is often hungry because of sparse food supply in the desertJer. 14:6. He must search (Heb. drs, but The Qumran Targum reads the verb rdppursue) for his food. But he knows where to search. Who informed you of this, Job?
Job. 39:9In previous verses a contrast was made between the domesticated and wild ass; here the comparison is between wild and tame buffalo. Hunting this dangerous beast was a sport of royaltyNum. 23:22; Num. 24:8; Psa. 22:21; Psa. 29:6; Psa. 92:10; and Isa. 34:7. That this animal (reem, rent) had more than a single horn is clear from Deu. 33:17. Tiglathpileser I killed a rimu in Syria. This metaphor in the Old Testament means powerNum. 23:22; Num. 24:8; Psa. 22:21; and Isa. 34:7.[382]
[382] See A. H. Godbey, The Unicorn in the Old Testament, American Journal of Semitic Literature, 1939, pp. 256296.
Job. 39:10The tame ox was used for plowing, but could man plow with a wild ox?Pro. 14:4. The first line presents a strange image as rendered in A. V. canst thou bind the wild ox with band in the furrow? A slight emendation will yield a more meaningful line, wilt thou bind him with a cord or rope halter? This is a more natural image than binding the ox to the furrow, as is implied in the A. V. Clearly the second line pictures harrowing, as opposed to plowing, as the ox was led in the former labor, and man followed the animal in the latter.
Job. 39:11Yet, because of the oxs strength, would you allow him to go unguided to the field? He is strong, but man has the plan which can be fulfilled only by thoughtful preparation; this same kind of purposefulness and thoughtful preparation God has given to every dimension of the universe. The ox might be harnessed by mind but without intentional guidance, the ox is unreliable.
Job. 39:12The ox has strength but not much intelligence. He could not bring the harvest in from the fields and prepare it for storage, could he? The Hebrew literally has bring backand gather your threshing floor. Slight emendation will yield to your threshing floor, which makes sense.
Job. 39:13The A. V. rendering ostrich is derived from the Hebrew word which means shrill cries (renanim)Lam. 4:3. The ostrich is cruel to its young, yet is faster than the fleetest horse. The root lslit. rejoice, flap wildlyis rendered wave proudly in the A. V.[383] The second line has only three Hebrew words in it: (1) pinionDeu. 32:11; and Psa. 91:4; (2) may be either feminine adjective pious or stork derived from noun hesedLev. 11:19; Psa. 104:17; Jer. 8:7; and (3) plumageEze. 17:3. If the second word is rendered stork, which is known for its affection for the young, then we have a contrast between a bird with affection and one which lacks parental concern. But the comparison may be between the storks capacity to fly with its wings and the ostrich with beautiful plumage but which cannot fly.
[383] For analysis, see D. F. Payne, Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute. Vol. V, 1967, 50, 58, 64ff.
Job. 39:14The ostrich places (Heb. zbput, place)[384] its eggs in the sand. During the day the heat of the sun keeps them warm, but at night the ostrich must sit on them. Generally the hen ostrich hatches only one-third of her eggs. She feeds the other two-thirds to her young at various stages of development.
[384] For the design in the placing of the eggs rather than merely leaving them, see M. Dahood, JBL, 1959, pp. 303309.
Job. 39:15The eggs are often covered with sand; some might lie unprotected on top of the ground. Though the ostrich egg shells are very hard, there would naturally be some danger of being crushed by jackals and other predators, including man.
Job. 39:16The A. V. rendering of she dealeth hardly or with cruelty comes from a verb which is used in Isa. 63:17 of the hardening of the heart. The hen often acts unconcerned, i.e., with no fear. Dahood translated the last line at the emptiness of her toil with fear.[385]
[385] M. Dahood, The Bible in Catholic Thought, p. 74.
Job. 39:17This judgment of the ostrichs intelligence is reinforced by an Arabian proverbial sayingmore stupid than the ostrich. Both its ignorance and cruelty are proverbial. But in spite of its lack of intelligence, God providentially cares for it.
Job. 39:18The acme of speed is the ostrich. Zenaphon, in his Anabasis, I, Job. 39:2, provides details of an ostrich who out ran horses. They have been clocked up to 26 miles per hour.
Job. 39:19The A. V. is still the most probable rendering, with the exception of the phrase translated quivering mane.[386] There is consistently a very free rendering throughout Job in the N. E. B., T. E. V., and the Living Bible. Since the word is only found here, it will be impossible to do any more than provide a conjecture, but probably the root implies strength not quivering. The horse quivers its neck (when it is roused), and this in turn makes the mane stand erect. We must retain the image of the cultural function of each of the animals in the Near East if the parallelism is to be understood. The ass was the beast of burden, the ox was used for plowing, and donkeys or mules were riding animals. The horse was reserved for hunting and warfare, first to draw chariots; later it became a cavalry mount.
[386] See M. Dahood, Biblica, 1959, p. 58.
Job. 39:20Joe. 2:4 compares the locust and the horseRev. 9:7. The word -shr (M. T. nhr) means snorting, as the horses prepare for the charge in battleJer. 5:29; Jer. 8:16. The Qumran Targum reads with his snorting terror and fear.
Job. 39:21The mighty war horse digs (Heb. Yhprmuch stronger than paws) violently (Heb. beemeqnot as A. V. renders, in the valley),[387] the ground. The Qumran Targum renders the line and he paws in the valley and runs and rejoices revealing the change of the Hebrew text of Job from bmq to bbq; the LXX also understands valley instead of power.
[387] That this word here means power not valley, see M. Dahood, Biblica, 1959, p. 166; and W. F. Albright, Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East, eds. Noth and Thomas, Yetus Testamentum, Supplement, III, 1955, p. 14.
Job. 39:22This verse makes it crystal clear that the imagery is that of a war horse, rather than a horse in general. Men are afraid of attack in war, but the horse mocketh fear.
Job. 39:23The battle is about to begin. The arrows are rattling (tirnehsee Brown, Driver, Briggs) in the quiver. The bright javelin[388] or perhaps sword reflects the flashing sun (lit. flame of).
[388] For a description of this weapon, see G. Molin, Journal of Semitic Studies, 1956, pp. 334ff; also Yigal Yadin, The Scrolls of War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (Oxford, 1962), p. 284; and his The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 2 vols., 1963, p. 172.
Job. 39:24The two nouns in line one suggest excitement rather than hostility or angerPsa. 77:18 and Isa. 14:16. The excited horse literally swallows ground, i.e., races unchecked. The A. V. rendering of the second line is unsatisfactoryneither believeth he . . . is all but meaningless. The verb root means be firm, i.e., the horse cannot stand still.
Job. 39:25The horse hears the trumpet signal for battleAmo. 3:6. There is no verb in the Hebrew text, but -bede is probably to be understood adverbially at the call of the trumpetJob. 11:3; Job. 41:4. The cry of satisfaction, aha, goes forth as soon as he hears the trumpetPsa. 35:21; Psa. 40:15; Isa. 44:16; Eze. 25:3; and Eze. 36:2. He smells[389] the battle, even at a distance.
[389] P. A. H. de Boer, Words and Meanings, eds. Acbroyd and Lindars, 1968, pp. 29ff, suggests that verb means smells of, recalls, or suggests.
Job. 39:26This verse alludes to the southward migration of birds in late fall or early winterJer. 8:7. Job, you know that it is not your wisdom that performs all of these wonders. Only Yahweh can understand the intricate interworkings of every factor in creation.
Job. 39:27In the Old Testament, the word neser designates both eagles and vulturesJob. 9:26; Pro. 30:18-19. Either would fit in the context. Eagles often, vultures always, built their nests in inaccessible locations[390] (Heb. ki means falcon). Job, did you provide these birds with their instincts?
[390] See J. Reider, Vetus Testamentum, 1954, p. 294.
Job. 39:28Here the great heights of the mountains are vigorously describedJer. 49:16; 1Sa. 14:4. Who told these birds to build their nests at such high elevations?
Job. 39:29The imagery signifies the sharp-sightedness of the eagle. Dhorme gives more than adequate testimonies in his brilliant paradigm of writing commentary. The scriptures also bear witness to the swiftness of the eagle in attacking its preyDeu. 28:49; Jer. 48:40; and Jer. 49:16.
Job. 39:30Dhorme emends the verb yeal leu to yield a more appropriate image than eagles sucking up blood. His emendation yields the resultant, shake a thing from Aramaic. The action of the eagle would then be that of picking at bloody flesh, which is more appropriate for the eagle than sucking. The New Testament contains a proverbial saying that where there is a corpse, the eagle/vultures will flockMat. 24:28; Luk. 17:37.
. The questions thus far propounded must have profoundly impressed Job with a sense of his insignificance; another, and more important view of himself, he is now to take in the mirror of nature a no less view than that of his consummate ignorance. His attention is again directed to the brute creation, and he is asked a few plain questions, perhaps in irony, concerning the laws that govern the gestation and birth of animals with which he must have been more or less familiar. These laws, he is made to feel, revolve in a sphere entirely independent of himself the domain of divine forethought and arrangement; man can mark results, but knows not the secret principles which render the gestation of one animal longer, or its parturition less difficult, than that of another, Job 39:1-4.
1. Wild goats The ibex, or rock-goat, (Hebrews, yaal, that is, climber,) was well known to the Jews, both in the Wilderness and in the Land of Promise. But, though familiar with the animal, they knew but little of its habits, owing to its extreme wariness and wildness. In Arabia Petraea the ibex is very common. It is generally found in small herds of eight or ten. (Tristram, Natural History.) Canst thou mark when, etc. Rather, observest thou the travail of the hinds? “The question here,” as Bochartus well observes, “is not of idle and merely speculative knowledge, but of that knowledge which belongs to God only, by which he not only knows all things, but directs and governs them.” Or, its object may be, in a most humiliating manner, to remind Job that the parturition of the mountain hind takes place without his foresight, intervention, or control. Thus, most moderns.
Hinds The female of the common stag. The reader is referred to Pliny’s Natural History, 8:32, for the views of the ancients on this whole subject.
Job 39:10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Job 39:9-10 Job 39:27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
Job 39:27 Mic 1:16, “Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle ; for they are gone into captivity from thee.”
Job 39:27-30, “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she .”
Pro 30:17, “The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it .”
Note also a more likely reference to the vulture than the eagle in the New Testament:
Mat 24:28, “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”
Job 39:28 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
God Reveals Himself to Job by His Creation Did not Job believe God heard his prayers in the midst of his prosperity? How much more should God hear him in the midst of his suffering? In a mighty display of nature’s energy, a whirlwind approaches Job, and a divine voice begins to come forth and speak to Job. God now reveals His true character to Job because his friends had misrepresented Him. He reveals Himself as the omnipotent Creator of the universe, who daily watches over each aspect of His creatures with love and concern through His omniscience and omnipresence. More specifically, God reveals that He alone is just and Job and all of mankind are in need of redemption through faith in God. In man’s fallen condition since the Garden of Eden, all of creation has been made subject to vanity and endures suffering. God will now lead Job into an act of intercession for his friends in order to receive his own deliverance as a testimony that man will have to redeem himself. Yet, what man is qualified to redeem mankind? Job will understand that it must be a man, a man who was righteous before God, a man who must suffer, a man who must be an intercessor, that will redeem mankind. The fullness of this revelation will come at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, when God Himself becomes a man to redeem His people, and with it, all of creation.
We find a similar passage of Scripture in Isa 40:12 to Isa 41:29, where God challenges backslidden Israel to produce her reasons for trusting in idols (Job 41:21). In a similar manner God reveals to Israel her frailty and weakness in the midst of His majestic creation that reveals Him as the divine creator of all things.
Here is a proposed outline:
God’s First Speech Job 38:1 to Job 40:2
Job’s Reply Job 40:3-5
God’s Second Speech Job 40:6 to Job 41:34
Job’s Reply Job 42:1-6
Job 38:1 to Job 42:6 God Reveals Himself to Job by His Creation (The Purpose of the Sciences and Art) The Lord spoke to me this morning and said that the sciences and arts are an expression of God’s divine nature. God reveals His divine nature through His creation (Job 38-41), and the sciences are the tools that mankind uses to explore His creation. The arts are an expression of man’s heart and emotions, and when the Spirit of God is allowed to inspire mankind, he speaks in poetry and song, in paintings and other works of art. (March 24, 2009)
Job 38:1 to Job 40:2 God’s First Speech to Job: The Story of His Creation In Job 38:1 to Job 40:2 God delivers His first speech to Job. The story of creation recorded in Job 38:1 to Job 40:2 serves as a testimony to Job of God’s divine attributes. In this passage of Scripture the Lord revealed to Job His omnipotence, His omniscience, His omnipresence, and His infinite wisdom and power over all of His creation. He reveals to Job the fact that He daily oversees the activities of His creation. God’s description of creating the heavens and earth in Job 38:4-38 reveals His omnipotence. His description of overseeing and sustaining His creatures reveals His omniscience and omnipresence.
In the study of the Holy Scriptures we discover a number of passages revealing the events in the Story of Creation. For example, we have the testimony of the Father’s role in Gen 1:1 to Gen 2:4 as the One who has planned and foreknown all things in His creation. We also have the testimony of the Jesus Christ the Son’s role in creation recorded Joh 1:1-14, who is the Word of God through whom all things were created. In Pro 8:22-31 we have the testimony of the Holy Spirit’s role in creation as the Wisdom and Power of God. 2Pe 3:5-7 refers to the story of creation with emphasis upon God’s pending destruction of all things in order to judge the sins of mankind. Heb 11:3 tells us how it is by faith that we understand how the world was created by the Word of God. Another passage of Scripture that reveals the story of Creation is found in Job 38:1 to Job 40:2, where the wisdom and majesty of God Almighty are revealed by describing the details of how His creation came into existence. We can find other brief references to the creation of the earth throughout the Scriptures, such as Psalms 104 and many other individual verses.
Here is a proposed summary of Job 38:1 to Job 40:2:
God Asks Job for Dialogue Job 38:1-3
God As Creator of the Earth Job 38:4-38
God Created the Earth Job 38:4-7
God Created the Seas Job 38:8-11
God Created Day and Night Job 38:12-15
The Depths and Breath of the Sea & Earth Job 38:16-18
God Created Light and Darkness Job 38:19-21
God Created Snow and Ice Job 38:22-30
God Created the Stars & Constellations Job 38:31-33
God Created the Clouds Job 38:34-38
God As Sustainer of Life on the Earth Job 38:39 to Job 39:30
God Sustains the Lion Job 38:39-40
God Sustains the Raven Job 38:41
God Sustains the Wild Goats & Deer Job 39:1-4
God Sustains the Wild Donkey Job 39:5-8
God Sustains the Wild Ox Job 39:9-12
God Sustains the Ostrich Job 39:13-18
God Sustains the Horse Job 39:19-25
God Sustains the Hawk & Eagle Job 39:26-30
God Concludes His First Speech Job 40:1-2
God As Sustainer of Life on the Earth – In Job 38:39 to Job 39:30 God reveals Himself as the sustainer of all life on earth. Here is a proposed outline of this passage:
God Sustains the Lion Job 38:39-40
God Sustains the Raven Job 38:41
God Sustains the Wild Goats & Deer Job 39:1-4
God Sustains the Wild Donkey Job 39:5-8
God Sustains the Wild Ox Job 39:9-12
God Sustains the Ostrich Job 39:13-18
God Sustains the Horse Job 39:19-25
God Sustains the Hawk & Eagle Job 39:26-30
In this passage of Scripture God will describe the mysteries of nature. Modern science explains animal behaviour as an instinct with which all animals have at birth. Others call these mysteries “Mother Nature.” Actually, God is directing each animal’s behaviour upon earth.
Illustration – As young boys roaming the woods in Florida, we found a bird’s nest with three small birds in it. It seems that they were either young mocking birds or blue jays. In our excitement we snatched them out of their nest and took them home to feed and raise them ourselves. Kids love pets. All three of us worked to feed them. Ants crawled on them. Then, Mom came and tried to help us out. Yet the four of us were not able to raise those three small birds. Unfortunately, these small birds died. God had equipped one little mother bird to do what three boys and a mom could not do.
v. 1. Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth, v. 2. Canst thou number the months that they fulfil, v. 3. They bow themselves, v. 4. Their young ones are in good liking, v. 5. Who hath sent out the wild ass free? v. 6. Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land, v. 7. He scorneth the multitude of the city, v. 8. The range of the mountains is his pasture, v. 9. Will the unicorn; v. 10. Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow, v. 11. Wilt thou trust him, v. 12. Wilt thou believe him, v. 13. Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? v. 14. Which, v. 15. and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them, v. 16. She is hardened against her young ones, v. 17. because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her understanding, v. 18. What time she lifteth up herself on high, v. 19. Hast thou given the horse strength, v. 20. Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper, v. 21. He paweth in the valley, v. 22. He mocketh at fear and is not affrighted, v. 23. The quiver, v. 24. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, v. 25. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! v. 26. Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, v. 27. Doth the eagle mount up, v. 28. She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, v. 29. From thence she seeketh her prey, v. 30. Her young ones also, EXPOSITION
Job 39:1-30
This chapter completes the survey of animate nature begun at Job 38:39. The habits and instincts of the wild goat, the wild ass, and wild cattle are first noticed (Job 38:1-12); then a transition is made to the most remarkable of birds, the ostrich (Job 38:13-18). Next, the horse is described, and, as it were, depicted, in a passage of extraordinary fire and brilliancy (Job 38:19-25). Finally, a return is made to remarkable birds, and the habits of the hawk and eagle obtain mention (Job 38:26-30). Throughout, the object is to show the infinite wisdom of God, and the utter incompetence of man to explain the mysteries of nature.
Job 39:1
Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? The wild goats of Western Asia are of two kinds, the Capra segagrus, and the Asiatic ibex, or Capra Sinaitica. The latter is probably the animal hero intended, which is called yael sela, “the wild goat of the rocks,” and was known to the Assyrians as ya-e-li. It is an animal with large rough horns curving backwards, closely allied to the steinbock, or bouquetin, of the Swiss and Tyrolian Alps. It is very shy and wild, difficult of approach, and inhabiting only the most rocky and desolate tracts of Syria and Arabia. Representations of the animal, which was hunted by the Assyrian kings, are common upon the Ninevite monuments
Job 39:4
Their young ones are in good liking; i.e. healthy and strong (comp. Dan 1:10). They grow up with corn; rather, they grow up out of doors, or in the open air. They go forth, and return not unto them. They quit their dams early, and “go forth” to provide for themselvesan indication of health and strength.
Job 39:5
Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? Two kinds of onager‘ or wild ass, seem to be intendedthe one called pore’ (), and the other ‘arod (). These correspond probably to the Asinus hemippus and the Asinus onager of modern naturalists, the former of which is still found in the deserts of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Northern Arabia, while the latter inhabits Western Asia from 48 N.lat. southward to Persia, Beloochistan, and Western India. Sir H. A. Layard describes the former, which he saw, as a “beautiful animal, in fleetness equalling the gazelle, very wild, and of a rich fawn colour, almost pink”. The latter (Asinus onager) was seen by Sir R. K. Porter in Persia, and is described in very similar terms. The two, however, appear to be distinct species. Both animals are remarkable for extreme wildness; and all attempts to domesticate the young of either have hitherto failed.
Job 39:6
Whose house I have made the wilderness. The Mesopotamian regions inhabited by the Asinus hemippus are those vast stretches of rolling plain, treeless, producing a few aromatic shrubs and much wormwood, which intervene between the Sinjar mountain-range and the Babylonian alluvium. Here the wild ass was seen by Xenophon and the Ten Thousand, in company with ostriches, gazelles, and bustards (Xen; ‘Anab.,’ 1.5); and here Sir Austin Layard also made its acquaintance. The Asians onager frequents the deserts of Khorassan and Beloochistan, which are even more barren than the Mesepotamian. And the barren land his dwellings; rather, the salt land (see the Revised Version). The great desert of Khorassan is largely impregnated with salt, and in places encrusted with it. The wild ass licks salt with avidity.
Job 39:7
He scorneth the multitude of the city. Avoids, that is, the haunts of men, and is never seen near them. Neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. Nothing will induce the wild ass to submit to domestication.
Job 39:8
The range of the mountains is his pasture. By “mountains” we must here understand rocky ranges like the Sinjar and the mountains of Beloochistan, or again those of the Sinaitic peninsula. Wild asses do not frequent the regions which we commonly call mountainous. And he searcheth after every green thing; i.e. he seeks out the small patches of pasture which are to be found in such rocky regions.
Job 39:9
Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? This is an unfortunate translation, since there is no word etymologicallly correspondent to “unicorn” in the original. The word used is rem or reyrn; and the rem is distinctly said in Deu 33:17 to have “horns.” All that is said of the rim in Scripture points to some species of wild cattle, and recent critics are almost universally agreed thus far at any rate. Assyrian investigation carries us a step further. It is found that the wild bull so often represented on the monuments as hunted by the Ninevite monarchs was known to the Assyrians by the name of rimu or rim. Careful examination of the sculptures has resulted in the identification of this animal with Bos primigenius, an extinct species, probably identical with the urus of the Romans, which Caesar saw in Gaul, and of which he has left a description. “These uri,” he says, “are scarcely less than elephants in size, but in their nature, colour, 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 own oxen” (‘De Bell. Gall.,’ 6.28).
Job 39:10
Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? That is, “as thou bindest the ox?” Canst thou make him plough for thee? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Another common employment of oxen.
Job 39:11
Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? If a man could bind the urns to his plough or to his harrow, still he could not “trust” him. The huge brute would be sure to prove unmanageable, and would only cause damage to his owner. Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? As thou leavest many labours to thy oxen, confiding in their docility.
Job 39:12
Wilt thou believe himrather, Wilt thou confide in him (see the Revised Version)that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barns? i.e. convey the harvest from the field to the homestead, that it may be safely lodged in thy barn. The “strength” of the urns (Job 39:11) would make all such labours light to him, but his savage nature would render it impossible to use him for them.
Job 39:13
Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? rather, the wing of the ostrich (literally, of ostriches) is exultant; i.e. a thing that it glories in. The allusion is, perhaps, to the flapping of its wings by the ostrich, as it hurries over the ground, which is sore, thing like that of a cock before crowing or after beating an antagonist. Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? This clause is very obscure, but may perhaps mean, Are her feathers and plumage kindly? (see the Revised Version); i.e. does she use them for the same kindly purpose as other birdsto warm her eggs, and forward the process of hatching them?
Job 39:14
Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust. The best authorities tell us that in tropical countries ostriches, having scratched a hole in the sand, and deposited their eggs in it, cover the eggs over with a layer of sand, sometimes as much as a foot in thickness, and, leaving them during the daytime to be kept warm by the heat of the sun, only incubate at night. It is evidently this habit of the bird that is here alluded to. That in cooler countries ostriches do not do this is not to the point. The habit was known in Job’s time, and was so noticeable as to characterize the bird to a large extent.
Job 39:15
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. Where the eggs are covered by a layer of sand a foot thick, this danger is not incurred. But when the eggs are numerousand they are sometimes as many as thirtythey are apt to be very poorly covered, and the results follow which are described in the text.
Job 39:16
She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers. This is a deduction from what has preceded, and discloses no new fact. Recent careful observation of the habits of the ostrich indicates that the parental instinct is not wanting, though it may be weaker than in most birds. Both the male and the female incubate at night, and, when the nest is approached by the hunter, the parent bird or birds will leave it, and try to draw him away from it by running on in front of him, or feigning to attack him, much as peewits do in our own country. Her labour is in vain without fear; or, though her labour is in vain, she is without fear (see the Revised Version); i.e. though she is often disappointed of her immediate hope of offspring, through her eggs being crushed and destroyed, yet she grows no wiser, she does not fear for the future.
Job 39:17
Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding. There is an Arab proverb”As stupid as an ostrich”which the Arabs justify on five grounds:
(1) The ostrich, they say, will swallow iron, stones, leaden bullets, and other things, which injure and sometimes prove fatal to it.
(2) When hunted, it thrusts its head into a hush, and iron,nee that the hunter does not see it.
(3) It allows itself to be captured by transparent devices.
(4) It neglects its eggs.
(5) Its head is small, and contains but a small quantity of brains. To these grounds I may add that in the South-African ostrich-farms, the birds allow themselves to be confined within a certain space by a fence of sticks and string raised about a foot from the ground. They seem to think that they cannot step over it.
Job 39:18
What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider. The ostrich sometimes tries to elude pursuit by crouching and hiding behind hillocks or in hollows, making itself as little conspicuous as possible; but, when these attempts fail, and it starts off to run in the open, then it “lifts itself up” to its full elevation, beats the air with its wings, and scours along at a pace that no horse can equal. The Greeks with Xenophon, though well mounted, failed to catch a single ostrich (‘Anab.,’ 1.5. 3).
Job 39:19
Hast thou given the horse strength? (comp. Psa 147:10). Geburah means, however, more than “strength.” It includes courage and all martial excellence. Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Many objections have been taken to this expression; and endeavours have been made to show that the word used () does not mean “thunder,” but” a tremulous motion,” “quivering muscles and a tossing mane,” or else “scorn,” “indignation.” But as always means “thunder” (Job 26:14; Job 39:25; Psa 77:19 : Psa 81:8; Psa 145:7; Isa 29:6), it seems unlikely that means anything else. To the objection that the metaphor is “incongruous” (Professor Lee), it would appear to be enough to reply that one of our greatest prose-poets has seen in it peculiar fitness. So true every way‘” says Carlyle, on the passage: “true eyesight and vision for all things; material things, not less than spiritual; “the horseHast thou clothed his neck with thunder?‘”.
Job 39:20
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? rather, Canst thou make him leap forward as a grasshopper? The bound with which a war-horse rushes to battle seems intended. The glory of his nostrils is terrible. When the war-horse snorts, men tremble (see Jer 8:16, “The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones”).
Job 39:21
He paweth in the valley. Canon Cook appositely compares Virgil’s “carat tellurem” (‘Georg.,’ 3:87, 88), and Professor Lee Pope’s expression, that “ere they start a thousand steps are lost.” The verb is in the plural, because a line of cavalry, all pawing and eager to be off, is intended to be represented. And rejoiceth in his strength. Nothing is more remarkable than the eagerness and joy which war-horses show when the battle approaches. They are generally more excited than their riders. He goeth on to meet the armed men; literally, he rusheth upon the weapons. Equally true in ancient and in modern warfare. The main use of cavalry is in the charge.
Job 39:22
He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. “The cavalry of modern times will rush undismayed upon the line of opposing bayonets” (Professor Lee). “We do not believe that a body of infantry ever existed that, with the bayonet alone, unsupported by fire, could have checked the determined charge of good horsemen“.
Job 39:23
The quiver rattleth against him. In the Aasyrian sculptures the quiver of mounted archers is often hung at the side, instead of at the back. In this position it would rattle against the neck of the war-horse. The glittering spear and the shield would occasionally strike against his neck or his shoulders.
Job 39:24
He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and. rage. This is a common metaphor to denote the rapidity with which the horse covers the space that lies before him. Virgil has, “Corripiuut spatia” (‘AEnid,’ 5.316); Silius ltalions, “Campum volatu rapucre” (3.308); Shakespeare, “He seemed in running to devour the way.” Arab poets have similar expressions (see Bochart, ‘ Hieroz.,’ pt. 1. bk. 2. c. 8). Neither beiieveth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. (So Schultens, Canon Cook, and our Revisers.) But most recent critics prefer to render, “He standeth not still when the trumpet soundeth,” and compare Virgil’s “Stare loco nescit” (‘Georg.,’ 3.84).
Job 39:25
He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! literally, at the trumpet; i.e. at the sound of the trumpet. The utterance, “Ha, ha!” (heakh)’ is an imitation of the horse’s snort or neigh. And he smelleth the battle afar off. Not merely presages it, as Pliny Bye (“Equi praesagiunt pugnam, ‘Hist. Nat,’ 8.42), or perceives it. but seems to scent it. The open and quivering nostrils raise this idea. The thunder of the captains, and the shouting. On the great noise made by advancing armies in ancient times, see 2Ki 7:6; Isa 5:28-30 : Jer 8:16, etc.
Job 39:26
Doth the hawk fly (or, soar) by thy wisdom? The hawk’s strength of wing is extraordinary, and one of the greatest of natural marvels. Can Job claim to have contrived it? Many as have been the attempts made, human ingenuity has not yet devised anything that can fly. And stretch her wings toward the south? Migrate, i.e; when winter approaches, to the warmer southern regions. Few things in nature are more remarkable than the instinct of migratory birds.
Job 39:27
Doth the eagle mount up at thy command? The enumeration of natural marvels ends with the eagle, the monarch of birds, as it began with the lion, the king of beasts (Job 38:39). The power of the eagle to “mount up,” notwithstanding its great size and weight, is very surprising. The species intended in this place is probably the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) or else the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), which arc both of them common in Syria and Mesopotamia. And make her nest on high? The nests of eagles are almost always built on lofty, generally on inaccessible, rocks. Aristotle says, (sc, ), (comp. Jer 49:16).
Job 39:28
She dwelleth and abideth on the rook, upon the crag of the rook, and the strong place; literally, the tooth of the rock. The craggy summits of rocks bear a resemblance to the fangs of a tooth. Hence we have in France the Dent du Chat, and in Switzerland the Dent de Jaman and the Dent du Midi.
Job 39:29
From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Aristotle gives this as a reason for the lofty flight of the eagle, . The keen sight of the eagle is recognized by modern savants: “Aquila, genre d’oiseaux de proie caracterise par un bec sans denlelure et droit a sa base jusquaupres de l’extremite, ou il se corbe beaucoup; par des pieds robustes armes d’ongles aigus et tranchants, par leur rue percante et leur grands envergure”.
Job 39:30
Her young ones also suck up blood. It has been asserted that this is not the case, since they are fed on carrion (Merx). But, as eagles are known to seize fawns, hares, lambs, and other small animals, and transport them to their eyries, their young must certainly be nourished, in part, on the flesh of animals newly killed. And where the slain are, there is she (comp. Deu 21:18; Mat 24:28; Luk 17:37). Eagles, or at any rate birds “more resembling eagles than vultures,” are commonly represented on the Assyrian monuments, especially in battle-scenes, where they either feed on the dead bodies of the slain, or tear out their entrails, or sometimes carry up aloft the decapitated head of some unfortunate soldier.
HOMILETICS
Job 39:1-30
Jehovah to Job: the first answer-the examination: 6. Concerning certain wild animals.
I. THE MOUNTAIN GOAT AND THE HIND. (Verses 1-4.)
1. The creatures intended. It is generally agreed that these are the steinbock, or ibex, and the stag. The former, inhabiting exclusively the more rocky and desolate parts of the country, possesses fore legs considerably shorter than its hinder, which enable it to ascend with more facility than to descend, and lead it, when pursued, to attempt to gain the summits of the mountains. In accordance with this peculiarity, it is interesting to note that Jehovah describes the animals as “rock-climbers.”
2. The circumstance alluded to. This is not so much the secrecy of their gestation as the ease and facility with which they bring forth. “They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows,” i.e. those things which cause their labour-pains, viz. their offspring; and these young animals thus easily born, though not without pain, “are in good liking,” i.e. grow up lusty and strong, not by feeding upon corn, as the Authorized Version seems to imply, but in the open country, away from their dams, whom they early forsake, going forth and not returning unto them.
3. The question thereanent. Jehovah asks Job if he knows the time when these mountain goats, or rock-climbers, bear, or can number the months that the hinds fulfil Clearly not designed to test the amount or accuracy of Job’s information concerning natural history, this interrogation seems as little meant to affirm that everything connected with the pregnancy of these creatures was a mystery. Its intention rather is to emphasize the fact that the whole process of conception and parturition is carded on with such admirable regularity, ease, and success, as to suggest the thought that it must be owing to the wise guidance and watchful care of some presiding mind. “Well” asks Jehovah, “whose is it? Is it thine, O Job? or is it not rather mine?”
II. THE WILD ASS (Verses 5-8.)
1. Its swiftness of foot. This characteristic is alluded to in the name pere. Consul Wetstein (quoted by Delitzsch) describes the wild ass as a dirty yellow creature with a white belly, single-hoofed and long-eared, its hornless head somewhat resembling that of a gazelle, though much larger, and its hair having the dryness of the hair of the deer. Like the wild ox, a large soft-eyed creature, horned and double-hoofed, it is remarkable for its swift running, which enables it to out-distance the fleetest rider.
2. Its love of freedom. This feature is referred to in the second name, ‘arod, which denotes its shyness and untamableness, and is further represented by depicting it an scorning the tumult of the city, i.e. as fleeing from the haunts of men, and regarding not the crying of the driver, i.e. refusing to be subjected to the yoke, as scouring the desert in its boundless independence, and finding for itself a home in the barren land or salt places, i.e. uncultivated and uncultivable regions.
3. Its means of support. The wild ass licks the natron of the desert, as “all wild animals that feed on plants have a partiality for licking salt” (Delitzsch); and in quest of herbage it roams to the uttermost limit of the mountains, “sniffing after every green thing”
4. Its possession of a Master. This thought is suggested by Jehovah’s interrogations. “The wild ass loves liberty; but who made him free? Who loosed his bands? Who sent him forth to scour the plain and range the hills? Was it thou, O Job? or was it I? The wild ass scorns the yoke of the driver; but who inspired him with this indomitable instinct? Who taught him to lick the salt and crop the herb? Are not these my doings, O my censurer? Canst thou bind this ass that I have loosed? Canst thou set a yoke upon him as I do? Art thou able to give him food as I am, or to build for him a stall as I have done in the vast steppe? It is clear, then, that thou art not the master of a wild ass, much less of a world,”
III. THE UNICORN. (Verses 9-12.)
1. The name of the animal explained. The rem, which our translators have erroneously supposed to be a one-horned beast, was undoubtedly two-horneda wild, fierce, untamable brute, “resembling an ox as a wild ass resembles an ass” (Gesenius). Regarded by some commentators as the buffalo (Schultens, De Wette, Umbreit, Gesenius), though this animal “only came from India to Western Asia and Europe at a more recent date,” and is besides “tamable” (Delitzsch), it is more probably to be identified with the Bos primigenius Tristram affirms that the rem was the urns of Caesar, the aueroch, of which “the nearest extant representative is the bison, which still lingers in the forests of Lithuania and the Caucasus” (Cox).
2. The strength of the animal described. This, with inimitable irony, Jehovah depicts by asking Job if he thought he could master this prodigious brutefirst drive him home like a peaceful ox to be shut up and fed within the narrow precincts of a stall, then take him out, as a farmer now does his horses, or then did his oxen, and yoke him to his wains or carts, setting him to plough his fields or draw home his harvest-sheaves.
IV. THE OSTRICH. (Verses 13-18.)
1. The description of the bird. In this are noted three points:
(1) Its want of parental affection. “The wing of the ostrich [female] exulteth,” i.e. vibrates briskly; “is she pious, wing and feather?”the allusion being to the pious bird, the stork, which the ostrich resembles in its stilt-like structure, the beauty of its plumage, the quivering of its wings, and the gregarious habit of its life, but from which it differs in its lack of maternal affection. Depositing her eggs in the sand, where the foot of any passer-by may crush them, or they may fall a prey to jackals, wild cats, and other animals, although she does not entirely abandon the work of hatching them to the sun or her male companion, but also really incubates herself, at least during the night, yet, so easily is she startled from her nest, and so readily induced to forsake it, that she may be truthfully described as “hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers,” and as being quite indifferent to the fact that her labour is without result. In consequence of this peculiarity, the hen ostrich is called by the Arabs “the wicked bird.”
(2) Its remarkably defective intelligence. This is emphasized as the cause of the above-described unnatural behaviour of the bird. “God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding;’ and yet that the above-described are not the only stupidities of which the creature is guilty may be reasonably inferred from the circumstance that the foolishness of the ostrich is quite proverbial throughout the East, as the Arab proverb indicates, “More stupid than an ostrich”
(3) Its power of speedy flight. This also is certified by an Arab proverb, “Swifter than an ostrich,” and is here poetically set forth with much beauty. Starting from her nest in alarm, and lifting up herself on high, i.e. as the language probably imports, flapping the air with her wings, “she scorneth the horse and his rider,” leaving them behind her with perfect ease.
2. The reason of its introduction. Job’s attention appears to be directed to the ostrich to suggest the thought that here, too, in the world of birds, there are mysteries and seeming anomalies which he cannot understand. Why should the ostrich be so differently constituted from the stork? Why should it be devoid of intelligence and parental affection, while excelling most birds in speed of foot and beauty of wing? When Job can answer that, he will have a title to challenge God for making enigmas in human life, and dark problems in the moral history of earth.
V. THE WAR–HORSE. (Verses 19-25.)
1. The poetical representation. The oldest description of the war-horse, it is also the most beautiful, the most brilliant, the most impressive that has in any language been penned. As Carlyle says, “Such a living likeness has never since been drawn,” “It deserves the praise of majestic simplicity, which is the first feature of classic superiority” (Delitzsch). Ancient authors supply occasional touches which remind one of the language here employed (vide Exposition). In respect of fulness and accuracy of details, the present sketch stands unrivalled. So intensely vivid is the picturing, that the splendid beast appears to the imagination as a living, breathing reality, a richly caparisoned steed, a perfect model of physical strength and beauty, curveting and caracoling in the very exuberance of its animal spirits, pawing the ground in its impatience, snorting through its dilated nostrils, sniffing the battle from afar, bounding as with conscious exultation when the trumpet soundeth, at every blast thereof making known by a joyous neigh, as if it cried, “Ha, ha!” the fierceness of its lust for battle, advancing without a fear to meet an armed host, dashing in among the glancing spears, and shaking from its sides the rattling quiver.
2. The Divine meaning. It is easy enough to find sermonic uses for this piece of brilliant word-painting about the war-horse, as e.g. to derive from it lessons of courage in confronting difficulties, and enthusiasm in defying opposition; but the first question needing answer isFor what specific object is it here introduced? and this was obviously to impress the mind of Job with a sense of his (and also man’s) weakness in comparison with God. Whence had such a noble creature as this war-horse sprung 9 Job had not produced its resistless strength, its heroic beauty, its visible terror, its indomitable courage, its fierce enthusiasm? Nay, what could Job or any other man do as against such a powerful animal? Well, if Job cannot contend with the war-horse, how unreasonable it must be to suppose that he can strive with him whose handiwork the war-horse is!
VI. THE HAWK. (Verse 26.)
1. Its power of flight. The name netz denotes “the soaring one,” the high-flyer, and “includes, besides the hawk proper, all raptorial birds” (Cox), “which, even including the shortest-winged, have great powers of flight, are remarkably enterprising, live to a great age, are migratory, or followers upon birds of passage” (Kitto’s ‘Cyclopaedia,’ art. “Netz”). “The rapidity with which the hawk and many other birds fly is probably not less than at the rate of a hundred and fifty miles an hour” (Robinson). The adaptation of a bird’s wing for flying is a singular instance of the Creator’s skill.
2. Its instinct of migration. Moved by a secret impulse, not received from or understood by man, the hawk stretches her wing, and seeks a sunny clime at every approach of winter. This also a striking evidence of creative intelligence.
VII. THE EAGLE. (Verses 27-30.)
1. Its lofty flight. The king of birds, which closes the Divine picture-gallery of animals, as the king of quadrupeds opened it, “soareth aloft,” its great strength of body and breadth of wing giving it power to sustain itself at a high elevation in the air.
2. Its inaccessible eyrie. Mounting upwards, “she buildeth her nest in the height, upon the crag or tooth of the rock” and fastness, and there, by reason of its remoteness, “she dwelleth and abideth” securely.
3. Its keen vision. From the cliff’s edge she can scan the depths below, looking far across the plain in search of food for herself and young ones (cf. Job 28:7, Job 28:21).
4. Its sanguinary appetite. “Her young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is she.” In the East eagles follow armies in order to feed upon the corpses of the slain (cf. Mat 24:28).
Learn:
1. That he can best describe the creatures who knows all about them, because he made them.
2. That every creature on the face of the earth has its peculiar nature, instincts, habitat, by Divine appointment.
3. That wherever God assigns dwelling to a creature, there also he provides means of subsistence.
4. That a large portion of the world’s beauty consists in the variety of animal-life which it supports.
5. That the study of zoology is fitted to convey important lessons concerning the power, wisdom, goodness, and sovereignty of God.
HOMILIES BY R. GREEN
Job 39:1-30
The creatures not dependent upon man.
We truly know that of man it is written, “Thou hast put all things under his feet;” and “We see not yet all things put under him.” The creatures over whom dominion was given to man are not wholly submissive. And man must learn his littleness in presence of the great creatures of God whom he fails to subdue. “The wild goats” and “the hinds” and “the wild ass,” “the unicorn,” even “the ostrich,” “the horse” and the birds of the air, “the hawk” and “the eagle,” are all alike independent of man. They have neither their beauty nor their strength, their flight nor their instinct, from him. With all his knowledge, his skill, his inventiveness, his cunning, still the creatures are independent of him, though he is not independent of them. They can do without him, but not he without them. It is another step in the course of the humiliation through which the Lord is leading Job. Man may sling with the stone, or shoot with the arrow, or entrap with his skill, or train and conquer by his superior wisdom, yet is he miserably impotent in their presence. And most certainly they derive neither their life nor any of their powers from him. Shall vain man, then, contend with the Creator of all? Shall he whose are all things find him to whom none belong entering the lists with him? Shall he contend? shall he instruct? shall he reprove? and answer? Nay, verily. His place is tire dust, and to the dust God will humble him; and in doing so, he brings man into the presence of his many and beautiful and powerful creatures, and shows him how independent they are of him. This is the teaching of the entire chapter. Humility, therefore, is due
I. BECAUSE MAN CANNOT CREATE ANY ONE OF THEM.
II. BECAUSE THEY ARE INDEPENDENT OF MAN FOR THEIR CONTINUANCE AND SUSTENANCE.
III. BECAUSE IN MANY OF THEIR POWERS THEY EXCEED THE MIGHT OF MAN, who cannot give them their speed, their strength, or their great beauty. How little is man amidst the wonders of the Divine hands! and how truly wise is be who, in presence of the divinely wrought creatures, bows down confessing, “How wonderful are all thy works, O Lord!”R.G.
HOMILIES BY W.F. ADENEY
Job 39:5-8
The wild ass.
The special characteristic of the wild ass is said to be untractability. While no animal is more tame than the poor, ill-treated donkey of the London street, no animal is more essentially untamable than the Syrian ass of the desert. It is said that though one of these creatures bad been captured when young and kept for three years in confinement, it remained “as untractable as when it was first caught, biting and kicking furiously at every one who approached it.” It is the type of the untamable.
I. GOD RULES OVER THE WILDEST CREATURES. When we look at the wild ass we see a creature that is quite beyond the range of man’s dominion. The “lord of creation” has no authority here. His dominion ceases at the border of the wilderness. His will is scorned by the free animals of the desert. Yet they are under the rule of God, who has implanted in them their instincts; they live only according to the laws of the nature that he has made. Men break from God’s laws in self-will and thus they fall into sin. Untractable as the wild ass is to man, it is absolutely obedient to the will of God, like the sea that obeys the laws of waves and tides.
II. GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF LIBERTY. The very wildness of the creature is a gift of God. He has given it its high spirits, its fleet running, its love of the wilderness. God does not keep his creatures like cowed and tamed beasts in a menagerie. He aires them a wide field, and he permits them to enjoy a large freedom. To beings of spiritual nature he also gives liberty, and that of a higher order. Men are set free from external constraints. God treats us not as slaves, but as children. Further, God gives the highest libertyliberty of soul. He sets men free from the chains of ignorance and the crushing burden of sin. In his glorious grace he deals most liberally with his children. Not like the despot who fears a whisper of the word “liberty,” God grieves over the self-made slavery of souls, and sends his gospel for the very purpose of giving “liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isa 61:1). Surely liberty is a prize to be eagerly sought and jealously guarded in government, in thought, and in spiritual life. Dryden writes
“The love of liberty with life is given, III. GOD INTENDS US TO USE OUR LIBERTY IN OBEDIENCE. We must combine the two previous thoughts to see how the wild ass is provided for by God. It follows tire laws of its nature, and so obeys God absolutely, albeit unconsciously, while it enjoys the largest liberty. Thus it cannot be said to abuse its liberty, but only to use it. Roaming over the desert on its swift feet, it espies the green oasis and revels in the fresh pasturage. God expects us to use our liberty in obedience to his will. He does not poor food into our mouths; we must seek it. He does not force iris grace upon us; we have to follow the method he has laid down, and turn to him in faith. But in doing this we are to use the utmost freedom of thought, and to be absolutely independent of the constraints of man on our religion, while we ask for help to be free from the bondage of evil, in obedience to the will of God.W.F.A.
Job 39:11
Trusting in mere strength.
This chapter of natural history carries us on from one graphic picture to another, in which we see the glorious strength and freedom of God’s creatures, altogether outside the domain of man’s rule. Now we are to look at the urus. In bodily form he is very like the docile ox; yet how different in habit and temper! Will he serve us, lodge in our stall, plough our field and drag our harrow like his homely cousin, the drudge of the farm? Yet he is immensely strong. We cannot trust mere strength.
I. PHYSICAL STRENGTH IS NOT THE GREATEST GIFT OF NATURE. There is energy in nature. But before we can use it we must apply mind to nature. A Samson may do good work in hard, rough times, but he cannot be the Redeemer of man. The worship of muscle has grown to enormous proportions in this age of athletics. Good as it is to be in health and to be strong, and natural as the reaction is from extreme. ascetic views, our modern glorying in health and strength does not touch what is highest in man, and it may lead to a neglect of this. It may humble the idolizer of strength for him to consider how enormously his greatest power is outdone by that of the urus. At best he is creeping up far behind one of the most senseless of animals.
II. STRENGTH IS FRUITLESS UNLESS IT IS TURNED TO USEFUL SERVICE. The urus may be stronger than the domestic ox, yet he wastes his powers in blundering about in the wilderness. He cannot be put to any good service, because he will not be controlled. There are men of great power who flitter away their energies aimlessly and fruitlessly, because their minds and wills have never been subdued and bent into some worthy service. They have ability, but they do nothing effectively. It is as important to train the will as it is to cultivate the faculties. The most useful service of God and man is not always performed by those who have the greatest gifts. The disposition to serve will enable the less gifted to do more in life than their brilliant companions who will not stoop to wear the yoke.
III. STRENGTH CAN ONLY BE OF SERVICE WHEN IT IS WISELY DIRECTED. The urus is wild, senseless, untamable, and not susceptible to educative influences; therefore he cannot use his strength for profitable work. Human strength needs Divine guidance. So long as the soul is wild and self-willed, the powers of mind and body cannot be spent fruitfully. The humble ox looks a less noble beast than the wild and daring bison, with his shaggy mane, his flashing eye, his powerful neck, his thunderous charge; yet the former is useful because it is obedient. The first lesson we have to learn in life is to obey; this, too, is the last lesson. As the ox looks to its master, we have to look to our Master; and when we follow his guidance, whether our strength be great or small, it will not be fruitless.W.F.A.
Job 39:13-18
The careless ostrich.
Each creature has its own distinctive features determined for it by the wisdom and conferred on it by the power of God. Some of these features are not attractive, nor what we should have selected if we had had the ordering of creation. They are the more significant on this account, because they show us the more clearly that nature is not ordered according to our thought, and yet the whole description shows that it is ordered well, and for a grand total result of life far beyond anything we could have imagined. Now, we have the special characteristics of the ostrich sketched with a master-hand in view of these considerations.
I. EXCELLENCES. Here is no caricature, exaggerating eccentricities. Though what look like the defects of the ostrich are to be referred to, its goodly wings are first mentioned. Let us see merit wherever we can. In giving blame, let us not condemn wholesale. Although all may not be as we should wish, let us generously acknowledge that all is not bad. It is better to admire the good in the world than to be only on the look out for the evil. We shall be more helpful friends if we rejoice to lay hold of what is admirable in others, and seek this first, instead of pouncing upon the ugly faults, like vultures who have eyes for nothing but carrion.
II. DEFECTS. The ostrich is not perfect, according to man’s idea of perfection. There are defects in nature, and these defects are not ignored in the natural theology of “Job;” It is wiser to admit them frankly than to gloss them over. Although they may not be the principal characteristics, they startle us by their very existence, The ostrich appears to be lacking in maternal care; it is a foolish creature, leaving its eggs without imagining the danger they are in of being trampled on by the wild animals of the desert. God is leading nature on to perfection, but it is not yet perfect. The law of nature, like that of man, is progress, not stationary completeness.
III. COMPENSATIONS. Things are not so bad with the ostrich as they appear to us at first sight. Although the ostrich-eggs are left in the sand, they do not perish as the eggs of most birds under ordinary circumstances would do. Beneath the tropical heat of the sun they can be deserted during the day, the bird returning to sit on them at night. Thus by the wonderful balancing of influences in nature the careless maternity of the ostrich does not seriously endanger its offspring. If God has not given the bird wisdom, it does not need it. So long as we keep to the lines that God has laid down, we shall see that most defects have ample compensation in other directions. The culpable carelessness is that which goes against the laws of God; the fatal folly is that which departs from his ways. This carelessness and this folly are not found in the ostrich; they are only seen in man.W.F.A.
Job 39:19-25
The war-horse.
This magnificent picture of the horse shows him to us as he is about to rush into battle. Whilst asses, oxen, and camels were employed for peaceable work on the farm and as beasts of burden, the horse was almost confined to war. He was rarely used excepting to dash with the charioteer into the thick of the fight. In the poet’s picture he is scenting the battle from afar. Let us look at his striking features.
I. STRENGTH. There are two kinds of strengthmere brute strength of muscle, and the strength that is vitalized by nervous and mental influences. The urus is an instance of the former. In simple contractility of muscle he may exceed the horse. But the strength of the horse is nervous strength. It cannot well be measured, for it is continually fluctuating. It varies in degree according to the extent to which the sensitive animal is excited. We meet with the two kinds of strength in men, and especially in women. When the mind fires the body, unheard-of feats are performed. In moments of heroism naturally feeble people seem to have the strength of a giant. God gives strength through spiritual influences.
II. COURAGE. We may be surprised to meet with this characteristic in a description of the horse. Is he not a timid creature, shying at any unusual object by the wayside? This is true when he is dull and subdued. But our picture shows him to us as the war-horse rushing in to battle. Then he is brave as a lion. His courage is not the dull indifference to danger that is a trait of stupidity, but the fiery courage of intense excitement. It is difficult to be brave in cold blood. It is not easy to face the troubles and dangers of life without some inspiring influence. The Spirit of God in him makes the most timid brave.
III. ENTHUSIASM. The life of the picture is its enthusiasm. The horse is impatient for the rage of the battle, excited by the distant sound of it to a strong desire to rush into it. That is the spirit which will give him strength and courage to go right into the midst of the danger. Nothing succeeds like enthusiasm. Nothing is so beautiful, so inspiriting, so full of life and hope. It needs guidance or it may plunge into disaster; it is not enough without the direction of wisdom. But wisdom is vain without enthusiasm. In the Christian life men are uplifted and borne onward when they are reached by a wave of enthusiasm. Christ inspires the “enthusiasm of humanity,” because he first inspires an enthusiasm for himself. Now, the first essential in a worthy enthusiasm is the perception of a worthy object. The horse scents the battle, and the horse knows its master. We see the great battle of sin and misery, and we have a glorious Captain of salvation. The need of the world calls us to the fight; the presence of our Lord gives us strength and courage, and ensures the victory.W.F.A.
Job 39:26-30
The hawk and the eagle.
I. NATURE‘S INDEPENDENCE OF MAN. This is the leading lesson of the whole chapter, impressed upon us by means of a series of most graphic illustrations; and it reaches its climax at the concluding paragraph, in which the high-flying birds of prey, the hawk and the eagle, are described. These above all other creatures are independent of man. Denizens of the air, they soar far above his reach. No human hand could give that might of pinion, that keenness of vision, that rush of life, which we see in the two birdsthe one the terror of all small creatures, the other the dangerous foe of the young of larger animals. But nature throughout is quite beyond the skill and power of man. By the intelligence God has given us we may employ many of the great natural forces, and subdue fierce and powerful animals. But this is a small thing compared with the thought that planned and the energy that wrought in the making of those creatures. Surpassing us in many enviable qualities, the kings of the wilderness teach us our littleness in the presence of the wonderful Creator.
II. THE TRIUMPH OF MOVEMENT. Birds illustrate this most conspicuously. Cleaving the air with swift, strong strokes, rising and falling at will, floating like atmospheric fishes, darting hither and thither with the speed of an express train, birds are the very opposite of creatures that spend a merely vegetative existence. Their lively energy is seen in dazzling movements. Now, the movements of nature are typical of those that take place in spiritual regions. Stagnation is death. It is not enough to have been set right once for all. The bird will droop and fail if it is always moping on the perch. Souls must be in movement, seeking fresh enterprises, pressing on to new fields of service, or at least diligently pursuing the line of duty. Souls want wings. We can only live our fullest life when we rise. It is not easy to soar into the higher regions. The hawk mounts in a spiral. We cannot reach the altitude of spiritual experience at a bound; and we too may have to work our way up laboriously. But rise we must, if we would not fail in our Christian calling.
III. THE VICTORY OF VISION. The eyes of the hawk and the eagle are proverbial for strength and keenness. These birds can see their prey from afar. They would perish if they were blind, nay, even if they became dim-sighted. Souls must have eyes, strung to gaze at the light, keen to detect what is valuable. We blunder through the world in spiritual blindness, seeing neither the glory of God nor the best blessings he has given us. With clipped wings and hooded eyes, how can we enter into the large heritage that God has provided for us? Our souls need a purging of their vision from the sin that blinds and maims. Then regenerated by the Spirit of God, they have before them a glory of sight and life that leave the struggling attempts of hawk and eagle far beneath.W.F.A.
CHAP. XXXIX.
Of the wild goats and hinds; of the wild ass; the unicorn, the peacock, stork, and ostrich; the horse, the hawk, and the eagle.
Before Christ 1645.
The Third Stage of the Disentanglement
Job 38:1 to Job 42:6
JEHOVAHS DISCOURSE.The aim of which is to prove that the Almighty and Only Wise God, with whom no mortal man should dispute, might also ordain suffering simply to prove and test the righteous: (Second Half of the positive solution of the problem.)
Job 38:1 to Job 40:5
First Discourse of Jehovah (together with Jobs answer): With God, the Almighty and Only Wise, no man may dispute. Job 38:1 to Job 40:5
1. Introduction: The appearance of God; His demand that Job should answer Him
Job 38:1-3
1Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
22 Who is this that darkeneth counsel
by words without knowledge?
3Gird up now thy loins like a man;
for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me!
2. Gods questions touching His power revealed in the wonders of creation
Job 38:4 –Job 39:30
a. Questions respecting the process of creation:
Job 38:4-15.
4Where wast thou, when I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.
5Who hath laid the measure thereof, if thou knowest?
or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?
or who laid the corner-stone thereof:
7when the morning-stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8Or who shut up the sea with doors,
when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9When I made the cloud the garment thereof,
and thick darkness a swaddling-band for it;
10and brake up for it my decreed place,
and set bars and doors,
11and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;
and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
12Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days;
and caused the day spring to know his place;
13that it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14It is turned as clay to the seal;
and they stand as a garment.
15And from the wicked their light is withholden,
and the high arm shall be broken.
b. Respecting the inaccessible depths and heights below and above the earth, and the forces proceeding from them
Job 38:16-27
16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?
or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?
17Have the gates of death been opened unto thee?
or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth?
declare if thou knowest it all.
19Where is the way where light dwelleth?
and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,
20that thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,
and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?
21Knowest thou it because thou wast then born?
or because the number of thy days is great?
22Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?
or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war?
24By what way is the light parted,
which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
25Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters,
or a way for the lightning of thunder;
26to cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is;
on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
27to satisfy the desolate and waste ground;
and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
c. Respecting the phenomena of the atmosphere, and the wonders of the starry heavens
Job 38:28-38
28Hath the rain a father?
or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29Out of whose womb came the ice?
and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
30The waters are hid as with a stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen.
31Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades,
or loose the bands of Orion?
32Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?
or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
33Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven?
canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth.
34Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,
that abundance of waters may cover thee?
35Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go,
and say unto thee, Here we are?
36Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?
or who hath given understanding to the heart?
37Who can number the clouds in wisdom?
or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
38when the dust groweth into hardness,
and the clods cleave fast together?
d. Respecting the preservation and propagation of wild animals, especially of the lion, raven, wild goat, oryx, ostrich, war-horse, hawk, and eagle
Job 38:39 to Job 39:30
39Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion?
or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40when they couch in their dens,
and abide in the covert to lie in wait?
41who provideth for the raven his food?
when his young ones cry unto God, Chap. 39
1Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth?
or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
2Canst thou number the months that they fulfil?
or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones,
they cast out their sorrows.
4Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn;
they go forth, and return not unto them.
5Who hath sent out the wild ass free?
or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
6Whose house I have made the wilderness,
and the barren land his dwellings.
7He scorneth the multitude of the city,
neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.
8The range of the mountains is his pasture,
and he searcheth after every green thing.
9Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee,
or abide by thy crib?
10Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow?
or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great?
or wilt thou leave thy labor to him?
12Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed,
and gather it into thy barn?
13Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks?
or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
14Which leaveth her eggs in the earth,
and warmeth them in the dust,
15and forgetteth that the foot may crush them,
or that the wild beast may break them.
16She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers:
her labor is in vain without fear;
17because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
neither hath He imparted unto her understanding.
18What time she lifteth up herself on high,
she scorneth the horse and his rider.
19Hast thou given the horse strength?
hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
20Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?
the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
21He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:
he goeth on to meet the armed men.
22He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted;
neither turneth he back from the sword.
23The quiver rattleth against him,
the glittering spear and the shield.
24He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;
neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
25He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha!
and he smelleth the battle afar off, 26Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom,
and stretch her wings toward the south?
27Doth the eagle mount up at thy command,
and make her nest on high?
28She dwelleth and abideth on the rock,
upon the crag of the rock and the strong place.
29From thence she seeketh the prey,
and her eyes behold afar off.
30Her young ones also suck up blood;
and where the slain are, there is she.
3. Conclusion of the discourse, together with Jobs answer, announcing his humble submission
Job 40:1-5
Chap. 40.
1And Jehovah answered Job, and said,
2Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him?
he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
3Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
4Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee?
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5Once have I spoken, but I will not answer:
yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The appearance of God, which Job had again and again expressly wished for, a wish which recurs in Job 23:3 seq., and especially towards the end of his last discourse (Job 31:35), and for which Elihus preaching of doctrine and of repentance had prepared the waythis appearance now takes place during that storm, of fearful beauty, which had supplied the last of Elihus discourses with the material for its impressive descriptions of the greatness of God in His works. This Divine manifestation, which is not to be understood as taking place corporeally in a human form; see on Job 38:1corresponds moreover to the preparatory representations proceeding from Elihu in this respect, that like those representations it bears testimony at the same time in behalf of Job and against him. It testifies for Job in that it brings about the actual realization of the ardent longing which he had so often uttered, and in that it is not accompanied by that terrifying and crushing effect on the bold challenger which he himself had several times dreaded as possible (Job 9:34; Job 13:21; Job 23:6), and had on that account deprecated. It testifies against him by means of the deep humiliation which the majesty of the Almighty occasions to him, by means of the consciousness wrought within him of his own insignificance and limitation in contrast with this fulness of power and wisdom, and by means of the principle which in this very way is brought forth into full expression, and which is expressly acknowledged by him at the close of this first address of Jehovahthe principle, namely, that from henceforth he must lay aside entirely all condemnation of Gods ways, and be willing to submit himself in absolute humility to His decree.Again the rich illustration, elaborated in the most elevated style of poetic discourse, which in this first address God gives of His all-transcending majesty in contrast with mans insignificance (chs. Job 38:4 to Job 39:30) is also such as testifies at once for and against Job, and thus continues with increased emphasis the strain already begun by Elihu (especially in his fourth discourse). On the one side it serves to confirm the previous descriptions given by Job himself of Gods greatness, wonderful power, and plenitude of wisdom; on the other side it transcends the same in the incomparably more elevated and impressive power of its representation, under the influence of which the last remainder of insolent pride still adhering to Job must of necessity dissolve and disappear. The discourse forms one well-conceived, harmoniously constructed whole, consisting of two principal divisions of almost equal length, of which the first (Job 38:4-38) refers to the creation and to inanimate nature, the second (chs. Job 38:39; Job 39:30) to the animal kingdom, as sources of evidence proving the divine majesty. It is not necessary to resolve these two divisions into two separate discourses, as is done by Kster and Schlottmann, the former of whom even deems it necessary to resort to the violent operation of transposing the conclusion in Job 40:1-5, and putting it after Job 38:36.Each of these divisions may be subdivided into three strophegroups, or long strophes, consisting of 1112 verses each, which may again be subdivided, according to the subjects described, into subordinate strophes or paragraphs, now longer and now shorter. Of these simple, short strophes the three long strophes of the first principal division (a, b and c) contain respectively three to four, whereas the last two long strophes, at least of the second chief division, which dwell on themes derived from the animal world, consist of but two short strophes respectively.
2. The Introduction: Job 38:1-3.Then Jehovah answered Job out of the storm.The answering or replying refers back to Jobs repeated challenges, and especially to the last, found in Job 31:35 : Let the Almighty answer me! (here, as also in Job 40:6 with medial ; comp. Ewald, 9, 11, c [Green, 4, a]; which the Kri in both cases sets aside) out of the storm (thunderstorm); not (as Luther translates) out of a storm. It is beyond question an unsatisfactory explanation of the definite article to say that as applied to it means that storm, which always, or as a rule, is wont to announce and to accompany the appearance of God, whenever He draws nigh to the earth in majesty and in the character of a judge (Dillmann). In view of the way in which the most ancient Old Testament sources describe the theophanies of the patriarchal age in general, this generic rendering of the article is not at all suitable (comp. also 1Ki 19:11 : the Lord was not in the wind). The only explanation of the here, as well as in Job 40:6, which is linguistically and historically satisfactory, is that which finds in it a reference to Elihus description of a violent thunder-storm in his last discourse (Job 36:37)a reference which at the same time confirms not only our interpretation of this discourse given above, but also its genuineness, and the authenticity of Elihus discourses in general. Placing ourselves (along with the commentators cited above on Job 36.) on this, the only correct point of view, we see at once the impossibility of viewing Gods speaking out of the storm as taking place through a corporeal appearance of Jehovah in human form. On the contrary, precisely in the same way that Elihus description pre-supposed only an invisible approach and manifestation of God in the storm-clouds, in their thunder and lightning, so also here a similar presence and self-manifestation of the Highest is intended, taking place under the veil of those mighty phenomena of nature; hence only a symbolical, not a corporeal appearance of God. For this reason we may with some propriety describe the solution of the whole problem of our poem which is introduced by this divine appearance as a solution in the consciousness (Delitzsch). In any case the theophany which effects it is to be conceived of as one in which God drew near to the earth veiled, perceptible indeed to the ear, and in His shining veil visible to the eye, but nevertheless veiled, and not presenting a bodily appearance (Ewald). [In accordance with the explanation given above of Job 37:21-22, the out of which Jehovah speaks is not to be limited to the storm while raging, but refers rather to the dark materials of the storm now pacified, the mountainous cloud-masses in the north, which having spent their thunder, were now looming up in terrible majesty, while their open rifts disclosed the golden irradiation of the sunlight, a scene we may suppose not unlike that described by Wordsworth near the close of the Second Book of the Excursion. Such a scene, just preceded as it had been by the awe-inspiring phenomena of the storm at its height would fitly usher in the Divine Presence, from which the words which are to end the controversy are about to proceed.E.]
Job 38:2. Who is this that darkens counsel: lit. who is this, who is here ( , comp. Gesenius, 122 [ 120], 2) darkening counsel? without the article (instead of , or instead of ) is used intentionally in order to describe that which is darkened by Job qualitatively, as something which is a counsel (or a plan), as opposed to a whim, or a cruel caprice, such as Job had represented Gods dealings with him as being. [Two things are implied in what is here said to Job: that his suffering is founded on a plan of Gods, and that he by his perverse speeches is guilty of distorting and mistaking this plan (in representing it as caprice without a plan). Dillm. Jobs ignorant words had darkened Gods plan by obscuring or keeping out of sight its intelligent benevolent features]. The participle is used rather than the Perf., because down to the very end of his speaking Job had misunderstood Gods counsel, and even during Elihus discourses he had recalled nothing of what he had said in this particular. For to the instruction and reproofs of this last speaker he had made no other response than persistent profound silence. He actually appeared accordingly at the moment when Jehovah himself began to speak as still a darkener of counsel, however true it might be that his conversion to a better frame of mind had already begun inwardly to take place under the influence of the addresses of his predecessor. This participle accordingly furnishes no argument against the genuineness of chap. 32-37. (against Ewald, Delitzsch, Dillmann, etc.): and all the less seeing that a direct interruption of Job at the moment when he had last spoken contentiously and censoriously in respect to Gods plan (Job 31:35 seq.) by the appearance of God cannot be intended even if these chapters were in fact not genuine (comp. remarks on that passage). And especially would the assumption that the interpolator of the Elihu discourses had been prompted by this expression, , purposely to avoid introducing Job within the limits of that section as making any confession whatever of his penitence, presuppose on the part of the interpolator a degree of artistic deliberation, nay more, of crafty cunning absolutely without a parallel in the entire Bible literature.
Job 38:3. Gird up now thy loins like a mani.e., in preparation for the contest with me (comp. Job 12:21). According to b this contest is to consist in a series of questions to be addressed by God to Job and to be answered by the latter; hence formally or apparently in the very thing which Job himself had in Job 13:22 wished for; in reality however God so overwhelms him by the humiliating contents of these questions that the absolute inequality of the contending parties and Jobs guilt become apparent at once.
3. The argument: a. Gods questions respecting the process of creation: Job 38:4-15. [This division consists of three minor strophes of four verses each, the fourth verse in each forming, as Schlottmann observes, a climax in the thought].
a. Questions touching the foundation of the earth: Job 38:4-7.
Job 38:4. Where wast thou when I founded the earth? (A question similar to that of Eliphaz above: Job 15:7 seq.). Declare it if thou hast understandingto wit, of the way in which this process was carried on. This same How of the process of founding the earth is also the unexpressed object of declare! In respect , to have an understanding of anything, comp. Isa 29:24; Pro 4:1; 2Ch 2:12.
Job 38:5. Who hath fixed its measure that thou shouldest know it? , not: for thou surely knowest it (Schlottmann) [Good, Lee, Barnes, Carey, Renan, Elzas], but so that thou shouldest know it ( as in Job 3:12). [Dillmann objects to the rendering, for thou knowest, that the verb should be in that case ; an objection which may also be urged against the rendering of E. V., Sept., Vulg., Umbreit, Rosenmller, Bernard, if thou knowest. Compare in Job 38:4 b.]. The inquires not after the person of the Architect, the same being sufficiently known, but rather after His character, and that of His activity:what kind of a being must He be who could fix the earths measure like that of a building? (Dillmann).
Job 38:6. Whereon were its pillars sunkeni.e., on what kind of a foundation? lit. pedestals, comp. Exo 26:19 seq.; Son 5:15. The meaning of the question is of course that already indicated in Job 9:6; Job 26:7, according to which passages the earth hangs free in space. The question in b refers to the same thing: or who laid down her corner-stone? where the laying down (, jacere) of the corner-stone points to the wonderful ease with which the entire work was accomplished.
Job 38:7. When the morning-stars sang out together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.The Infinitive is continued in b by the finite verb, as in Job 38:13, and often. The whole description determines the time of the fact of the founding of the earth ( ) spoken of in Job 38:6. The founding is here set forth as a festal celebration (comp. Ezr 3:10; Zec 4:7) attended by all the heavenly hosts, which are here mentioned by the double designation sons of God (comp. Job 1:6; Job 2:1) and morning stars, i.e., creatures of such glory, that they surpass all other creatures of God in the same way that the brightness of the morning-star (= , Isa 14:12, Lucifer) eclipses all the other stars. As another example of this generic generalized form of expression here found in the word morning-stars, compare the of Isa 13:10, i.e., the Orion-like constellations. The expression morning-stars moreover is scarcely to be understood as a tropical designation of that which is literally designated by the expression sons of God, that is to say, the angels (Hirzel, Dillmann [Carey, Wemyss, Barnes] etc.). Rather are the angels and stars mentioned together here in precisely the same way that in Job 15:15 heaven and the holy ones of God are mentioned together, this being in accordance with the mysterious connection which the Holy Scriptures generally set forth as existing between the starry and angelic worlds (comp. also on Job 25:6). Such a representation of the brightly shining and joyously jubilating stars (comp. Psa 19:2; Psa 148:3) as present when the earth was founded by God by no means contradicts the Mosaic account of creation in Genesis 1. where verse 14 (according to which the sun, moon and stars were not made until the fourth day) is assuredly to be interpreted phenomenally, not as descriptive of the literal fact.
. Questions respecting the shutting up of the sea within bounds: Job 38:8-11.
Job 38:8. And (who) shut up the sea with doors?, which is attached to in Job 38:6, is used with reference to the waters of the sea in the newly-created earth, which at first wildly swelling and raging had in consequence to be enclosed, penned up, as it were, behind the doors (comp. Job 3:23) of a prison (comp. Gen 1:2; Gen 1:9 seq.). The second member introduces a clause determining the time of the first which continues to the end of Job 38:11.When it burst forth, came out from the wombi.e., out of the interior of the earth (comp. Job 38:16). The verb , which is used in Psa 22:10 [9] of the bursting forth of the ftus out of the womb, is explained by the less bold word (which follows the Infinitive in the same way as the finite verb above in Job 38:7). The representation of the earth as the womb, out of which the waters of the sea burst forth, seems to contradict the modern geological theory, which on the contrary makes the earth to emerge out of the primitive sea, which enveloped and covered everything. But the science of geology recognizes not only elevations, but depressions by sinking of land or mountain masses (comp. Friedr. Pfaff, Das Wasser, Munich, 1870, p. 250 seq.). Especially do the recent Deep Sea Explorations, as they are called, seem to be altogether favorable to the essential correctness of the biblical view presented here and also in Gen 7:11; Gen 8:2, which regards the interior of the earth as originally occupied by water (comp. Pfaff, p. 90 seq.; Hermann Gropp, Untersuchungen und Erfahrungen ber das Verhalten des Grundwassers und der Quellen, Lippstadt, 1868).
Job 38:9. When I made the cloud its garment, etc. A striking poetic description of that which in Gen 2:6 seq. is narrated in historic prose. In respect to , wrapping, swaddling-cloth, comp. the corresponding verb in Eze 16:4. [By this expression the ocean is obviously compared to a babe. God thus in grand language expresses how manageable was the ocean to Him. Carey].
Job 38:10. And brake for it (lit. over it) my bound, etc. The verb which is not here equivalent to , to appoint, as Arnheim, Wette, Hahn [Lee, Bernard, Noyes, Conant, Wemyss, Barnes, Renan] think, [or according to Rosenmller, Umbreit, Carey, to span, after the Arabic] vividly portrays the abrupt fissures of the sea-coast, which is often so high and steep. Comp. the Homeric . On , bound, comp. Job 26:10; Pro 8:29; Jer 5:22. On b comp. Job 38:8 a.
Job 38:11. Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further ( scil. ); here let one set against the pride of thy waves, scil. a dam, a bound. The verb , let one place is used passively [and impersonally] for let there be placed (comp. Gesen. 137 [ 134]). It is not necessary, with the Vulg. and Pesh. to read , here shalt thou stay the pride of thy waves, or, with Codurcus, Ewald, and others to make the subj. (in the sense of this place). On the pride of the waves=proud waves, comp. Psa 89:10 [9].
. Questions respecting the regular advance of the light of morning upon the earth: Job 38:12-15. [The transition from the sea to the morning is not so abrupt as it appears. For the ancients supposed that the sun sets in the ocean, and at his rising comes out of it again. Noyes. Here with genuine poetry the dawn sending forth its rays upon the earth immediately after creation is represented in its regular recurrence and in its moral significance. This member accordingly forms the transition to the following strophe; it is however first of all the logical conclusion of the first. Schlottmann].
Job 38:12. Hast thou since thy birth (lit. from thy days) commanded the morning (i.e., to arise at its time), made known to the dawn its place, (lit. made the dawn to know its place). Instead of the Kthibh, it is certainly admissible to read with the Kri ; the anarthrous of the first member by no means requires us to remove the definite article from the dawn, which is always only one. [The mention of its place here seems to be an allusion to the fact that it does not always occupy the same position. At one season of the year it appears on the equator, at another north, at another south of it, and is constantly varying its position. Yet it always knows its place. It never fails to appear where by the long-observed laws it ought to appear. Barnes].
Job 38:13. That it may take hold on the borders (or fringes) of the earth. The surface of the earth is conceived of as an outspread carpet, of the ends of which the dawn as it were takes hold all together as it rises suddenly and spreads itself rapidly (comp. Job 37:3; Psa 139:9), and this with the view of shaking out of it the wicked, the evil-doers who, dreading the light, ply their business upon it by night; i.e., of removing them from it at once. The passage contains an unmistakable allusion to Jobs own previous description in Job 24:13 seq. God, anticipating herein in a certain measure the contents of His second discourse, would give Job to understand how through the original order of creation as established by Himself human wrong is ever annulled again) Ewald. Comp. also Job 5:15).
Job 38:14. That it may change like signet-clayi.e., the earth ( , Herod. II. 38), which during the night is, as it were, a shapeless mass, like unsealed wax, but which, in the bright light of the morning, reveals the entire beauty of its changing forms, of its heights and depths, etc. The subj. of is to be sought neither in the morning and day-spring of Job 38:12 (Schultens, Rosenmller), which is altogether too far removed from this clause, nor in the borders of Job 38:13 (Ewald), but in the particular things found on the earths surface. The effect of the morning on them is that they set themselves forth (or, all sets itself forth) like a garment, i.e., in all the manifold variegated forms and colors of gay apparel.
Job 38:15. From the wicked their light is withheldi.e., the darkness of the night with which they are so familiar [and which is to them what light is to others], comp. Job 24:16 seq. (Delitz.: the light to which they are partial [ihr Lieblingslicht]). And the uplifted arm (is) brokeni.e., figuratively, in the sense that the light of the day compels it to desist from the violence, to fulfil which it had raised itself (comp. Job 22:8).
4. Continuation: b. Questions respecting the heights and depths above and below the earth, and the natural forces proceeding from them: Job 38:16-27.
a. The depths under the earth: Job 38:16-18.
Job 38:16. Hast thou come to the well-springs of the sea?i.e., to those fountains of the deep of which the Mosaic account of the Flood makes mention; Gen 7:11; Gen 8:2 (comp. above on Job 38:8). The phrase , found only here, is not, with Olshausen and Hitzig, to be changed into , for the root is evidently only a harsher variation of , and so beyond a doubt expresses the notion of welling, springing. Thus correctly the LXX: . [Jarchi, followed by Bernard, Lee, (and see Ewald and Schlottmann) defines to mean entanglements, mazes (comp. ); but this meaning is less probable than the one more commonly received after the Sept.].In respect to in b, comp. above, Job 8:8; Job 11:7.
Job 38:17. Have the gates of death opened themselves to thee, etc.Comp. Job 26:6, where the mention of the realm of the dead follows that of the sea precisely as here. On death, as meaning the realm of the dead, comp. Job 28:22; and on in the same sense, see Job 10:21 seq.
Job 38:18. Hast thou made an examination unto the breadths of the earth. signifies, as also in Job 32:12, to attend to anything strictly, to take a close observation of anything, the indicating that this observation is complete, that it penetrates through to the extreme limit. The interrogative is omitted before , in order to avoid the concurrence of the two aspirates (Ewald, 324, b). On b comp. Job 38:4, refers not to the earth, but in the neuter sense, to the things spoken of in the questions just asked. [To see the force of this (question), we must remember that the early conception of the earth was that it was a vast plain, and that in the time of Job its limits were unknown. Barnes. Too much stress is commonly laid on the fact that when the poet wrote this, only a small part of the earth was known. Unquestionably the consciousness of the limitation of mans vision was in some respects strengthened by that, fact; but that which is properly the main point here, to wit, the inability of man, at one glance to compass the whole earth and all its hidden depths retains all its ancient stress in connection with the widest geographical acquaintance with the surface of the earth. Schlottmann].
. The heights of light above the earth: Job 38:19-21.
Job 38:19. What is the way (thither, where) the light dwells.On the relative clause comp. Ges. 123 [ 121], 3, c. On b, comp. Job 28:1-12. The meaning of the whole verse is as follows: Both light and darkness have a first starting point or a final outlet, which is unapproachable to man, and unattainable to his researches. [As in Genesis 1., the light is here regarded as a self-subsistent, natural force, independent of the heavenly luminaries by which it is transmitted: and herein modern investigation agrees with the direct observations of antiquity. Schlottm.]
Job 38:20. That Thou mightest bring them (light and darkness) to their bound [lit. it to its bound, the subjects just named considered separately]. as above in Job 38:5. lit. to bring, to fetch; comp. Gen 27:13; Gen 42:16; Gen 48:9.And that thou shouldest know the paths of their house, i.e. to their home, their abiding place (comp. Job 28:23). It is possible that by this knowing about the paths of their house is meant taking back [escorting home] the light and darkness, just as in the first member mention is made of fetching, bringing them away; for the repetition of seems to indicate that the meaning of the two halves of the verse is not identical (Dillmann).
Job 38:21 is evidently intended ironically: Thou knowest, for then wast thou born, i.e. at the time when light and darkness were created, and their respective boundaries were determined. The meaning is essentially the same as in Job 15:7. On the Imperf. with comp. Gesenius, 127 [ 125], 4, a; Ewald, 136, b.And the number of thy days is many.The attraction in connection with as in Job 15:20; Job 21:21. [The interrogative rendering of this verse, as in E. V.: Knowest thou it, because thou-wast then born? etc., is excessively flat. It may be undesirable, as Barnes says, to represent God as speaking in the language of irony and sarcasm, unless the rules of interpretation imperatively demand it. But humiliating irony surely accords better with the dignity and character of the speaker, as well as with the connection, than pointless insipidity.E.]
. Snow and hail, light and wind: Job 38:22-24.
Job 38:22. Hast thou come to the treasuries of the snow? Comp. on Job 37:9. The figure of the treasuries (, magazines, storehouses) vividly represents the immense quantities in which snow and hail are wont to fall on the earth; comp. Psa 135:7.
Job 38:23 gives the purpose and rule of the Divine Government of the world, which snow and hail are constrained to subserve.Which I have reserved for the time of distress.Such an (comp. Job 15:24; Job 36:16) may be caused in the east not only by a hailstorm (Exo 9:22; Hag 2:17; Sir 39:29), but even by a fall of snow. In February, 1860, innumerable herds of sheep, goats and camels, and also many men, were destroyed in Hauran by a snow-storm, in which snow fell in enormous quantities, as described by Muhammed el-Chatib el-Bosrawi in a writing still in the possession of Consul Wetzstein (Delitzsch).The second member refers to such cases as Jos 10:11 (comp. Isa 28:17; Isa 30:30; Eze 13:13; Psa 68:15 [14]; 1Sa 7:10; 2Sa 23:20), where violent hail or thunder-storms contributed to decide the issues of war in accordance with the divine decrees.
Job 38:24. What is the way to where the light is parted [where] the east wind spreadeth over the earth.The construction as in Job 38:19 a. The light and the east wind (i.e. a violent wind, a storm in general, comp. Job 27:21) are here immediately joined together, because the course of both these agents defies calculation, and because they are incredibly swift in their movements [possibly also because they both proceed from the same point of the compass]. scarcely denotes the lightning, as in Job 37:3 seq. (Schlottmann), which is first spoken of in Job 38:25, and then again in Job 38:35, and to which the verb , divides, scatters itself, is less suitable than to the bright day-light (comp. Job 38:13 seq.) In respect to , se diffundere, comp. Exo 5:12; 1Sa 13:8. [According to the E. V. the light is the subject of both members: By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth. But this construction is less probable and suitable than that given above, which recognizes the light as the subject of the first member, and the east-wind of the second.E.]
d. The rain-storm and the lightning considered as divinely appointed phenomena which, while they inspire terror, are productive of beneficent results: Job 38:25-27.
Job 38:25. Who hath divided a watercourse for the rain-torrent, i.e., conducted the rain through the thick masses of clouds to specific portions of the thirsty earth. , which of itself means flood, torrent of waters in general, is used here of a down-pouring beneficent torrent of rain [the earthward direction assigned to the water-spouts is likened to an aqueduct coming downwards from the sky; Delitzsch], and hence in a different sense from e.g., Psa 32:6. The second member is taken verbally from Job 28:26.
Job 38:26. That it may rain on the land where no man is; lit. to cause it to rain, etc. The subject of is of course God who has been already indicated by in Job 38:25. That it should rain on a land of no-man (the construction as in Job 10:22), i.e., on a land destitute of men, not artificially irrigated and tilled by men, is here set forth as a wise and loving providential arrangement of Gods. [God lays stress on this circumstance in order to humiliate man, and to show him that the earth was made neither by him, nor for him. Renan. Man who is so prone to put his own interests above everything else, and to judge everything from his own human point of view, is here most strikingly reminded, how much wider is the range of the Divine vision, and how God in the exercise of His loving solicitude remembers even those regions, which receive no care from man, so that even there the possibility of life and growth is secured to His creatures. Dillmann].
Job 38:27 then states more definitely this beneficent purpose of God: to satisfy the wild and wilderness, ( as in Job 30:3) [the desert is thus like a thirsty pilgrim; it is parched, and thirsty, and sad, and it appeals to God, and He meets its wants and satisfies it, Barnes], and to make the green herb to sprout; lit. to make the place (the place of going forth, , comp. Job 28:1) of the green herb to sprout.
5. Continuation. c. Questions respecting the phenomena of the atmosphere and the wonders of the starry heavens: Job 38:28-38.
. Respecting rain, dew, ice, and hoar-frost: Job 38:28-30.
Job 38:28-29. Is there a father to the rain? As this member, together with the following inquires (through the formula ) after a male progenitor for the atmospheric precipitations of moisture, so does Job 38:29 inquire after the mother of ice and hoar-frost, for the formula in b also refers to the agency of a mother, as well as the question in a. This variation of gender in the representation is to be explained by the fact that rain and dew come from heaven, the abode of God, while ice and hoarfrost come out of the earth, out of the secret womb of the waters (verse 8). in Job 38:28 b are not reservoirs of dew (Gesenius), for which the verb would not be suitable, but drops (lit. balls, globules; LXX.: ) of dew, whether the root be associated with , volvere (which is the view commonly held), or with the Arab, agal, retinere, colligere (so Delitzsch).
Job 38:30 describes more specifically the wonderful process which takes place when water is frozen into ice. The water hardens like stone. , lit. they hide themselves, draw themselves together, thicken (a related form is , whence , curdled milk). The same representation of the process of freezing as producing contraction or compression (a representation which in the strict physical sense is not quite correct, seeing that water on the contrary always expands in freezingcomp. Pfaff, in the work cited above, pp. 103, 189 seq.), was given above by Elihu, chapter Job 37:10, not however without indicating in what sense he intended this compression, a sense which is by no means incorrect; see on the passage. A similar intimation is conveyed here by the second member: and the face of the deep cleaves together, and thus constitutes a firm solid mass (continuum), instead of fluctuating to and fro, as in the fluid state. as in Job 41:8 [17]; comp. the Greek .
. Respecting the control of the stars, and of their influence upon earth: Job 38:31-33.
Job 38:31. Canst thou bind the bands of the Pleiades? here not = amnitates, as in 1Sa 15:32, [E. V., sweet influences, referring to the softening and gladdening influences of spring-time, when that constellation makes its appearance] but vincula (LXX.: ; Targ. =) as appears from to bind, and the parallel in b, and not less from the testimony of all the ancient versions, of Talmudic usage, and of the Masora. It is to be derived accordingly by transposition from , to bind (comp. Job 31:36) not from . The arranging of the stars of the Pleiades ( as in Job 9:9) in a dense group is with poetic boldness described here as the binding of a fillet, or of a cluster of diamonds. (See a similar conception copied out of Persian poets in Ideler, Sternennamen, p. 147).Or loose the bands of Orion, so that this brilliant constellation would fall apart, or fall down from heaven, to which the presumptuous giant is chained (comp. on Job 9:9). The explanation preferred by Dillmann is admissible, and even perhaps, in view of the etymon of , to be preferred to the one more commonly adopted: Or canst thou loose the lines [GermanZugseile, draw-lines, traces, the cords by which he is drawn up to his place, suggested by ] of Orion (the giant suspended in heaven), and thus canst thou now raise, and now lower him in the firmament? The reference of the passage to the Star Suhl = Canopus (Saad., Gekat., Abulwalid, comp. also Delitzsch) is uncertain, and conflicts with the well-known signification of , which is also firmly established by Job 9:9.
Job 38:32. Canst thou bring forth the bright stars in their time ( as in Job 5:26; Psa 104:27; Psa 145:15). The word , to which such a variety of interpretations have been given, which already the LXX. did not understand, and accordingly rendered by [followed herein by E. V., Mazzaroth], seems to be most simply explained (with Dillmann) as a contracted form of , from , splendere, and to mean accordingly the brightly shining, brilliant stars, in which case we may assume the planets to be intended, particularly such as are pre-eminently brilliant, as Venus, Jupiter, Mars, (comp. Vulg., Luciferum) [Frst: Jupiter, the supreme god of good fortune]. The being brought forth in their time seems to suit better these wandering stars than e.g., the two crowns, the Northern and Southern (Cocceius, Eichhorn, Michaelis, Ewald, by comparison with ) [these constellations being, as Dillmann objects, too obscure and too little known], or the twelve signs of the Zodiac (so the majority of moderns, on the basis of the very precarious identification of with , 2Ki 23:5), or the twenty-eight stations (Arab. menzil) of the moon (so A. Weber, in his Abhandlung ber die vedischen Nachrichten von den naxatra, oder Mondstationen, 1860), or, finally, any prophetic stars whatever, astra, prsaga, prmonentia (Gesenius, who refers the word to in the Arabic signification).And guide the Bear (lit., the she-bear, , comp. Job 9:9) together with his [lit., her] young?i.e., the constellation of the Bear with the three stars forming its tail, which are regarded as its children (, in Arab. ); see on Job 9:9. The evening star (vesperus, Vulg.) is far from being intended, and equally so the comparatively unimportant constellation Capella (Eichhorn, Bibliothek, Vol. VII., p. 429).
Job 38:33. Knowest thou the laws of heaven?i.e., the laws which rule the course of the stars, the succession of seasons and periods, annual and diurnal, etc., (comp. Gen 1:14 seq.; Job 8:22).Or dost thou establish its dominion over the earth?i.e., dost thou ordain and confirm its influence (that of heaven, here personified as a king; comp. Ewald, 318 a) on earthly destinies. , dominion, is construed [with ] after the analogy of the verbs , .
. Respecting the Divine control of clouds and lightnings: Job 38:34; Job 38:36. On Job 38:34 b, comp. Job 22:11 b (which is here verbally repeated). On Job 38:35 comp. Psa 104:3; Psa 33:9.
. Additional questions relating to the clouds, and their agencies: Job 38:36-38.
Job 38:36. Who put wisdom in the dark clouds, who gave understanding to that which appears in the sky [Germ. Luftgebilde atmospheric phenomena]; i.e., who has given to them an intelligent arrangement and significance, , from , signifies here as in Psa 51:8, dark, hidden places, meaning here, as the connection shows, dark clouds, black cloud-layers (Eichhorn, Umbr., Hirz., Stickel, Hahn, Dillmann, etc., by comparison with the Arabic , and its derivative nouns. In that case, from the Hebr. and Aram, , to see, (comp. and ), signifies appearance, phenomenon, form, here according to the parallelism of the first member, a form, phenomenon of the atmosphere, or the clouds. It can scarcely mean (the rainbow being certainly called , Gen 9:13) an appearance of light, fiery meteor (Ewald, Hahn), or the full moon, (so Dillmann, at least tentatively, assuming at the same time that refers to the dark phases of the moon). At all events the explanation which refers both parallel expressions to phenomena of the cloud-heavens is the only one suited to the context (as was the case with the meteorological sense of gold in Job 37:22; whereas on the contrary the interpretation long ago adopted by the Vulg., the 2d Targ., and many Rabbis [and E. V.] and recently by Delitzsch [Gesenius, Noyes, Conant, Barnes, Wordsworth, Schlottmann, Renan], according to which means the reins, or entrails, (comp. Psa 51:8 [6]), and the cock [as the weather-prophet among animals, Delitzsch: while Gesenius, Schlottmann, Noyes, Conant, Wordsworth, Renan, as also E. V., render by heart, intelligence] yields a meaning that is singular enough, and which is made no better when the cock is regarded as speculator et prco auror, as ales diei nuntius (Prudentius), or as a weather-prophet (after Cicero, de divin. II., 26), and the reins are supposed to be mentioned because of their power of foretelling the weather and presaging the future. Still more singular and opposed to the context is the rendering of the LXX.: [And who has given to woman skill in weaving, or knowledge of embroidery]? They seem to have read in the first member , in the second , embroidering women, or to embroider.
Job 38:37. Who numbers the clouds in Wisdom. as elsewhere the Kal: to number (Job 28:27). And the bottles of the heavenswho inclines themi.e., who causes them to be emptied, to pour out their fluid contents. The comparison of the clouds, laden with rain, to bottles, or pitchers occurs frequently also in Arabic poets (see Schultens on the passage). [E. V. Who can stay the bottles of heaven? which is less suitable to , and to the context. Jerome, taking, to mean harps, renders uniquely: et concentrum clorum quis dormire faciet?]
Job 38:38. When the dust flows together into a molten mass. , fused, solid metal, a word which is to be explained in accordance with Job 37:18 (not in accordance with Job 22:16). here, as in 1Ki 22:35, to be rendered intransitively: When the dust pours itself, i.e., when it flows, runs, as it were, together. In respect to , clods, comp. Job 21:33.
6. Continuation and conclusion, d. Questions respecting the propagation and preservation of wild beasts as objects of the creative power and wise providence of God. chap. 3839:30. a. The lion, the raven, the wild goat, the stag, and the wild ass: Job 38:39 to Job 39:8.
Job 38:39. Dost thou hunt the prey for the lioness, and dost thou appease the craving of the young lions?Respecting the lions names, and , comp. on Job 4:11. To appease (lit. to fill) the craving ( ), means the same as to fill the soul ( ), Pro 6:30.
Job 38:40. When they crouch in the dens. On comp. Psa 10:10. On lustra, comp. Psa 104:22. In respect to in b, comp. , used elsewhere in the sense of thicket, Psa 10:9; Jer 25:38. On , which gives the object of the crouching and sitting [or dwelling], comp. Job 31:9 b.
Job 38:41. Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry unto God, [wander without food?The interrogation properly extends over the whole verse, not, as in E. V., over the first member only, which makes the remainder of the verse meaningless.E.]. , to prepare, to provide, as in Job 27:16 seq. when, as in Job 38:40 a. The ravens are introduced here, as in the parallel passages, Psa 147:9; Luk 12:24, as objects of Gods fatherly care, rather than any other description of birds, because they are specially noticeable among birds in search of food, by reason of their hoarse cries. Observe moreover the contrast, which is surely intentional between the mighty monarch of the beasts, which in Job 38:39 seq. is put at the head of beasts in search of food, and the contemptibly small, insignificant, and uncomely raven. [Jewish and Arabian writers tell strange stories of this bird, and its cruelty to its young; hence, say some, the Lords express care for the young ravens, after they had been driven out of the nests by the parent birds; but this belief in the ravens want of affection to its young is entirely without foundation. To the fact of the raven being a common bird in Palestine, and to its habit of flying restlessly about in constant search for food to satisfy its voracious appetite, may perhaps be traced the reason for its being selected by our Lord and the inspired writers as the especial object of Gods providing care. Smiths Bib. Dict. Art. Raven.]
Job 39:1-4 : Propagation and increase of the wild goats (rock-goats, ibices) and stags.
Job 39:1. Knowest thou the time when the wild goats bear? observest thou the travail of the hinds? Inf. Pilel of , to be in labor, (comp. the Pulal in Job 15:7), here the object of , to which verb the influence of the before in the first member extends.
Job 39:2. Dost thou number the months which they (must) fulfil;i.e., until they bring forth, hence their period of gestation. [The point of the question can scarcely be that Job could have no knowledge whatever of the matters here referred to, but that he could have no such knowledge as would qualify him to stand toward these creatures at such a time in the place of God; or, as Carey expresses it: Can you keep an exact register of all this, and exercise such providential care over these creatures, the mountain goats and hinds, as to preserve them from dangers during the time of gestation, and then deliver them at the proper period?E.]. In the second member , with full-toned suffix, is used for ; comp. Rth 1:19, and Gesenius, 91 [ 89], 1, Rem. 2. [Green, 104, g].
Job 39:3. They bow themselves (comp. 1Sa 4:19), they let their young ones break through (lit. cleave; comp. Job 16:13), they cast away their pains;i.e., the fruit of their pains, their ftus, for this is what here signifies, not the after-pains, as Hirzel and Schlottmann think. Comp. = edere ftum, in Euripides, Ion 45; also examples of the same phraseology from the Arabic in Schultens on the passage. It will be seen further that (instead of which Olshausen needlessly conjectures after Job 21:10) forms a paronomasia with .
Job 39:4. Their young ones become strong (, lit. to grow fat, pinguescere), grow up in the desert.=, or , as often in the Targ. [a meaning more suitable to the context than that of E. V. with corn ]. They go away, and return not to them;i.e., to the parents, however might also be explained after Job 6:19; Job 24:16 as Dat. commodi: sibi=sui juris esse volentes (Schultens, Delitzsch).
Vers 58. The wild ass, introduced as an example of many beasts, the life of which is characterized by unrestricted liberty, defying and mocking all human control and nurture.
Job 39:5. Who hath sent out the wild ass free, and who hath loosed the bands of the fugitive?The words (Arab, fer; comp. above Job 6:5; Job 11:12; Job 24:5) and denote one and the same animal, the wild ass or onager (the of the LXX., the Kulan of the eastern Asiatics of to-day), which is characterized by the first name as the swift runner, by the latter (which in Aramaic, and particularly in the Targum is the common name), as the shy, fleeing one. As to the predicate accusative , free, set loose, comp. Deu 15:12; Jer 34:14. As to the second member, comp. Job 38:31.
Job 39:6. Whose home [lit. house] I have made the desert, and his abode the salt-steppe.The word salt-steppe () which is here used as parallel to waste, desert (, Job 24:5 b), stands in Psa 107:34 as the opposite of (comp. Jdg 9:45, where mention is made of sowing a destroyed city with salt). On the preference of the wild ass for saline plants, and on his disposition to take up his abode in salt marshes, comp. Oken, Allg. Naturgesch. Vol. VII., p. 1230.
Job 39:7. [He laughs at the tumult (E. V. multitude, but the parallelism favors tumult) of the city], the drivers shouts he hears not;i.e., he flees from the control of the drivers, to which the tamed ass is subjected. On , comp. Job 36:29.
Job 39:8. He ranges through the mountains as his pasture.So according to the reading (Imperf. of , investigare), which is attested by almost all the ancient versions, by the LXX, Vulg., Targum. The Masoretic reading is either (with the Pesh. Le Clerc, etc.) to be taken as a variant of , abundantia, or as a derivative of with the meaning, that which is searched out (investigatum, investigabile). But the statement that the abundance of the mountains is the pasture of the wild ass would be at variance with the fact in respect to the life of these animals, which inhabit the bare mountain-steppes (comp. Oken in the work cited above). On the other hand we should expect the normal form , following the analogy of such words as to have an active rather than a passive signification. however can scarcely mean circle, compass, [E. V. range] here (Hahn).
. The oryx and ostrich: Job 39:9-18.
Job 39:9. Will the oryx be pleased to serve thee?, contracted from (comp. the full written form , Psa 92:11), assuredly denotes not the rhinoceros (Aq., Vulgate) [Good, Barnes], because the animal intended must be one that was common in Western Asia, and especially in the regions of Syria and Palestine. Comp. the reference to it in Psa 22:22 [21]; Job 29:6; Deu 33:17; Isa 34:7. It would be more natural, with Schultens, Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, Hirzel [Robinson, Noyes, Carey, Wordsworth, Renan, Rodwell, Conant, Frst, SmithsBib. Dict. Art. Unicorn], etc., to understand the buffalo or wild ox [bos bubalus) to be intended, seeing that this animal is still quite common in Palestine, and that here a contrast seems to be intended between this wild ox and the tame species (see Job 39:10). But this particular buffalo of Palestine is an animal which is not particularly strong, or characterized by untamable wildness, as is shown by the fact that it is frequently used in tilling the land (Russell, Naturgesch. von Aleppo, II. 7) [ThomsonsLand and the Book, I. 386, 387]. The of the LXX. [E. V.: unicorn] (of which the Talmudic is a mutilated form, and the of Aquila and Jerome is a misunderstanding) points to an animal which is, if not always, yet often, represented as having one horn, i.e., as being armed with one horn on the forehead, consisting of two which have grown together. Such an animal seems in ancient times to have been somewhat common in Egypt and South-western Asia, the same being a species nearly related to the oryxantelope (Antil. loucoryx) of to-day. It is represented on Egyptian monuments, now with two horns, and now with one. It is described by Aristotle and Pliny as a one-horned, cloven hoof (Aristotle, Hist. Anim. II. 1; De Partib. Anim. III. 2; Pliny, Hist. Nat. XI. 106); and in all probability it has been again discovered recently in the Tschiru, or the Antil. Hodgsonii of Southern Thibet (Hue and Gabet, Journeyings through Mongolia and Thibet, Germ. Edit., p. 323; see the passage quoted in Delitzsch, II., p. 334, n. 2). The name in the passage before us is all the more suitably applied to such an animal of the oryx species, in view of the fact that the corresponding Arabic word still signifies a species of antelope among the Syro-Arabians of to-day, and that this same oryx-family embraces sub-species which are particularly wild, largely and powerfully built, and almost bovine in their characteristics. Accordingly, Luthers translation of the word by unicorn, in this passage, and probably in every other where occurs in the Old Testament, supported as it is by the LXX., might be justified without our being compelled to understand by this unicorn a fabulous animal like that of the Perso-Assyrian monuments, or of the English royal coat-of-arms. Comp. on the subject S. Bochart, Hierozoicon, II. 335 seq.; Rosenmller, Bibl. Alterth. IV. 2, 288 seq.; Lichtenstein, Die Antilopen, 1824; Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talmud, 1858, 146, 174; Sundewall, Die Thierarten des Aristoteles, Stockholm, 1863, p. 64 seq.; also Koners Zeitschr. fr allgem. Erdkunde, 1862, II., H. 3, p. 227, where interesting information is given respecting the researches of the Englishman, W. B. Bailie, touching the existence of a one horned animal still to be found in the regions of Central Africa, south of the Sea of Tsad, differing both from the rhinoceros and from the unicorn of the British coat-of-arms, which is probably, therefore, an African variety of the oryxantelope, and possibly the very same variety as that represented on the old Egyptian monuments. [See Robinsons Researches in Palestine, III, 306, 563; Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II., p. 167 seq.; and the remarks of Dr. Mason, of the Assam Mission, in the Christian Review, January, 1856, quoted by Conant in this verse.] Will he lodge [lit. pass the night, at thy crib?lit. over thy crib [hence cannot be, as defined by Gesenius, stall, stable], for the crib being very low, the cattle of the ancients in the East reached over it with the head while lying beside it. Comp. Isa 1:3 and Hitzig on the passage.
Job 39:10. Dost thou bind the oryx to the furrow of his cord?i.e., to the furrow (comp. Job 31:38) which he raises by means of the ploughshare, as he is led along by the cord. Or will he harrow the valleys (Ps. 65:14) after thee (), i.e., while following thee, when thou seekest to lead him in the act of ploughing [rather, as in the text, harrowing, , to level].
Job 39:11. Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great?i.e., will the great strength which he possesses awake thy confidence, and not rather thy mistrust? On , labor [wilt thou commit to him thy labor], in the sense of the fruit of labor, the product of tilling, comp. Psa 78:46; Psa 128:2. The verse following is decisive in favor of this interpretation of the verse before us; otherwise the word might, in accordance with Gen 31:42, denote the labor or the toil itself.
Job 39:12. Wilt thou trust to him that he bring home thy sowing?Respecting as exponent of the object, see Ewald, 336, b., if we adhere to it, with the Kthibh, is used in the transitive sense, as in Job 42:10; Psa 85:5. The Kri, however, substitutes for it the Hiphil, which, in this sense, is the form more commonly used. And that he gather (into) thy threshing-floor. is probably locative (=). It may possibly, however, be taken as accusative of the object per synecdochen continentis pro contento (threshing-floor=fruits of the threshing-floor, yield of the harvest), as in Rth 3:2; Mat 3:12.
Job 39:13-18. The ostrich (lit. the female ostrich) introduced as an example of untamable wildness from among the birds. The wing of the (female) ostrich waves joyously., lit. wailings, shrill cries of mourning plur. abstr.) is a poetic designation of the ostrich here, or of the female ostrich, noted for its piercing cries. So correctly the Vulg., Bochart, and almost all the moderns. The Targ. arbitrarily understands the bird designated to be the mountain-cock, Kimchi and Luther the peacock [and so E. V.: Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the pea-cocks?] As to , to move itself joyously, comp. Job 20:18; also the Homeric expression, . Is it a pious pinion and plumage?i.e., is the wing of this bird, the waving of which is so powerful and wonderfully rapid, a pious one, productive of mild and tender qualities, like that of the stork? For it is to that birdwhich in its build resembles the ostrich, but which is more mild in disposition, and is, in particular, more affectionate and careful in the treatment of its offspringthat the predicate , pia with its double meaning, refers (which Delitzsch accordingly translates storchfromm [stork-pious], pia instar circoni). This is evident from the description which follows.
Job 39:14. Nay, she abandons her eggs to the earth. here nay, rather, as in Job 22:2. The subj. of is the of Job 39:13, construed here as Fem. Sing. The same construction obtains in the following verbs (Ew. 318 a).
Job 39:15. And forgets that the foot can crush them., simply consecutive, and hence present; comp. Job 3:21. On the sing, suffix in , referring to the eggs, see Gesenius, 146 [ 143], 3. The fact here described, to wit, that the mother ostrich easily forgets her eggs, at least while she is not yet through with laying them, as well as in the beginning of the period of incubation, and that she leaves them unprotected, especially on the approach of hunters, is true of this animal only in its wild condition. In that state it shares these and similar habits, proceeding from excessive wildness and fear of man, with many other birds, as, e. g., the partridge. In its tamed condition, the ostrich watches over its young very diligently indeed,and, moreover, shows nothing of that stupidity popularly ascribed to it, and which has become proverbial (to which Job 39:17 alludes). Comp. the Essay entitled: Die Zuchtung des Straussen als europisches Hausthier, in the Ausland, 1869, No. 13, p. 30.6. The opinion moreover, partially circulated among the ancients, that the ostrich does not at all incubate its eggs, belongs to that class of scientific fables which, as in the case of those strange animals the basilisk, the dragon, the unicorn, etc., have been incorrectly imputed to the Old Testament. The verse before us furnishes no support whatever to that opinion. [See Smiths Bib. Dict., Art, Ostrich. The habit of the ostrich leaving its eggs to be matured by the suns heat is usually appealed to in order to confirm the Scriptural account, she leaveth her eggs to the earth; but this is probably the case only with the tropical birds; the ostriches with which the Jews were acquainted were, it is likely, birds of Syria,. Egypt and North Africa; but even if they were acquainted with the habits of the tropical ostriches, how can it be said that she forgetteth that the foot may crush. the eggs, when they are covered a foot deep or more in sand? We believe the true explanation of this passage is to be found in the fact that the ostrich deposits some of her eggs not in the nest, but around it; these lie about on the surface of the sand, to all appearance forsaken; they are however designed for the nourishment of the young birds, according to Levaillant and Bonjainville (Cuvier, An. King. by Griffiths and others, Job 8:432), and see below on Job 39:16].
Job 39:16. She deals hardly with her young, as though they were not hers; lit. for not to her (i.e., belonging to her) , lit. he deals hardly; which, bearing in mind [the suffix in , and] the clause , which immediately follows, gives a change of gender which is intolerably harsh, which we may perhaps obviate (with Ewald, etc.) by pointing (Inf. Absol., comp Ewald, 280, a). The correction (Hirzel, Dillmann) [Merx] is less plausible. In vain is her labor without her being distressed; lit. without fear (), i.e., her labor in laying her eggs is in vain (inasmuch as many of her eggs are abandoned by her to destruction), without her giving herself any trouble or anxiety on that account. This unconcern and carelessness of the female ostrich touching the fate of her young, which stands in glaring contrast with the tender anxiety of the stork-mother (Job 39:13 b), is carried to such a length, that she herself often stamps to pieces her eggs (the shells of which moreover are quite hard), when she observes that men or beasts have been about; and even uses the eggs which are left to lie unhatched in feeding the young ones as they creep forth. Comp. Wetzstein, in Delitzsch II., p. 339 seq.
Job 39:17. For God made her to forget wisdom, and gave her no share in understanding. Perf. Hiph. with the suffix from (comp. Job 11:6). , to give a share in understanding (comp. Job 7:13; Job 21:25). For parallel expressions as to the thought, to wit, Arabic proverbs about the stupidity of the ostrich, see Schultens and Umbreit on the passage. The only other passage in the Old Testament where the cruelty of the ostrich is set forth in proverbial form is Lam 4:3.
Job 39:18. At the time when she lashes herself aloft, she laughs at the horse and his rider., here not at this time, just now (Gesen., Schlott,), but= , and hence with an elliptical relative clause following. Respecting , which both in Kal. and Hiphil can signify to lash, to beat, and which in Hebrew is found in this signification only here, see Gesenius in the Lexicon. The whole verse describes in a way which combines simplicity and terseness with vividness, the lightning-like swiftness of an ostrich, or a herd of such birds, fleeing before hunters on horseback, the running movement of the bird being aided by the vibration of the wings. At the same time the mention of the horse and his rider prepares the transition to the description which follows, the only one in this series which refers to a tamed animal.
Job 39:19-25. The war-horsea favorite subject of description also on the part of Arabian and other oriental poets; comp. the Praise of the Horse in 5. HammerPurgstalls Duftkrner: Amrul-Keis, Moallakat, 39:50, 64, and other parallels to this passage cited by Umbreit. Of all these poetic descriptions which have come down from antiquity (to which also may be added Virgil, Georg. III, 75 seq.)., the present one is the oldest and most beautiful. [In connection with this description of the war-horse, which among many similar ones is the most splendid, it has been justly observed that to a Hebrew the horse as a theme of description must seem all the more noble in that he was known not as a beast of draught, but only as a war-horse. Schlottmann].
Job 39:19. Dost thou give strength ( used specially of warlike strength, fortitudo; comp. Jdg 8:21; 2Ki 18:20) dost thou clothe his neck with fluttering hair?i.e., with quivering, waving mane? It is thus that most moderns explain the word , not found elsewhere, from the root , to quake (Eze 27:35), by comparison with the Greek (related to ). The signification thunder, neighing (Symmach., Theodot., Jerome, Luther, Schlottmann) [E. V.] would indeed be etymologically admissible, but it would not be suited to the words neck, and clothe. Umbreit and Ewald, ( 113, d) [the latter however in his Commentary as abovequivering mane] explain it by dignity; but the identity of with is questionable, and such words as , or would have been more naturally used to express that idea.
Job 39:20. Dost thou make him leap like the locust?i.e., when he rushes along on the gallop, like a vastly enlarged bounding troop of locusts (comp. Joe 2:4). What is intended, is a spiral motion in leaps, now to the right, now to the left, which is called the caracol, a word used in horsemanship, borrowed from the Arabic har–gala–l–farasu (comp. ), through the medium of the Moorish Spanish (Delitzsch). [The rendering of E. V.: canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopperis at variance with the spirit of the description, which, in each member, sets forth some trait which commands admiration.E.]. The glory of his snorting is a terror,or, since the glory of his snorting, etc. (descriptive clause without ). On snorting, comp. the Arabic nachir, the death-rattle, snoring, Greek, , Lat., fremitus. here denoting not a splendid appearance, but a majestic peal or roar.
Job 39:21. They explore in the valley, then he rejoiceth in strength.The subject of can scarcely be the hoofs of the horse (Delitzsch [the representation of the many pawing hoofs being blended with that of the pawing horse]), and the use throughout thus far of the singular in speaking of the horse (so also again in ) makes it impossible that the plural here should refer to him. Hence the signification pawing preferred here by the ancient versions [and E. V.], and most of the moderns seems inadmissible, even admitting that is the word commonly used for the pawing of the horse (see Schultens on the passage). We must rather with Cocceius and Ewald understand the subject to be the riders, or the warriors; they take observations, or observations are taken in the valley (while it is uncertain whether the fighting should begin): then he rejoiceth in strength. The meaning to paw is to be retained only in case we adopt with Dillmann [Merx] the reading , or with Bttcher . He goes forth against an armed host, lit. the armor; here otherwise than in Job 20:24.On Job 39:22 comp. Job 39:7; Job 39:18.
Job 39:23. The quiver rattleth upon him;i.e. the quiver of the horseman who is seated upon him, not the hostile contents of the quiver, the whirring arrows of the enemy, as Schultens [Conant, Rodwell] explain. Besides this part of the armor, the second member mentions the spear and the lance [not shield, E. V.], or rather with poetic circumlocution, the lightning (lit. flame) of the spear and the lance, synonymous with , Job 20:25; comp. , Gen 3:24; also Jdg 3:22; 1Sa 17:7; Nah 3:3.
Job 39:24. With rushing and raging he swallows the ground;i.e. in sweeping over the ground at full gallop, he swallows it up as it were; a figure which is current also among Arabic poets (see Schultens and Delitzsch on the passage). The assonance of may be represented by rushing and raging.And he does not stand still when the trumpet sounds.Lit. he does not show himself fixed, does not stay fixed, does not contain himself: accordingly in its primitive sensuous meaning; not he believes not (Kimchi, Aben Ezra) [E. V. i.e. for joy; it is too good to be true]. As to comp. Ewald, 286, f [adverbial use of here=when the trumpet is loud]. As parallel in thought comp. beyond all other passages that of Virgil referred to above (Georg. III. 83 seq.):
. Turn, si qua sonum procul arma dedere, Job 39:25. As often as the trumpet (sounds), he says, Aha! i. e., he neighs, full of a joyous eagerness for the battle. On quotiescunque (lit. in sufficiency), comp. Ewald, 337, c.And from afar he smells the battle, the thunder (comp. Job 36:29) of the captains, and the shouting (the battle-cries of the contestants; comp. Jdg 7:18 seq.). Similarly Pliny, N. H. VIII. Job 42 : prsagiunt pugnam: and of moderns more particularly Layard (New Discoveries, p. 330): 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, etc.
Job 39:26. The hawk, as the first example of birds of prey, distinguished by their strength, lightning-like swiftness, and lofty flight.Doth the hawk fly upward by thy understanding? (the high flyer) is, according to the unanimous testimony of the ancient versions, the hawk, a significant bird, as is well known, in the Egyptian hieroglyphics, which is here introduced on account of its mysteriously note-worthy characteristic of taking its flight southwards at the approach of winter (Pliny, N. H. x. 8). For it is to this that the apocop. Imperf. Hiph. (denominative from , wing) refers: assurgit, attollitur alis, not to the yearly moulting, which precedes the migration southward (Vulg.: plumescit; in like manner the Targ., Gregory the Great, Rosenm.). For this annual renewal of plumage (, see LXX., Isa 40:31) is common to all birds, and is predicated elsewhere in the Old Testament only of the eagle (Psa 103:5; Mic 1:16; Isa 40:31), not of the hawk.
Job 39:27-30. The eagle, as king of the birds, closing the series of native animals here described, in like manner as the lion, as king of the mammalia, had opened the series. is in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, like in the New Testament (comp. Mat 24:28; Luk 17:37), a. common designation of the eagle proper, and of the vulture: and the characteristic of carnivorousness which is here and often elsewhere referred to belongs in fact not only to the varieties of the vulture (such as the carrion-kite and lammergeyer), but also to the more common varieties of the eagle, such as the golden eagle and the osprey, which do not disdain to eat the carcasses of animals which have recently died. Comp. Winers Real-Wrter-Buch, under Adler.Doth the eagle soar at thy command? lit. make high (, scil. ) his flight; comp. Job 5:7.And build his nest on high? lit. is it at thy command that he builds his nest on high? Comp. Oba 1:4; Jer 49:16; Pro 30:19.
Job 39:28. With the phrase , lit. tooth of the rock, comp. the names Dent du midi, Dent-blanche, Dent de Moreles, etc.
Job 39:30. And his young ones lap up blood.[The gender throughout is masculine, not fem. as in E. V.] from , an abbreviated secondary form of , Pilp. of , to suck. Possibly, however, we should read (with Gesen. and Olsh.) , from =, deglutere. On the sucking of blood by the young eagles, comp. lian, H. anim. x. Job 14 : .
7. Conclusion of the discourse, together with Jobs answer: Job 40:1-5.
Job 40:2. Will the censurer contend with the Almighty ? to wit, after all that has here been laid before him in proof of the greatness and wonderful power of God. Observe the return to Job 38:2, which this question brings about. Inf. absol. of (as in Jdg 11:25) here in the sense of a future. The adoption of this construction in preference to the finite verb gives a meaning that is particularly forcible. Comp. the well-known sentence: mene incepto desistere victim? Also Ewald, 328, a.He who hath reproved God, let him answer it;i.e. let him reply to all the questions asked from Job 38:2 on.
Job 40:4. Behold, I am too base;i.e. to solve the problem presented, I am not equal to it.I lay my hand on my mouth; i.e. I impose on myself absolute silence; comp. Job 21:5; Job 29:9.
Job 40:5. Once have I spoken, and I will not again begin, will no more undertake to speak; see on Job 3:2. Oncetwice, as in Psa 62:12 [11], are used only because of the poetic parallelism for often; comp. Gesenius, 120 [ 118], 5. The solemn formal retractation which Job here makes of his former presumptuous challenges of God marks the first stage of his gradual return to a more becoming position toward God. It is Gods purpose, however, to lead him forward from this first stage, consisting in true self-humiliation (in contrast to his former self-exaltation) to a still more advanced stageeven the complete melting down of his heart in sincere penitence. It is the realization of this purpose which Jehovah seeks in His second and last discourse.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. As a magnificent specimen of physico-the-ological demonstration in poetic form, the present discourse of God, the first and longest which He delivers, is incomparable. With wonderful symmetry of treatment, it makes first the inanimate, and then the animate creation the theme of profound contemplation; each of these domains being treated with about the same fulness, and with a homologous arrangement of strophes (see Exegetical Remarks, No. 1), in order thus to impress Job with the highest admiration of the divine power, wisdom and goodness, as these attributes are revealed in the entire world of nature. The First Long Strophe (Job 38:4-15) which makes the creation of the heavens, the earth, and the sea, the theme of contemplation serves to illustrate principally the divine omnipotence, together with the attributes most immediately related to it, eternity, infinity and omnipresence, or the divine being as transcending space and time. Towards the close of this strophe the attribute of justice is also drawn into the circle of contemplation, it being one chief object of the whole description to represent the Almighty God as being also just in His vast activities, always and everywhere just (see Job 40:13-15). The consideration of omnipotence is next followed by that of wisdom, together with the attribute of omniscience which stands most closely connected with it, the discussion having reference to the hidden heights and depths above and below the earth, from which the phenomena of the atmosphere and of light, proceed (Second Long Strophe, Job 38:16 seq.). Already toward the end of this description the attribute of Gods goodness emerges into view, as it is shown in the beneficent effects of the rain-showers (Job 40:25-27). Afterwards in the third Long Strophe (Job 40:28-38) this attribute retires again to the background, while the power manifested in the heavens, and the wisdom revealed in the atmosphere, occupy the foreground. All the more decidedly however in the last three Long Strophes, or in the zoological and biological description constituting the section which we have marked d (Job 38:39 to Job 39:30), is the discourse again directed to the goodness of God, or to the Creators fatherly care, which is most intimately united with His power and wisdom, and which in the exercise of them takes the most particular interest in the life of His earthly animate creation. For all that is advanced in this section in the way of proof of the wonderful wisdom and all-penetrative knowledge of the Most High in the sphere of animal life, and of its ordinary as well as its extraordinary phenomena is subordinated to the teleological reference to His special providence, in view of which not one of His creatures is indifferent to Him. (Comp. Bocharts Remarks on Job 39:1-4 : The knowledge here spoken of is not passive and speculative simply, but that knowledge which belongs to God, by which He not only knows all things, but directs and governs them, etc.). That which makes this survey of the most exalted attributes of God as reflected in the wonders of His creation especially impressive is the accumulation of so many examples and illustrations from the domain of physical theology, and the wonderful art with which they are elaborated in the minutest detail, together with the striking harmony and consistency which their arrangement exhibits, notwithstanding all the flow and freedom of the poetic sweep of thought. Not one of these illustrations from the great book of creation is absolutely new. Job himself has more than once in his discourses introduced brief reflective descriptions of nature similar in kind, and scarcely inferior in beauty (Job 9:4-10; Job 12:7-10; Job 12:12-25; Job 26:5-14); even Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar have at least occasionally described, not without skill and taste, the divine power and wisdom, as they are revealed in the works of His creation; and Elihu near the close of his discourses dwelt on this theme at length, and with powerful effect. The grandeur and superiority of that which Jehovah here advances, in part confirming, in part going beyond those utterances of the former speakers, consists in the way in which, alike with artless simplicity, and with harmonious and connected order, He has accumulated such an array of the most manifold and luminous evidences of His majesty as revealed in the wonders of nature. Comp. Julius Frst, Geschichte der biblischen Literatur, etc., II., p. Job 418: The poet has here artistically combined the utmost polish of diction, the greatest abundance of natural pictures, the most thrilling and winning vividness in the succinct descriptions given of the wonders of creation; and the effect on Job must have been really overpowering. The reader also finds the discourse distinguished by tone and harmony, by power, acuteness, and clearness, by method, order, and plan, so that it presents itself as the most beautiful discourse in the Old Testament Scriptures. In this discourse, cast in the form of questions, Jehovah exhibits the animate and inanimate creation, the manifold channels in which the forces of nature secretly operate, its wonderful and mysterious phenomena, as they are held together in glorious order by His creative hand, as they are ruled by His nod. The eternal creative energy, which bears witness to a wisdom that is unsearchable, to a providential love, to a wise moral order of the universe, appears to the weak human spirit as an insoluble mystery, which has for its aim to put Job to shame. In this discourse, embracing six long strophes, each consisting for the most part of twelve verse-lines, the exhibition of the transcendent wonders of nature certainly imparts indescribable power to the contemplation of the greatness of the Creator. Every one must see however that these natural wonders, after we have explained them in their immediate foundations through our knowledge of natural laws, and after we have understood them from the general laws of nature, must be understood according to the effects which they produce. The next thing to be noticed is the poetic conception of the beauty of nature, the deep mental contemplation of the Cosmos, as it shows itself among all the civilized nations of antiquity; and then the poetry of nature found among the Hebrews, considered particularly as the reflex of monotheism. The characteristic marks of the Hebrew poetry of nature, as A. Von Humboldt strikingly observes in his Cosmos, are that it always embraces the whole universe in its unity, comprising both terrestrial life and the luminous realms of space. It dwells but rarely on the individuality of phenomena, preferring the contemplation of great masses. The Hebrew poet does not depict nature as a self-dependent object, glorious in its individual beauty, but always as in relation and subjection to a higher spiritual power. The natural wonders here sung by the poet point to the invariableness, the amazing regularity of the operations of nature, i.e., to its laws, which lead us to adore supreme wisdom, power, and love, lead us in a word to religion. Finally, it is to be borne in mind that the century in which the poet lived was one of the earliest in which such questions were propounded, and sketches of nature made.Comp. the still more decided appreciation of the contents of our discourse as respects its natural theology and its sthetic features in the book of Jos. L. Saalschtz, entitled Form und Geist der biblisch-hebrischen Poesie, Knigsb., 1853, (Third Lecture: Biblisch-hebrische Naturanschau-ung und Natur-poesie); also Ad. Kohnts Alexander v. Humboldt und das Judenthum, Leipzig, 1871 (Fourth Part: Humboldts Stellung zur Bibel), also the striking observations of Reuss, in his Vortrag ber das Buch Job towards the end), which show with peculiar beauty how that, notwithstanding the vast enlargement of our knowledge of nature in modern times, the larger number of the questions here addressed by Jehovah to Job, still remain as unanswerable as at the time when the poem was composed; the fact being that it is only the old formulas in respect to particular mysterious phenomena which have disappeared before a clearer and fuller knowledge, not the mysteries themselves, and that accordingly even to the naturalist of the present, God remains a hidden God. See further on this subject in the Doctrinal and Ethical Remarks on the following discourse of God (Job 40-41).
2. Notwithstanding all the admiration which this first discourse of Jehovah evokes in view of the evidences here presented of its beauty, and in particular of the value of its contributions to natural theology, we might still continue in doubt respecting its congruity to the plan and connection of the poem as a whole. It might seem singular and incongruous: (1) That the discourse from beginning to end runs through a series of questions from God to Job, calculated to shame and humiliate the latter, when he has already (Job 9:3) declared his shrinking from such a rigid inquisition, and his inability to answer even one in a thousand of such questions as the Most High might ask of him. (2) Fault might be found moreover with the contents of these questions, as exhibiting too little that is new, that has not already been touched upon, as being in too close agreement with what has been advanced by Job himself in respect to the greatness and wisdom revealed in the Cosmos, as being therefore too exclusively physical, i.e. as being too little adapted to produce a direct impression on the inward perversity and blindness of him who is addressed (an objection which has in fact been to some extent urged by some expositors and critics, as e. g. by de Wette, Knobel, Arnheim, etc.). The first of these objections, however, is directed against what is simply a misconception; for that declaration of Job in respect to his inability to answer God is made only incidentally, and in no wise conditions the final issue of the action of the poem. On the contrary Job had in the course of his discourses wished often enough that God might enter into a controversy with him. And, most of all, the questions which God puts to him, and of which he cannot answer one, are significantly related in the way of contrast to the last of the presumptuous challenges which Job had put forth. Whereas in Job 31:35 he had exclaimed: Let the Almighty answer me! God now fulfils this wish, although in quite another way than that which he had expected. He speaks to him out of the storm, not however by way of reply or self-vindication, but throughout asking questions, and so overwhelming the presumptuous fault-finder with a series of unanswerable queries, permanently silencing him, and compelling him at last to acknowledge his submission. At the same time the tendency of these divine questions is by no means to stun, to crush, to annihilate. Here and there it is true their tone borders on irony (see especially Job 38:21; Job 38:28; Job 39:1 seq.). It never, however, becomes harsh or haughty; on the contrary it is throughout affectionately condescending, lifting up at the same time that it humbles, gently administering instruction and consolation.And as with this interrogative form of the discourse, so also is its natural theology thoroughly suited to the divine purpose in regard to Job. That self-humiliation, that silent submission to the divine will as being always and in every case wise, just and good, which was to be wrought in Job, how could it have been more suitably promoted than by pointing him to the visible creation, which already in and of itself is full, nay which overflows with facts adapted to vanquish all human pride and presumption? And especially may we ask in respect to that, presumptuous argument, on which Job had continually planted himself in opposition to God: I have not transgressed; therefore my grievous suffering is absolutely inexplicablemay more, is unreasonable and unjust,how could the error and folly of that position have been more effectually demonstrated to him than by a reference to the numberless inexplicable and incomprehensible subjects which continually present themselves to us in the realms of nature, in its life, processes and events? how could the doubt respecting the logical and ethical grounds of the apparently harsh treatment to which God had subjected him, be more effectually disposed of than by bringing forward various phenomena of physical life on earth and elsewhere, each one of which stands before us as an amazing wonder, and as an eloquent witness of the unsearchableness of Gods ways, who in what He does is ever wise, and whose purpose is ever one of love? Comp. Delitzsch (II., p. 354): From the marvellous in nature, he divines that which is marvellous in his affliction. His humiliation under the mysteries of nature is at the same time humiliation under the mystery of his affliction. And a little before (p. 352): Contrary to expectation, God begins to speak with Job about totally different matters from His justice or injustice in reference to his affliction. Therein already lies a deep humiliation for Job. But a still deeper one is Gods turning, as it were, to the abecedarium natur, and putting the censurer of His doings to the blush. That God is the almighty and all-wise Creator and Ruler of the world, that the natural world is exalted above human knowledge and power, and is full of marvellous divine creations and arrangements, full of things mysterious and incomprehensible to ignorant and feeble man, Job knows even before God speaks, and yet he must now hear it, because he does not know it rightly; for the nature with which he is acquainted as the herald of the creative and governing power of God, is also the preacher of humility; and exalted as God the Creator and Ruler of the natural world is above Jobs censure, so is He also as the author of His affliction. That which is new therefore in the speech of Jehovah is not the proof of Gods exaltation in itself, but the relation to the mystery of his affliction, and to his conduct towards God in this his affliction, in which Job is necessitated to place perceptions not in themselves strange to him. He who cannot answer a single one of those questions taken from the natural kingdom, but, on the contrary, must everywhere admire and adore the power and wisdom of Godhe must appear as an insignificant fool, if he applies them to his limited judgment concerning the Author of his affliction.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
In the homiletic treatment of this first discourse of Jehovahs, it will be necessary of course to explain its position in the structure of the poem as a whole, and the significance of its contents for the solution of the problem of the book. All that pertains to this, however, will evidently possess only a subordinate practical value. For the practical treatment, on the contrary, it is of the highest importance suitably to set forth the value of the contents of the discourse for modern doubters, or those who after Jobs fashion find fault with divine providence; to show accordingly that the questions contained in it touching natural theology are still in a certain sense unanswerable, and that the mysteries to which allusion is made ever remain real mysteries, even to the greatest intellects in the world of science. In this connection use might be made, in the way of illustration and exemplification, of the many confessions which have been made by the greatest investigators of nature touching the incompleteness and limitation of all earthly knowledge and of all the discoveries which have hitherto been achieved in the department of natural science (especially the confessions of astronomers like Newton, Herschel, A. V. Humboldt, Laplace, and recently by Proctor [Other worlds than ours, Preface], and also by chemists and biologists, such as J. V. Liebig, Darwin, Laugel, etc.) The phenomena described in the first half of the discourse (Job 38:4-38), derived from the consideration of the heavens and of atmospheric meteorology, being pre-eminently rich in convincing examples of the mystery and unsearchableness which characterize the divine procedure in the economy of nature, also admit evidently of being considered with particular thoroughness (as e.g., a point which obviously suggests itselfby calling attention in connection with such passages as Job 38:22 seq., Job 38:29 seq. to the fruitlessness, and indeed the hopelessness of the attempts hitherto made to reach the North Pole). The zoological and biological phenomena, on the other hand, which form the subject of the second half of the divine description, it will be better to present together in brief outline, in so far at least as the purpose of illustrating the incomprehensibility of the divine agency in creating and governing the universe is concerned. This second series of natural facts on the contrary are all the better suited to the basis of meditations on the fatherly love of God which remembers and cares for all His creatures, whether brutes or men.
Particular Passages
Job 38:4 seq. Brentius: The aim of this discourse is to show that no one has the right to accuse the Lord of injustice. The proof of this point is that the Lord alone is the Creator of all things, which with a certain amplification is illustrated from various classes of creatures. From the history of these creatures God proves that it is permitted to no one to accuse Divine sovereignty of injustice, or to resist it; for of all creatures not one was the Lords counsellor, or rendered Him any aid in the creation of the world. He can without any injustice therefore dispose of all creatures according to His own will, and create one vessel to honor, another to dishonor, as it may please Him.Oecolampadius: No other reason can be given than His own good pleasure why God did not make the earth ten times larger. He had the power to enlarge it, no less than to confine it within such narrow limits; He would have been able to make valleys, where there are mountains, and conversely, etc. But He is Lord, and it pleased Him to assign to things the length and depth and breadth which they now have.Cramer: That God, who has from eternity dwelt in inaccessible light, has revealed Himself through the work of creation, receives its explanation out of the depth of His great goodness and mercy. When therefore we treat of God, of His works and mysteries, we must do it with beseeming modesty and reverence. If even the book of nature transcends our ability to decipher it fully, how much more incomprehensible and mysterious will the book of Holy Scripture be for us.von Gerlach: The fundamental thought of these representations which God here puts forth is that only He who can create and govern all things, who superintends everything and adjusts all things in their relation to each other, can also comprehend the connection of human destinies. Inasmuch however as feeble short-sighted man cannot understand and fathom the created things which are daily surrounding him, how can he assume to himself any part of Gods agency in administering the universe?
Job 38:16 seq. von Gerlach: Of the particular subject here referred to [scientific discoveries in the natural world], it is true that the later researches of mankind have accomplished much, only however to reveal new depths of this immeasurable creation. In seeking to penetrate into the meaning of these words, we are not to dwell on the literal features of each separate statement. It is a poetic and splendid description of the greatness and unsearchableness of God in creation, from the point of view which men then occupied, a description which retains its lofty internal truth, although the letter of it, regarded from the stand-point of our present knowledge of nature no longer seems as striking to us as the ancients. Indeed it may be said that this more thorough investigation of natural laws has itself vastly increased the number and greatness of such wonders as are set forth in this description for him who enters into the spirit of it.
Job 38:39 seq.; Job 40:1 seq. Cramer: The volume of natural history [das Thierbuch] which God here writes out for us, should be a genuine text-book to all the virtues.Starke: If animals, whether strong or despicable, great or small, are embraced in Gods merciful providential care, we can regard their need as a silent appeal to the goodness of the Lord, and in this sense even the ravens cry to God when they cry out from hunger.
Job 39:27 seq. Vict. Andrea: From that which is here intimated (to wit, that other animals must sacrifice their life, in order to satisfy the blood-thirsty brood of an eagle) do we not see that the suffering of a simple creature might in Gods plan be designed to benefit other creatures of God?So the death of a man may, through the terrifying effect which it has on others, often be a blessing to them. And how often is severe sickness, wholly irrespective of the end which the suffering may have for the patient himself, a most effective school of sympathy, yea, of the most self-sacrificing love for all who surround the sufferer. Very often such a sufferer, if he diligently strives to exhibit in his own person a pattern of resignation and praise to God, has been a rich source of light and blessing for those who are round about him! How short-sighted it is therefore for the sick to complain that their life is wholly without use, that they are only a burden to those who are about them, etc. In short the majesty of God has only to question man, in order to bring into the dearest consciousness his narrow limitations.
CONTENTS
The whole of this chapter, like the former, contains the Lord’s solemn, but tender expostulation with Jobadiah In a very beautiful manner the Lord sends his servant to the inferior creation for lessons of instruction, and in showing him how merciful the Lord is, in providing for all the wants of the several creatures he hath formed, thereby to convince him; that it is impossible God should overlook the higher order, in his creature man; so that Job’s charging God with inattention, and unkindness, was altogether unjust and ill founded.
(1) Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? (2) Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? (3) They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. (4) Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.
Under the representation of GOD’S superintending providence over the wild goats of the rock, and the hinds in their calving, who all do well, without the aid of man, or the want of him, the LORD intimates how secure his people may find themselves, who cast themselves upon his grace and love. And I do conceive that this portion of scripture might, under GOD’S gracious teaching, be made helpful to give comfort to every daughter of Eve, when fulfilling the months of her pregnancy, and when passing through the hour of nature’s extremity. The Apostle had it in commission to tell the Church, that though the woman was in the transgression, whereby she fell under that just sentence of GOD, that, in sorrow she should bring forth children, yet she should be saved in the child-bearing; that is, I apprehend, in the child-bearing of the LORD JESUS, that promised seed of the woman, if her faith in him made her strong in the LORD, and in the power of his might. Gen 3:16 ; 1Ti 2:14-15 .
Job 39:1
If the baffled inquirer drops out the search after God, as many do, and says I will go down to nature and it shall, at least, be my comfort that nature is intelligible, and even a subject of definite science, he shortly discovers that science only changes the place of mystery and leaves it unresolved…. Asking what is matter, what is life, animal and vegetable, what is heat, light, attraction, affinity, he discovers that, as yet, we really comprehend nothing, and that nature is a realm as truly mysterious even as God. Not a living thing grows out of the earth, or walks upon it, or flies above it; not an inanimate object exists, in heaven, earth, or sea, which is not filled and circled about with mystery as truly as in the days of Adam or Job, and which is not really as much above the understanding of science, as the deepest things of God’s eternity or of His secret life.
Bushnell.
Job 39:9
A community which has heard the voice of truth and experienced the pleasures of liberty, in which the merit of statesmen and systems are freely canvassed, in which obedience is paid, not to persons but to laws, in which magistrates are regarded, not as the lords but as the servants of the public, in which the excitement of a party is a necessary of life, in which political warfare is reduced to a system of tactics; such a community is not easily reduced to servitude. Beasts of burden may easily be managed by a new master. But will the wild ass submit to the bonds? Will the unicorn serve and abide by the crib? Will leviathan hold out his nostrils to the hook?
Macaulay, Essay on Hallam’s Constitutional History.
Job 39:19 After quoting this passage in his Literary Essays, Mr. R. H. Hutton observes: ‘This deeper insight into the natural constitution and beauty of the universe, and complete disavowal of all power on the part of man to form any judgment upon it, is especially remarkable as compared with the bold justification of the spiritual participation of human nature in one of the attributes of God. It proves that the Hebrew poet had already distinguished between the direct knowledge of God’s spirit which spiritual communion gives, and the indirect knowledge of His mysterious ways which can only be gained by a study of those ways. It shows that he had mastered the conviction, that to neglect the study of the natural mysteries of the universe leads to an arrogant and illicit intrusion of moral and spiritual assumptions into a different world in a word, to the false inferences of Job’s friends as to his guilt, and his own equally false inference as to the injustice of God.’
Job 39:22
Carlyle finely applies this passage, in his essay on The Death of Irving: ‘A giant force of activity was in the man; speculation was accident, not nature. Chivalry, adventurous field-life of the old Border, and a far nobler sort than that, ran in his blood. There was in him a courage, dauntless not pugnacious, hardly fierce, by no possibility ferocious; as of the generous war-horse, gentle in its strength, yet that laughs at the shaking of the spear.’
Job 39:26
In the ninth chapter of The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane, Mr. Hale White depicts Zachariah Coleman wandering about in Manchester, looking out for work. ‘And it was curious that, as he paced those dismal Manchester pavements, all their gloom disappeared as he reargued the universal problem of which his case was an example. He admitted the unquestionable right of the Almighty to damn three parts of creation to eternal hell if so He willed; why not, then, one sinner like Zachariah Coleman to a weary pilgrimage for thirty or forty years? He rebuked himself when he found that he had all his life assented so easily to the doctrines of God’s absolute authority in the election and disposal of the creatures He had made, yet that he revolted when God touched him, and awarded him a punishment which, in comparison with the eternal loss of His presence, was as nothing. At last and here, through his religion, he came down to the only consolation possible for him he said to himself, “Thus hath He decreed; it is foolish to struggle against His ordinances; we can but submit”. “A poor gospel,” says his critic. Poor! yes, it may be; but it is the gospel according to Job, and any other is a mere mirage. “Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings towards the South?” Confess ignorance and the pity of insurrection, and there is a chance that even the irremediable will be somewhat mitigated. Poor! yes; but it is genuine; and this at least must be said for Puritanism, that of all the theologies and philosophies it is the most honest in its recognition of the facts; the most real, if we penetrate to the heart of it, in the remedy which it offers.’
How dare he lift himself up against the Almighty’s designs? The Almighty asked him the question eternally repeated to us, which He had asked thousands of years ago, ‘Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding…. Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings forward to the earth?’ ‘The hawk flies not by my wisdom,’ murmured Michael to himself, ‘nor doth the eagle at my command make her nest on high. Ah, it is by His wisdom and at His command; how should I dare to interfere? I see it I see it all now.’ After his fashion and through his religion he had said to himself the last word that can be uttered by man. He knelt down and prayed.
Mark Rutherford, in Michael Trevanion.
Reference. XL. 3, 4. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. ii. No. 83.
The Theophany
Job 38-41
We have now come to the portion of the Book of Job which is known as the Theophany, or Appearance, that is to say, the appearance of the Divine Being. Let us set forth the sacred speech in its fulness and unity:
1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind [a voice without a form], and said,
2. Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
3. Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
4. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth [or founded the earth]? declare if thou hast understanding.
5. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? [Intimating absolute order and law.]
6. Whereupon are the foundations [not the same word as in verse four] thereof fastened [or sunk]? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7. When the morning-stars sang together [the stars preceded the earth], and all the sons of God [angels] shouted for joy?
8. Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? [The ocean is personified as a new-born giant.]
9. When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
10. And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,
11. And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
12. Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days [any day in thy little life]; and caused the day-spring to know his place;
13. That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? [Note the material and moral effects of light].
14. It is turned as clay to the seal [it is changed as seal-clay]; and they stand as a garment [all things stand out as a garment].
15. And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.
16. Hast thou entered into the springs [weepings] of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search [vain search] of the depth?
17. Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18. Hast thou perceived [comprehended] the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.
19. Where is the way [the land] where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof?
20. That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?
21. Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?
22. Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23. Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
24. By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth? [ or, doth the east wind scatter itself over the earth?]
25. Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters [who hath riven a channel for the torrent of waters], or a way for the lightning of thunder [of voices];
26. To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
27. To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
28. Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29. Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
30. The waters are hid as with a stone [the waters are hardened like stone, and the surface of the deep is held fast], and the face of the deep is frozen.
31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences [fastenings] of Pleiades [a heap or group], or loose the bands of Orion [the fool or giant]?
32. Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth [some say the Zodiac; others, Jupiter or Venus] in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
33. Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?
34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
35. Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?
36. Who hath put wisdom [the gift of discerning causes] in the inward parts [the kidneys are regarded in Hebrew physiology as the seat of instinctive yearnings]? or who hath given understanding to the heart?
37. Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay [cause to lie down] the bottles of heaven.
38. When the dust groweth into hardness [when the dust is molten into a mass], and the clods cleave fast together?
39. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion [lioness]? or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40. When they couch in their dens, and abide [sit] in the covert to lie in wait?
41. Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.
Job 39
1. Knowest [this knowledge includes perception into causes] thou the time when the wild goats [rock-climbers] of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
2. Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3. They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. [Arab poets call infants and young children “pangs.”]
4. Their young ones are in good liking [fatten], they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.
5. Who hath sent out the wild ass free [whose speed exceeds that of the fastest horse]? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
6. Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings [salt waste which wild asses lick with avidity].
7. He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver [task-master].
8. The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.
9. Will the unicorn [ rather, a well-known species of gazelle] be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?
10. Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11. Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?
12. Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?
13. Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks [a mistranslation]? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
14. Which leaveth [not in the sense of forsaking, but in the sense of committing] her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,
15. And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.
16. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not her’s: her labour is in vain without fear;
17. Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
18. What time she lifteth up herself on high [lashes the air], she scorneth the horse and his rider.
19. Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? [Suggesting the idea of vehement and terrific movement.]
20. Canst thou make him afraid [spring] as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible.
21. He paweth in the valley [he diggeth the plain], and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
22. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted: neither turneth he back from the sword.
23. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
24. He swalloweth the ground [the space which separates the armies] with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
25. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26. Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?
27. Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
28. She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
29. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
30. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.
Job 40
1. Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said,
2. Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
3. Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
4. Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
6. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7. Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
9. Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with voice like him?
10. Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
11. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
12. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
14. Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
15. Behold now behemoth [the hippopotamus], which I made with thee; he eateth grass [herbage] as an ox.
16. Lo now, his strength [his special characteristic] is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. [Unlike the hippopotamus, the elephant is mostly easily wounded in the belly.]
17. He moveth his tail like a cedar [not in size but in rigidity]: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
18. His bones are as strong pieces of brass [his bones are as tubes of copper]; his bones are like bars of iron.
19. He is the chief of the ways [the masterpiece] of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
20. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. [“He searches the rising ground near the river for his substance, in company with the animals of the land.”]
21. He lieth under the shady trees [the lotus trees], in the covert of the reed, and fens.
22. The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
23. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth [he is steadfast if the Jordan boast upon his mouth].
24. He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.
Job 41
I. Canst thou draw out leviathan [crocodile] with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down [sinkest his tongue in a noose]?
2. Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
3. Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
4. Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? [The crocodile can be partially tamed.]
5. Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6. Shall the companions [Egyptian fishermen were called Fellows or Companions] make a banquet [traffic] of him? shall they part him among the merchants [Canaanites]?
7. Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?
8. Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.
9. Behold the hope of him [the hope of man that the animal may be caught] is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10. None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?
11. Who hath prevented me [made me a debtor], that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
13. Who can discover the face of his garment [who can lift up, as a veil, his outside covering]? or who can come to him with his double bridle [his double row of teeth]?
14. Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about [round about his teeth is terror].
15. His scales are his pride [“grand is the channeling of his shield-like scales”], shut up together as with a close seal.
16. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17. They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
18. By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning [and were made a symbol of morning by the Egyptians],
19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
20. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
21. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22. In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23. The flakes of his flesh [even the parts of most animals which are loose and flabby] are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
24. His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
25. When he raiseth up himself the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves [lose their presence of mind].
26. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
28. The arrow cannot make him flee: sling stones are turned with him into stubble.
29. Darts [or clubs] are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
30. Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.
31. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
33. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
34. He [coldly] beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride [all beasts of prey].
The Theophany. I.
Job 38-41
Let us admit that the Theophany is poetical; that will not hinder our deriving from it lessons that are supported by reason and vividly illustrated by facts. As an incident, the Theopany is before us, come whence it may. It inquires concerning great realities, which realities are patent to our vision. It does not plunge into metaphysics only, or rise to things transcendental; it keeps within lines which are more or less visible, lines which in many cases are actually tangible. Here, then, it stands as a fact, to be perused and wisely considered.
To such questions there ought to be some answer. They are a hundred thick on the page. If we cannot answer all we may answer some. God has not spared his interrogatories. There is no attempt at concealment. He points to the door, and asks who built it, and how to get into it, and how to bring from beyond it whatever treasure may be hidden there. It is a sublime challenge in the form of interrogation.
The thing to be noted first of all, is, that it purports to be the speech of God. That is a bold suggestion. The man who wrote the first verse fixed the bound of his own task.
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said ” ( Job 38:1 ).
It was a daring line even for an author to write. He proposed his own end, and by that end he shall be judged. He himself assigned the level of his thought, and we are at liberty to watch whether he keeps upon the level, or falls to some lower line. A wonderful thing to have injected God into any book! This is what is done in the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Whether he did so or not, some man said he did. That thought must be traced to its genesis. It is easy for us now, amid the familiarity of religious education, to talk of God doing this and that, and accomplishing great purposes, and consummating stupendous miracles. We were born into an atmosphere in which such suggestions and inquiries are native and familiar. There was a time when they had to be invented or revealed. Notice that God is supposed to have taken part in the colloquy. Now Job will be satisfied. He has been crying out for God; he has been telling his friends again and again that if he could but see God everything would be rectified almost instantaneously. Job has been mourning like one forsaken, saying, Oh that I knew where I might find him! Oh that God would come to me, and prefer his accusation against me in his own person and language! Now the aspiration is answered: God is at the front. Let us see what comes of the conflict.
Still we may dwell upon the sweet and sacred thought that God is taking part in human controversies, inquiries, and studies of every depth and range. He is a friend at least who suggested that God has something to say to me when all time is night, when all sensation is pain. If we could be sure that One takes part in human conversation if only by way of cross-examination, it would be something to know; at any moment he might change his tone. It is everything to feel that he is in the conversation. Whatever point he may occupy, whatever line of reply he may adopt, to have him, who is the beginning and the ending, in the intercourse, is to have at least a possible opportunity of seeing new light, and feeling a new touch of power, and being brought into more vivid and sympathetic relations with things profound and eternal. Why do we edge the Almighty out of life by describing his supposed intervention as the suggestion of poetry? What is this poetry, supposed to be so mischievous? Is it any more mischievous than a sky? What crimes has it committed? What is the indictment against poetry? By “poetry” we are not to understand words that meet together in sound and rhyme, but the highest reason, the sublimest philosophy, the very blossom of reason. Men suppose that when they have designated a saying or a suggestion as poetical, they have put it out of court. It is not so. A fable may be the highest fact. In a romance you may find the soul of the truest history; there may not be p solitary literal incident in the whole, and yet the effect shall be atmospheric, a sense of having been in other centuries and in other lands, and learned many languages, and entered into masonry with things hither unfamiliar. Sometimes we must use wings. Poetry may be as the wings of reason. But how good the poetry is which suggests that God is a listener to human talk, and may become a party to human conversation, and may at least riddle the darkness of our confusion by the darts of his own inquiries. Here is a case in point. Does he ask little questions? Are they frivolous interrogations that he propounds? Is the inquiry worthy of his name, even though that name be poetical? Is every question here on a level with the highest thinking? Judge the Theophany as a whole, and then say how far we are at liberty to excuse ourselves from the applications of its argument on the trivial ground that it is but poetry.
Who can read all these questions without feeling that man came very late into the field of creation? No deference is paid to his venerableness. The Lord does not accost him as a thing of ancient time as compared with the creation of which he is a part. Everything was here before man came: the earth was founded, the stars shone, the seas rolled in their infinite channels; the Pleiades were sprinkled on the blue of heaven, and the band of Orion was a fact before poor Job was born. It would seem as if everything had been done that could have been done by way of preparation for him! He brought nothing with him into this creation, not even one little star, or one tiny flower, or one singing bird: the house was furnished in every chamber for the reception of this visitor. This is scientific according to the science of the passing time. Has any one invented a theory that man came first, and furnished his own house, allotted his own stars, and supplied the face of the earth with what ornamentation he required? Is there anything here inconsistent with the marvellous doctrine of evolution? Contrariwise, is not everything here indicative of germ, and progress, and unfolding, and preparation, as if at any moment the consummation might be effected and God’s purpose revealed in the entirety of its pomp and beneficence? Man is here spoken of as having just come into the sphere of things, and not having yet had time to know where he is, what is the meaning of the symbols that glitter from the sky or the suggestions that enrich the earth. A challenge like this would be quite inconsistent with a recent creation of the universe. How recent that creation would be at the time at which these inquiries were put! Now that astronomy has made us familiar with whole rows and regiments of figures, we speak of six or eight or ten thousand years as but a twinkling of the eye, but according to old reckoning how young would creation have been, if it had been created but six thousand years ago when this Theophany was written some three or four thousand years since as a matter of literary fact! Take off three or four thousand years from the supposed six, and then all the questions would be inappropriate and absurd as applied to a creation hardly finished. The speech seems to be spoken across an eternity. So that we have no fear of evolutionary figures or astronomical calculations; we have no apprehension arising from theories of growth, involvement, evolvement progress, consummation; on the contrary, the whole spirit and genius of the Bible would seem to point to age, mystery, immeasurableness, unknowableness. Everywhere there is written upon every creation of God Unfathomable. The Theophany, then, is worthy, in point of literary conception and grandeur of the opening line “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.”
Not only does man come late into the field of creation, but, viewed individually, how soon he passes away! “Man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” We are of yesterday, and know nothing. The bells that announce our birth would seem to be interrupted by the toll of the knell that announces our decease. Thus God has great hold upon the whole race by the hold which he has upon the individual man. When the individual man enlarges himself into humanity, and speaks of the whole race, the speech is not without nobleness; but how soon the speaker is humbled when he is reminded that he will not have time to finish his own argument that long before he can reach an appropriate peroration he will be numbered with the generations that are dead. Thus we have greatness and smallness, abjectness and majesty, marvellously associated in the person of man. God seems to have taken no counsel with man about any of his arrangements of a natural kind. Man was not there to be consulted. Poor man! he was not asked where the Pleiades should shine; he was not invited to give an opinion upon the length and breadth of the sea; he was not asked how the rain should be brought forth, and at what periods it should descend in fertilising baptism upon the thirsty ground. He finds everything appointed, fixed, settled. Man is like the sea in so far as there seems to be a boundary which he may not pass “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further,” and here shall thy pursuit become prayer, and thy strength assume the weakness of supplication. Be the author of the Theophany who he may, be he profound reasoner or winged and ardent poet, he keeps his level well. Let us be just to him, even if we approach him from an unbelieving or a sceptical point of view. The palm be his who wins it: honour to whom honour is due. The man who dreamed this Theophany never falls into a nightmare; his dream keeps on the wing until it alights at the very gate of heaven.
Judged in relation to all the universe which has been described, how inferior is the position which man occupies in creation! some of the questions are very mocking and most humbling: man is asked if he can fly; if he can send out lightnings, and cause the electricity to come and stand at his side and say, Here am I. He is put down, snubbed, rebuked. He is pointed to the beasts of the field, and asked what he can do with them: can he hire the unicorn? “Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?” ( Job 39:9-12 ). What art thou? Gird up thy loins now like a man, and answer these questions. “Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?… canst thou put an hook into his nose?… The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: sling stones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.” What art thou? what canst thou do? where is thy strength? Disclose it. And as for thy wisdom, what is the measure thereof? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? canst thou play with the stars? All these questions drive man back into his appropriate position. The argument would seem to be, Until you can understand these comparatively inferior matters, let other subjects alone: if you cannot explain the ground you tread upon, the probability is that you will not be able to explain the sky you gaze upon: if you know not yourself, how can you know God? And yet let us not be discouraged. If man has any superiority it must be in other directions. How great, then, must those directions be, how sublime in their scope and energy! Is man altogether overwhelmed by these inquiries? In a certain limited way he is; but does he not recover his breath, and return and say, After all, I am crowned above all these things? He does, but we must wait until he has had time to recover his breath or regain his composure. The questions come upon him like a cataract! they roar upon him from all points of the compass in great overwhelming voices, so that he is deafened and stunned and thrown down, and asks for time. Presently we shall see that man is greater than all the stars put together, and that although he cannot search the past to exhaustion he will live when the sun himself grows dim and nature fades away; he will abide in the secret of the Almighty, long as eternal ages roll. His greatness is not in the past but in the future. Hardly a star in the blue of heaven but mocks the recentness of his birthday: but he says that he will live when the stars shall all be extinguished. Greatness does not lie in one direction. Greatness may hardly lie at all in the past: “It doth not yet appear what we shall be.” The Christian hope is that when Christ appears we shall be like him, that we shall see him as he is. We are not to be great as antiquarians but great as sons of God.
Here, then, is our opportunity: shall we arise and avail ourselves of it? the mischief is lest we should be tempted to follow out these inquiries in the Theophany as if our whole interest lay in the past. Into the past we can go but a little way. Who can tell the number of God’s works, or find out the Almighty unto perfection? The oldest man amongst us is less than an infant of days compared even with some gigantic trees that have been rooted in the earth for a thousand years; they stand whilst man perishes; yea, they throw a shadow over a man’s grave, and still grow on as if time meant them to be immortal. Our greatness, let us repeat, does not relate to the past, or to the past only; our opportunity is tomorrow the great morrow of eternity. So our song is, This corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality: death shall be swallowed up in victory; saints shall mock the tomb. How do we feel now? are we rebuked? are we humbled? The answer must be Yes, and No: we are very young compared with the creation of God, but all these things shall be dissolved, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise; the little eternity of the ages shall be swallowed up and forgotten, and all the eternity of God’s love and fellowship shall open as in ever-increasing brightness. How is that glory to be attained? Here the gospel preacher has his distinctive word to deliver. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The word may be disputed, but there it is; the word may occasion great mental anxiety, but it abides there a solemn and noble fact in the book. Why should it affright us? There is music in that gospel. Hear it again. “This is life eternal.” A peculiar quality of life rather than a mere duration of life: “eternal” does not only point to unendingness but to quality of life “This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The mystery is a mystery of music; the mystery is a mystery of light: there is no confusion in the thought, but unsearchable riches, and the embarrassment is that of wealth not of poverty. So new we have two standards of judgment: the one the great outside creation, stars and seas, beasts and birds, hidden secrets of nature, undiscovered laws of the intricate economy of the universe; there we can know but little: and the other standard of judgment is the Son of God, of whom it is said, he created all things, was before all things, that in him all things consist, that he is Lord of all the stars, even of hosts; he shaped every one of them, flashed its light into the eye of every planet that burns, and rules them all with majesty as sublime as it is gracious. The Christian gospel says that he, “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,” that he might give us eternal life. O creation! great, monotonous, hard, austere creation! we perish as to the mere matter of duration before the ages which measure the period of thine existence, but we mock thee, laugh at thee, despise thee, if thou dost challenge us with a view to the future: the past is thine, take it, and die in luxuriating upon it; the future is ours, and being in Christ we cannot die. This is our rational challenge, as well as our Christian appeal and comfort.
Note
The exact amount of censure due to Job for the excesses into which he had been betrayed, and to his three opponents for their harshness and want of candour, could only be awarded by an omniscient Judge. Hence the necessity for the Theophany from the midst of the storm Jehovah speaks. In language of incomparable grandeur He reproves and silences the murmurs of Job. God does not condescend, strictly speaking, to argue with His creatures. The speculative questions discussed in the colloquy are unnoticed, but the declaration of God’s absolute power is illustrated by a marvellously beautiful and comprehensive survey of the glory of creation, and His all-embracing Providence by reference to the phenomena of the animal kingdom. He who would argue with the Lord must understand at least the objects for which instincts so strange and manifold are given to the beings far below man in gifts and powers. This declaration suffices to bring Job to a right mind: his confesses his inability to comprehend, and therefore to answer his Maker ( Job 40:3-4 ). A second address completes the work. It proves that a charge of injustice against God involves the consequence that the accuser is more competent than he to rule the universe. He should then be able to control, to punish, to reduce all creatures to order but he cannot even subdue the monsters of the irrational creation. Baffled by leviathan and behemoth, how can he hold the reins of government, how contend with him who made and rules them all? Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible.
The Theophany. II.
Job 38-41
How far is it possible to read all the great questions contained in the Theophany in a sympathetic and gentle tone? May we not be wrong in supposing that all the questions were put as with the whole pomp and majesty of heaven? Has not the Lord a still small voice in which he can put heart-searching questions? Is there not a river of God, the streams whereof shall make glad his city? Is that river a great, boiling, foaming flood? Perhaps we may have been wrong in carrying the whirlwind into the questions. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind,” but it is not said that the Lord answered Job like a whirlwind; even out of that tabernacle of storm God might speak to the suffering patriarch in an accommodated voice, in a whisper suited to his weakness. Let it be an exercise in sacred rhetoric to read the questions of the Theophany sympathetically, to whisper them, to address them to the heart alone. Unless we get the right tone in reading God’s Book, we shall mar all its music, and we shall miss all its gospel. The people wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of the mouth of Jesus Christ; and the tone was often an explanation of what was spoken; there was something in the Man’s way of stating what he had to say, which led hearers, otherwise hostile, to admit “Never man spake like this man.” It seems, indeed, as if the questions should be spoken with trumpets and thunders and whirlwinds a thousand in number; and yet by so speaking them we should not reveal the majesty of God; we might reveal that majesty still more vividly and persuasively by finding a way of asking the questions which would not overpower the listener or destroy what little strength he had.
God does not hesitate to charge upon the patriarch and all whom he represented something like absolute ignorance: “Who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?… Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?” What hast thou done? What hast thou seen? We have only seen outsides what are called phenomena or appearances, aspects and phases of things; but what is below? “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” “Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?” Thou hast sailed across the sea, but hast thou ever walked through its depths? Hast thou not rather been carried as by some mighty nurse from continent to continent, rather than been a spectator of the springs of the infinite flood? “Hast thou walked in the search of the depth?” The word “search” is full of meaning; it signifies a kind of quest which will not be satisfied with anything but the origin, the actual fountain and spring and beginning of things: it is not enough to see the water, we must know where the water comes from; we must search into the depth. It is not enough to see the hail that falls, we want to see the house out of which it comes, the infinite snow-house in which God has laid up his treasures of cold. May we not see the treasures of the hail? We are ever kept outside. God has always something more that we have not seen. “Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?” Thus we are reminded of our ignorance. Yet we are wise, limitedly wise; we are quite great as grubbers after phenomena; we come home every night laden with more phenomena. By some mysterious process the word “phenomena” seems to satisfy our appetite because it fills our mouth. But what are these phenomena? Have we found out everything yet? Let the most learned men answer, and they will say, We have found out nothing as it really is; we have just learned enough to correct the mistakes of yesterday, and enough to humble us in view of tomorrow; we are waiting for another revelation or discovery or acquisition; we have spent one century in obliterating the misrecorded phenomena of another. This is admitted by the men themselves. They demand justice at the hands of the Christian teacher, and they are the first to admit that they know nothing in its reality, in its interior condition, quality, and meaning. We are not now forcing an interpretation upon their words, but almost literally quoting them. What is it that you are now playing with? hand it to me: what is the name of it? A flute. Very good: I have heard it, now I want to examine it! Open it for me! Why don’t you open it? What are you playing upon? It seems to be a grand, many-voiced instrument, what is the name of it? You answer me, It is an organ. Good: I like it; it touches me at a thousand points, and makes me feel as if I had a thousand lives: now open it; show me the music: I have heard it, I want to see it. You decline; in declining you are wise. Who destroys the instrument through which the music comes? Who would cut a little bird’s throat to find out the secret of its trill? Hast thou seen the treasures searched the depths gone into the interior of things? Or art thou laden like a diligent gleaner with sheaves of phenomena, which thou art going to store in thy memory today for the purpose of casting them out tomorrow? What can we then know about God, if we can know so little about his sea, and the treasure-house of his hail, and the sanctuary of his thunder? It is the same with religious emotion and religious conviction. Take your emotion to pieces. You decline to take your flute to pieces; you smile at the suggestion that you should open every part of the organ and show me the singing angels that are closeted in the good prison: how then can I take this religious emotion to pieces? These deep religious convictions resist analysis; when we approach them analytically, they treat us as murderers. Men who exclaim against vivisection, and often justly, surely ought to be proportionately indignant with the men who would take souls, so to say, fibre from fibre, and perform upon them all the tricks and cruelties of analysis. Yet the universe is beautiful and profitable exceedingly. Even what we can see of it often fills our eyes with tears. Who has not been melted to tears by the beauty of nature, by the appealing sunshine, by the flower-gemmed fields and hills, by the purling streams and singing birds, and all the tender economy of summer? Men have sometimes been graciously forced to pray because things were so comely, beautiful, tender, suggestive; they could not be wild-voiced in the presence of such charms; even the rudest felt a new tone come into his voice as he spake about the mystic loveliness. Behind all things there is a secret, call it by what name you please: some have called it secret; others have called it persistent force; others have described it by various qualifications of energy; others again have said, It is a spirit that is behind things; others have whispered, It is a father. But that there is something behind appearances is a general belief amongst intelligent men. When one of the greatest of our teachers compares what is known to a piano of so many octaves, he only numbers the octaves which he can touch: who can tell what octaves infinite lie beyond his fingers? Who will say that any one man’s fingers can touch the extremes of things? Were he to say so, we should mock him as he extended his arms to show us what a little span he has. Throughout the Theophany, then, God is not afraid to charge men with absolute ignorance of interior realities which may be spiritual energies.
Not only is man ignorant, he is powerless “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?” ( Job 38:31 ). Hark how he speaks of Pleiades as if the white sapphires were but a handful, and a child could use them! “Or loose the bands of Orion?” Answer me! “Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the the earth? Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?” ( Job 38:32-35 ). These questions admit of some answer. Surely we should be able to give some reply to interrogatories of this kind. Then how man’s power is mocked “Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?” Try him; reason with him; show thyself friendly to him: come, thou art learned in the tricks of persuasion and all the conjuring of rhetorical argument, try thy skill upon the unicorn “canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?” Make some use of him; make a domestic of him; make a slave of the unicorn: or trust him; put confidence in him; be magnanimous to the unicorn: “Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?” Surely there is a mocking laugh running through all these particular inquiries, not a laugh of bitter mockery, but of that taunt which has a gracious meaning, and by which alone God can sometimes call us to a realization of our strength which is in very deed our weakness. Then when all the questions are answered so far, God says, “Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?” Thou art very able and yet very feeble: come, let us see what thou canst do. Thou canst beat a dog, conciliate a unicorn; thou canst slay an ox, and stand over him like a butcher-conqueror, call the eagle back from heaven’s gate; demand that he come; thou art a man, thunder at him: what is the result? Thou hast numerous trophies and proofs of thine ability, now put a thorn through the nostrils of leviathan, thrust a spear through the scales of the crocodile. Thou canst do something: thou canst not do everything. Do not understand, therefore, that weakness is power, or that power is all power; draw boundaries, lines, limits, and within these assert thy manhood and begin thy religion. Truly we are very powerless. Yet in some respects we are influential in a degree which warms our vanity. In the summer of 1886 there were shocks of earthquake in Charleston and in various other American cities. Why did the people not speak to the earthquake, and bid it be quiet? Surely they might have done that. Many of them were rich planters; many of them were gifted in the power of cursing and swearing and defying God. Look at them! Another shock, and the greatest buildings in the city are rent and dashed to the dust. Hear these men drunkards, swearers, blasphemers, worldly men begging black niggers on the open highway to pray! What a humiliation was theirs! Why did they not bind the earthquake, throw a bridle upon the neck of the infinite beast, put a bit in his mouth, and make him lie down and be still? See, they reel to and fro like drunken men! How powerless we are! And in these hours of powerlessness we know what a man’s faith is worth. It is in such crises that we know what your intellectual speculations and fine metaphysical flourishings come to; it is then that we put our finger upon the pack of her mysteries, and say, Why don’t you open this pack, and be quiet and comfortable whilst the heart is being shaken at its very centre? Not a metaphysician but would part with all the mysteries he ever knew if he could only be saved from the wolf that is two feet behind him. We are not sure that any metaphysician ever lived who would not be quite willing to go back to school again as an ignorant boy if the earthquake would only give over! Oh it rocks the town, it tears the mountains, it troubles the sea oh would it but be quiet! We would give money, fame, learning, and begin the world afresh: but we cannot live in this misery. When you see men boasting, and blaspheming and scorning the Church, and pouring contempt upon all the ordinances of religion, all you need desire by way of testing the reality of such ebullition and madness would be to see them under the influence of an earthquake: they would beg a dog to pray for them if they thought that the dog had any influence with Heaven. Are we to be led by these men and to take the cue of our life from them, and to say, How strong they are, how lofty in stature, how broad in chest, and how they breathe with all the vigour of superabounding life: they shall be our leaders, and not your praying men in the Church? Can the blind lead the blind? they shall both fall into the ditch. You cannot tell what a man is by any one particular hour of his experience; you must see him in every degree of the circle before you can fully estimate the quality which marks him as a man.
It is something to know that we are ignorant and that we are powerless. Much is gained by knowing the limits of our ability, and the limits of our knowledge. Let a man keep within the boundary of his strength, and he will be powerful for good: let him stretch himself one little inch beyond God’s appointment, and he will be not only impotent but contemptible. Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves and strong ambition be stayed. “The Lord reigneth.” We are but men; our breath is in our nostrils. We cannot see through one little sheet of paper; the tiniest leaf that grows in the field if put upon our eye would shut out the sun. Better let us be quiet, simple, watchful, humble, patient, receiving the divine revelation as the divine Giver may see fit to disclose it.
The great argument, then, is this: as there is so much in nature which thou hast not understood, there may be also much in human life and discipline thou hast not fully comprehended. It is the argument of analogy. It is the great argument of the philosophical bishop. There is no escape from it; certainly none within the limits of the Theophany. If we do not know the interior of a piece of wood, how can we know the interior of a thought? If we cannot pluck a flower, and keep it, how could we pluck the secret of God, and retain it as our own? Again and again we have seen that to pluck a flower is to kill it. However tenderly you may treat it, however you may feed it with water, protect it from all adverse influences, you have plucked the flower, and you have killed it Thou shalt not trespass in the divine province. We may walk through the garden of God, but may not pluck the flowers that grow in that holy paradise. Things are not made valuable to us simply by holding them in the hand. The sun would be no sun if we could inclose him within our own habitation: he stands away at an inaccessible distance; he can come down to us, but we cannot go up to him. O thou great hospitable sun, terrible yet genial, distant yet quite near, thou art a bright symbol of the God who made thee. As there are mysteries in nature, so there are mysteries in life. What is your thought? Where did it come from? How did your ideas originate? What is that thing you call your soul? Show it; describe it; trace its length; name its relations; what is it? Psychology has its holy of holies as well as theology. Do not imagine that all the mysteries cluster around the name of God. We must, then, accept the mysteries of life: they are many in number; they are very pressing and urgent, and often embarrassing and difficult; but they belong to the great system of God’s government. Why should the good man have trouble? Why should the atheist have a golden harvest? Why should the blasphemer prosper and the suppliant be driven away as if by a pursuing and judicial wind from heaven? “My feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.” Ah me! my soul, wait thou patiently upon God. The mysteries of nature have their counterpart in the mysteries of life. But remember, in the second place, that as all in nature is under divine control, so is all in human life. There is a wise God over all, blessed for ever more. He comes down to us as a father, compassionate, tender, watchful, regarding every one of us as an only child, numbering the hairs of our head; he besets us behind and before; he is on the right hand and on the left, and he lays his hand upon us. We know it, for we have proved it in a thousand instances: our whole life is an argument in proof of the existence, government, and goodness of God. “Oh rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” The day is very cloudy and the night is full of weary hours; the chariot-wheels of time and the soul’s trouble roll heavily; morning after morning comes like one disappointment upon another. It requires a God-wrought faith, a very miracle of trust, to wait and not complain.
Is man, then, but a part of an economy; not an individual but part of a process; one amongst ten thousand other things? Is a man at liberty to say I have renounced my individuality; I fall into the great stream and current of what is called history; I have declined individual responsibility, and identified myself with the sum-total of things? How foolish would be this talk! Let us test that for one moment. Does Society recognise the impersonal creed? We must bring these creeds to practical tests. Suppose Society should say to all its members: Individual responsibility is gone; we are part and parcel of a stupendous economy, and we must just take our lot with the general movement: it is in vain that man after man should stand up and claim individual franchise or honour or influence or responsibility. Society never said so, and yet retained its security for any length of time. Does man himself recognise it in reference to his daily wants? Does he say: I am part of a general system of things, and therefore I do not trouble about what I should eat and what I should drink and wherewithal I should be clothed: all these are petty questions, minor and frivolous inquiries and concerns? Does man ever say so? But when he mounts his philosophic steed, then he becomes “part of a general economy,” a shadowy gentleman, an impalpable nothing, a most proud humility. The doctrine will not bear practical tests. Man is always asserting his rights. Take part of his property from him, and you will destroy his creed. Occupy the seat for which he has paid, and tell him when he comes to claim it that he is part of a great system of things, belongs to a mysterious and impalpable economy, and say, “Why so hot, my little sir? Why not amalgamate yourself with the universe?” If these creeds will not bear testing in the marketplace and at the railway station, and in all the wear and tear, in all the attrition and controversy, of life, they are vanity, an empty wind. The Christian doctrine is Every one of us shall give account of himself to God: we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. We cannot abandon our individuality socially, why should we abandon it religiously? We could not live by giving ourselves away into airy nothingness, then how can we live the better and nobler life by obliterating our personality and sinking like a snowflake on a river?
Here let us rest. God has spoken. His questions have been a multitude; they may have been thundered, they may have been whispered; now and then they may have risen into pomp and majesty and augustness, and yet now and then they may have come down into whisper and breathing and gentle speech. God’s ministry is manifold. There is no monotony in the speech of God. He reveals himself to us as we are able to bear it. We cannot go to himself directly; we can go to his Son Jesus Christ, whom he hath made Lord of all things. We hail thee, Son of man, Son of God, and we do our own convictions injustice unless we hail thee as God the Son, and crown thee Lord of all.
The Theophany, As a Whole
Job 38-41
We have been waiting for the answer of God to the tremble of Job and to the tumult occasioned by his friends. We became weary of the fray of words, for they seemed to have no legitimate stopping-place, and to bring with them no sufficient and satisfactory answer. At length God has appeared, and we have already said that the appearance of God upon the scene is itself the great answer. To have come into the action at all is to have revealed a condescension and a complacency amounting to an expression of profound and tender solicitude in regard to all that distressed and overwhelmed the life of the patriarch. If God had not spoken, his presence would have been an answer. To be assured that God draws nigh at any moment to troubled human life, is to be also sure that he will see the right vindicated: he will not break the bruised reed; he will not quench the smoking flax; nor will he allow others to break and to quench what he has lovingly taken within his fatherly care. But, as a matter of fact, God has used words, and therefore we are entitled to read them, and to estimate their value, and to consider their whole influence upon the marvellous situation which occasioned them. This is not the answer that we expected. If we had been challenged to provide an answer, our imagination would have taken a very different line from that which God adopted in his reply to Job and his comforters. But who are we that we should have imagined any answer at all? Better that we should have sat down in silence, saying, This is a trouble which puts away from its sacred dignity all words ever devised or used by man. Let man keep his words for mean occasions; let him not attempt to use them when God’s hand it laid heavily upon one of his creatures: then silence is the true eloquence, mute grief is the wisest sympathy.
The answer overwhelms our expectations. It is greater than we had supposed it would be. We were not aware that such a sweep of thought would have been taken by the great Speaker and the divine Healer. Our way would have been more direct, in some respects more dramatic: we would have seen the black enemy lifted in mid-air, and blasted by the lightning he had defied; we might have imagined him slain upon the altar of the universe, and cast down into outer and eternal darkness, and Job clothed with fine linen in sight of earth and heaven, and crowned conqueror, and having in his hand a palm worthy of his patience. Thus our little expectations are always turned upside down; thus our little wisdom is proved by its littleness to be but a variety of ignorance: so does God make all occasions great, and show how wise a thing it would be on our part to refer all matters to his judgment, and not to take them within the limits of our own twilight and confused counsels. At the last it will be even so; the winding-up will be so contrary to our expectations: the first shall be last, and the last shall be first; and men shall come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and many who had attempted to force their way into the kingdom will be ordered back into the darkness which is native to their corruption. Let us learn from this continual rebuking of expectation that things all lie within God’s power and wisdom, and that he will dispose them graciously and permanently, and vindicate his disposal by appeals to our own judgment and experience, in a larger world, where there is light enough to touch the problems of the past at every point.
In the next place, this is a terrible use to make of nature. Who could have thought that nature would be so used forced, so to say, into religious uses of the largest kind? The very stones cry out in hymns of praise to God; the whole heaven comes to vindicate the excellence of his wisdom and the completeness of his power. What can man do when Nature takes up the exposition of divine purpose and decree? Who can answer the whirlwind? Who can hold his breath in face of a tempest that leaps down from the clouds and makes the mountains shake by its tremendous energy? Who could look up when the stars put on all their light and blind the mortal vision of man? We are made afraid when we come into a realisation of this particular use of nature. We did not know that God had so many ministers who could speak tor him. We had been dreaming about the heavens, and wondering about the infinite arch, and talking about the beauty of the things that lay round about us; we had called the earth a garden of God, and thought of nature as a comforting mother and nurse: yet now when the occasion needs it all nature stands up like an army ten thousand times ten thousand strong, and takes up the cause of God and pleads it with infinite eloquence. If we have to be rebuked by nature in this way, who can stand for one moment? If a may may not utter a complaint lest the lightning blind him, who then dare, confess that he has a sorrow that gnaws his heart? If our disobedience is to be reproved by the rhythmic movement of the obedient stars, then who would care or dare to live? All things obey the Creator but man: “the heavens declare the glory of God”; night unto night uttereth speech; there is no disobedience in all the uproar of the seas; when nature is shaken she is not rebellious: but man strange, poor, weird, ghostly man can scarcely open his mouth without blasphemy, or look without insulting the heavens he gazes at, or think without planning some treason against the eternal throne. So God uses this great machine; so God hurls at us the stars that shine so placidly, and make the night so fair. Yet we must take care how we use nature: she is a dainty instrument; she resents some of the approaches we make when we intend to use her for illicit or base or unworthy purposes. We must beware how we press nature into our service. We must not appropriate nature to exclusive uses or to hint at the divisions and separations of men. Nature should be used otherwise. Better allow the great Creator to say how nature may be employed in illustrating religious thought, religious relations, and religious action.
But this is not the only use which is made of nature even by the Creator. At first we are affrighted, as we nearly always are in the Old Testament, but when the Creator speaks of nature in the New Testament he adopts quite a different tone. There is One of whom it is said, He made all things: he is before all things: by him all things consist: without him was not anything made that was made. It will be instructive to hear him speak of the uses of nature. Does he answer his hearers “out of the whirlwind?” Does he thunder upon them from the sanctuary of eternity? Hear him, and wonder at the gracious words which proceed out of his mouth Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: if God so care for or clothe the grass of the field, will he not much more care for and clothe you, O ye of little faith? Yet it would be unfair to the Old Testament if we did not point out that even there the gentler uses of nature are shown by the very Creator himself. When Jacob was cast down, when his way was supposed to be passed over, when all hope had died out of him, and every glint of light had vanished from his sky, God said to him, “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,” the same God, the same nature; a weakened and discouraged man, yet nature in this case used to restore and comfort the soul that was overwhelmed. Thus God must use his armoury as he pleases. He can plead against us with great strength, he can overwhelm us, he can take away our breath by a whirlwind, he can blind us by excess of light; or he can so show the galaxy of heaven, and the whole panorama of the visible universe, as to heal us and comfort us, and lead us to say, He who keeps these lights in their places will not quench the smoking flax. Where is there a healer so gentle and compassionate, loving and sympathetic, as nature? Sometimes she seems to say to brokenhearted man, I was made for you; you never knew it until this hour: now I will heal you, and lead you to the altar, where you thought the fire had died out the altar which you thought God had abandoned. This appeal to nature is the higher and truer way of teaching. It brings a man out of himself. That is the first great conquest to be achieved. All brooding must be broken up; everything of the nature of melancholy or fixing the mind upon one point, or dwelling upon one series of events, must be invaded and dissipated. God would take a man for a mountain walk, and speak with him as they climbed the hill together, and watch him as the fresh wind blew upon his weary life, and revived him as with physical gospels; the Lord would take a man far out into the mid-sea, and there would watch the effect of healing influences which he himself has originated, and which he never fails to control: the man would be interested in new sights; he would feel himself in point of contact with great sweet nature; without knowing it, old age would be shed from his face, and he would ask youthful questions, and propose plans involving expenditure of hope and energy and confidence and faith of every degree and quality; and he who went out an old, bent-down, helpless man, would come back clothed with youth, having undergone a process almost of resurrection, being brought up from the dead, and set in new and radiant relation to all duty, responsibility, and labour. Here is the benefit of the Church. So long as men hide themselves in solitude they do not receive the advantage and helpfulness of social and Christian sympathy. The very effort of coming to the church helps a man sometimes to throw off his imprisonment and narrowness of view. There is something in the human touch, in the human face divine, in the commingling of voices, in the public reading of the divine word, which nerves and cheers all who take part in the sacred exercise. Solitude soon becomes irreligious; monasticism tends to the decay of all faculties that were meant to be social, sympathetic, reciprocal: “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together”: come into the larger humanity, behold the larger creation, and thus receive healing and comfort and benediction from enlargement of relation and sympathy. Never allow yourself to prey upon yourself. That act of self-consumption means everything that is involved in the words despair and ruin. Force yourselves into public relations; so to say, compel yourselves to own your kith and kindred, to take part in family life and in that larger family life called the intercourse of the Church in public worship, in public service and also know that God has made all nature to minister unto your soul’s health, establish a large intercourse with mountain and river and sea, with forest and flower-bed, and singing birds, and all things great and lovely: some day you will need them, and they will be God’s ministers to you.
This answer is a sublime rebuke to the pride which Job had once asserted during the colloquies. In chapter Job 13:22 , Job said, in quite a round strong voice, indicative of energy and independence and self-complacency, “Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.” That tone needed to be taken out of his voice. Oftentimes the musical teacher says to the pupil, Your voice must be altogether broken up, and you must start again in the formation of a voice; you think now your voice is good and strong and useful, but you are mistaken; the first thing I have to do with you is to take your voice away, then begin at the beginning and cultivate it into an appropriate expression. Job’s voice was out of order when he said, “Call thou, and I will answer,” or, if it please thee, I will adopt another policy “let me speak, and answer thou me.” Behold how complacent is Job! how willing to adopt any form of arbitration! how anxious to throw the responsibility upon another! He feels himself to be right, and therefore the other side may make its own arrangements and its own terms, and whatever they are he will boldly accept them! Every man must be answered in his own tone: “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” If your challenge is so bold and proud, God must meet you on the ground which you yourself have chosen. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said ” then comes the cataract of interrogation, the tempest of inquiry, in which Job seems to say, O spare me! for behold I am vile: what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth: once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no further: O thou God of the whirlwind, give me rest; let me have time to draw my breath! But, poor Job, thou didst say to God, “Call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me:” where is now thy boast, thy pride, thy vain talking? Thus does God humble us in a thousand ways. We pull down our barns and build greater, and behold in the morning they are without roof and without foundation and none can say where the solid structure stood. We say, “Let us build a tower which shall reach even unto heaven”; and we build it very high, and in the morning when we come to finish it, lo, there is not one stone left upon another. There is a humbling ministry in creation. Nature is full of rebuke, and criticism, and judgment; or she is full of comfort and suggestion, and religiou rapsable and most tender benediction.
How apt we are to suppose that we could answer God if we only had the opportunity! Could we but see him; could we but have an interview with him; could we but speak to him face to face, how we should vindicate ourselves! There was a man who once sought to see God, and he turned and saw him, and fell down as one dead. Sudden revelation would blind us. Let us not tempt God too much to show himself. We know not what we ask. What is the great answer to our trial? The universe. What is the great commentary upon God? Providence. What is the least profitable occupation? Controversy. Thus much have we been taught by our reading in the Book of Job. Where Job had a spiritual revelation a voice answering out of the whirlwind we have had personal example. We do not hear God or see God in any direct way, but we see Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of man, who also knows all the secrets of nature, for he was before all things, and by him all things consist: the universe is his garment; behold, he is within the palpitating, the living soul. O mighty One! when thou dost come to us in our controversies and reasonings, plead not against us with thy great power, but begin at Moses, and the prophets, and the Psalms, and in all the Scriptures expound unto us the things concerning thyself; and we shall know who the speaker is by the warmth that glows in our thankful hearts.
(See the Job Book Comments for Introductory content and general conclusions and observations).
IX
ELIHU’S SPEECH, GOD’S INTERVENTION AND THE EPILOGUE
Job 32-42
The author’s introduction to Elihu’s speech consists of the prose section (Job 32:1-5 ), the several items of which are as follows:
1. Why the three friends ceased argument, viz: “Because he was righteous in his own eyes” (Job 32:1 ).
2. Elihu’s wrath against Job, viz: “Because he justified himself rather than God” (Job 32:2 ).
3. Elihu’s wrath against Job’s friends, viz: “Because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job” (Job 32:3 ; Job 32:5 ).
4. Why Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, viz: “Because they were older than he” (Job 32:4 ).
Elihu’s introduction (Job 32:6-22 ) consists of two sections as follows:
1. Elihu’s address to the three friends.
2. His soliloquy.
Now, an analysis of part one of this introduction consists of Elihu’s address to his three friends, with the following items:
1. He waited because he was young, and considered that days should speak and that years should teach wisdom (Job 32:6-7 ).
2. Yet there is individual intelligence, a spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty which gives understanding (Job 32:8 ).
3. And greatness, and age are not always wise, therefore, I speak (Job 32:9-10 ).
4. He had waited patiently and had listened for their reasonings while they fumbled for words (Job 32:11 ).
5. They had failed to answer Job’s argument, and therefore had failed to convince him (Job 32:12 ).
6. Now beware; do not say that you have found wisdom, for God can attend to his case, but not man (Job 32:13 ).
7. I will not answer him with your speeches (Job 32:14 ). Now let us analyze his soliloquy which is found in Job 32:15-22 and consists of the following items:
1. They are amazed and silent; they have not a word to say (Job 32:15 ).
2. Shall I wait? No; I will speak and show my opinion (Job 32:16-17 ).
3. I am full of words, and must speak or burst, therefore I will speak and be relieved (Job 32:18-20 ).
4. His method was not to respect persons nor give flattering titles, because he did not know how to do so and was afraid of his Maker (Job 32:21-22 ).
Elihu’s address to Job in 33:1-7 is as follows:
1. Hear me for the integrity and sincerity of my speech, since I have already begun and am speaking to you right out of my heart (Job 33:1-3 ).
2. I also am a man, being made as a man and since we are on a common level, answer me or stand aside (Job 33:4-5 ).
3. I will be for God, and being a man, I will not terrify you, for I will not bring great pressure upon you (Job 33:6-7 ).
The point of issue now is a general charge that Job’s heart attitude toward God is not right in view of these afflictions (Job 33:8-12 ). It will be seen that Elihu’s charge is different from that of the three friends, viz: That Job was guilty of past sins.
Elihu charged first that Job had said that God giveth no account of any of his matters (Job 33:13 ).. In his reply Elihu shows that this is untrue.
1. In that God reveals himself many times in dreams and visions in order to turn man from his purpose and to save him from eternal destruction (Job 33:14-18 ).
2. In that in afflictions God also talks to man as he often brings him down into the very jaws of death (Job 33:19-22 ). [Cf. Paul’s thorn in the flesh as a preventive.] None of the speakers before him brought out this thought. This is very much like the New Testament teachings; in fact, this thought is nowhere stated more clearly than here. It shows that afflictions are to the children of God what the storm is to the tree of the forest, its roots run deeper by use of the storm.
3. In that he sends an angel sometimes to interpret the things of God, to show man what is right for him (Job 33:23-28 ).
4. Therefore these things ought to be received graciously, since God’s purpose in it all is benevolent (Job 33:29-33 ). Elihu charged, in the second place, that Job had said that God had taken away his right and that it did not profit to be a righteous man (Job 34:5-9 ; Job 35:1-3 ).
His reply is as follows:
1. The nature of God disproves it; -he is not wicked and therefore will not pervert justice (Job 34:10-15 ).
2. Therefore Job’s accusation is unbecoming, for he is by right possessor of all things and governs the world on the principles of justice and benevolence (Job 34:21-30 ).
3. What Job should have said is altogether different from what he did say because he spoke without knowledge and his words were not wise (Job 34:31-37 ).
4. Whether Job was righteous or sinful did not affect God (Job 35:4-8 ).
Elihu charged, in the third place, that Job had said that he could not get a hearing because he could not see him (Job 35:14 ). His reply was that this was unbecoming and vanity in Job (Job 35:15-16 ).
Elihu’s fourth charge was that Job was angry at his chastisements (Job 36:18 ). He replied that such an attitude was sin; and therefore he defended God (36:1-16).
Elihu’s fifth charge was that Job sought death (Job 36:20 ). He replied that it was iniquity to suggest to God when life should end (Job 36:21-23 ).
Elihu discusses in Job 37 the approaching storm. He introduces it in Job 36:24 and in Job 36:33 he gives Job a gentle rebuke, showing him how God even tells the cows of the coming storm. Then he describes the approaching storm in Job 37 , giving the lesson in Job 36:13 , viz: It may be for correction, or it may be for the benefit of the earth, but “stand still and see.”
Elihu makes a distinct advance over the three friends toward the true meaning of the mystery. They claim to know the cause; he, the purpose. They said that the affliction was punitive; he, beneficent. His error is that he, too, makes sin in Job the occasion at least of his sorrow. His implied counsel to Job approaches the final climax of a practical solution. God’s first arraignment of Job is found in Job 38:1-40:2 . Tanner’s summary is as follows:
It is foolish presumption for the blind, dependent creature to challenge the infinite in the realm of providence. The government of the universe, physical and moral, is one; to question any point is to assume understanding of all. Job, behold some of the lower realms of the divine government and realize the absurdity of your complaint.
Job’s reply follows in Job 40:3-5 . Tanner’s summary: “I see it; I hush.”
God’s second arraignment of Job is recorded in Job 40:6-41:34 . Tanner:
To criticize God’s government of the universe is to claim the ability to do better. Assuming the role of God, suppose Job, you try your hand on two of your fellow creatures the hippopotamus and the crocodile.
Job’s reply is found in Job 42:1-6 , Tanner’s summary of which is: This new view of the nature of God reveals my wicked and disgusting folly in complaining; I repent. Gladly do I embrace his dispensations in loving faith.
There are some strange silences in this arraignment and some people have been disappointed that God did not bring out all the questions of the book at the close, as:
1. He says nothing of the heaven scenes in the Prologue and of Satan.
2. He gives no theoretic solution of the problems of the book.
3. He says nothing directly about future revelation and the Messiah.
The explanation of this is easy, when we consider the following facts:
1. That it was necessary that Job should come to the right heart attitude toward God without any explanation.
2. That to have answered concerning future revelation and the Messiah would have violated God’s plan of making revelation.
3. That bringing Job to an acceptance of God’s providence of whatever form without explanation, furnishes a better demonstration of disinterested righteousness.
This is true of life and the master stroke of the production is that the theoretical solution is withheld from the sufferer, while he is led to the practical solution which is a religious attitude of heart rather than an understanding of the head. A vital, personal, loving faith in God that welcomes from him all things is the noblest exercise of the human soul. The moral triumph came by a more just realization of the nature of God.
Job was right in some things and he was mistaken in other things. He was right in the following points:
1. In the main point of difference between him and the three friends, viz: That his suffering was not the result of justice meted out to him for his sins.
2. That even and exact justice is not meted out here on the earth.
3. In contending for the necessity of a revelation by which he could know what to do.
4. In believing God would ultimately vindicate him in the future.
5. In detecting supernatural intelligence and malice in his affliction.
He was mistaken in the following particulars:
1. In considering his case hopeless and wishing for death.
2. In attributing the malice of these things to God instead of Satan.
3. In questioning the mercy and justice of God’s providence and demanding that the Almighty should give him an explanation.
The literary value of these chapters (Job 38:1-42:6 ) is immense and matchless. The reference in Job 38:3 to “The cluster of the Pleiades” is to the “seven stars” which influence spring and represents youth. “Orion” in the same passage, stood for winter and represents death. The picture of the war horse in Job 39:19-25 has stood the challenge of the ages.
The lesson of this meeting of Job with God is tremendous. Job had said, “Oh, that I could appear before him!” but his appearing here to Job reveals to him his utter unworthiness. The man that claims sinlessness advertises his guilty distance from God. Compare the cases of Isaiah, Peter, and John. The Epilogue (Job 42:7-17 ) consists of three parts, as follows:
1. The vindication of Job and the condemnation of his three friends.
2. Job as a priest makes atonement and intercession for his friends.
3. The blessed latter end of Job: “So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.”
The extent and value of the Almighty’s vindication of Job and his condemnation of the three friends are important. In extent it applies to the issues between Job and the three friends and not to Job’s heart attitude toward God. This he had correct-ed in Job by his arraignment of him. In vindicating Job, God justifies his contention that even and exact justice is not meted out on earth and in lime, and condemned the converse which was held by his friends. Out of this contention of Job grows his much felt need of a future judgment, a redeemer, mediator, interpreter, and incarnation, and so forth. Or if this contention is true, then man needs these things just mentioned. If the necessity of these is established, then man needs a revelation explaining all these things.
Its value is seen in God’s confirming these needs as felt by Job, which gives to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come, implicit confidence in the revelation he has given us, pointing out the fact that Job’s need of a redeemer, umpire, interpreter, and so forth has been supplied to the human race with all the needed information upon the other philosophic discussions of the book.
The signification of the Almighty’s “turning the captivity of Job” just at the point “when he prayed for his friends” is seen in the fact that Job reached the point of right heart attitude toward God before the victory came. This was the supreme test of Job’s piety. One of the hardest things for a man to do is to invoke the blessings of heaven on his enemies. This demand that God made of Job is in line with New Testament teaching and light. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for them,” and while dying he himself prayed for his executioners. Paul who was conquered by the prayer of dying Stephen often prayed for his persecutors. This shows that Job was indeed in possession of God’s grace, for without it a man is not able to thus pray. The lesson to us is that we may not expect God to turn our captivity and blessings if we are unable to do as Job did.
The more thoughtful student will see that God does not ex-plain the problem to Job in his later addresses to him, nor in the Epilogue, because to give this would anticipate, out of due time, the order of the development of revelation. Job must be content with the revelation of his day and trust God, who through good and ill will conduct both Job and the world to proper conclusions.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the author’s introduction to Elihu’s speech and what the several items of it?
2. What is Elihu’s introduction (Job 32:6-22 ) and what the two sections?
3. Give an analysis of part one of this introduction.
4. Give an analysis of his soliloquy?
5. Analyze Elihu’s address to Job in Job 33:1-7 .
6. What is the point al issue?
7. What did Elihu charge that Job had said and what Elihu’s reply?
8. What did Elihu charge, in the second place, that Job had said and what Elihu’s reply?
9. What did Elihu charge in the third place, that Job had said, and what Elihu’s answer to it?
10. What was Elihu’s fourth charge and what was Elihu’s answer?
11. What Elihu’s fifth charge and what his reply?
12. What does Elihu discuss in Job 37 ?
13. What the distinct advances made by Elihu and what his error?
14. What God’s first arraignment of Job?
15. What Job’s reply?
16. What God’s second arraignment of Job?
17. What Job’s reply?
18. What the strange silences in this arraignment and what your explanation of them?
19. What the character of the moral solution of the problem as attained by Job?
20. In what things was Job right and in what things was he mistaken?
21. What can you say of the literary value of these chapters (Job 33:1-42:6 )?
22. Explain the beauties of Job 38:31 .
23. What of the picture of the war horse in Job 39:19-25 ?
24. What the lesson of this meeting of Job with God?
25. Give an analysis of the epilogue.
26. What the extent and value of the Almighty’s vindication of Job and his condemnation of the three friends?
27. What the signification of the Almighty’s “turning the captivity of Job” just at the point “when he prayed for his friends”?
28. Does God give Job the explanation of life’s problem, and why?
Job 39:1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? [or] canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
Ver. 1. Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? ] The history of the living creatures is of singular use we see to set forth the goodness, power, wisdom, and other of God’s attributes clearly shining in them. And therefore they have very well deserved all sorts who have put forth such histories and discourses; as Aristotle, Aelian, Pliny, Gesner, Aldobrandinus, &c., of whom I may say, as once Eneas Sylvius (afterwards Pope Plus II.) did of learning in general, that popular men should esteem them as silver, noblemen as gold, princes as pearls; and not so slenderly reward them as Pope Sixtus did Theodorus Gaza (who translated and dedicated unto him Aristotle, De Natura Animalium ), paying him only for the rich binding and bossing forty crowns; but bountifully encourage them, as Great Alexander did his master Aristotle for that same work; he gave him, saith the history, eight hundred talents, which is four hundred and fourscore thousand crowns (Job. Manl. loc. com. 572). The pleasure of reading such authors is not so great as the profit; for thereby we may attain to the knowledge of God, and of ourselves; of his will, and our duties. Hence we are sent to school to the unreasonable creatures, even the most contemptible, as the pismire, Pro 6:6 . And Basil, writing to one that was proud of his knowledge, propoundeth unto him divers questions concerning this same pismire, as, namely, how many feet he hath? whether he hath entrails, such as kidneys, liver, heart, veins, nerves, as other living creatures do? &c. Similarly, God here, to humble Job, and to convince him of his meanness, asketh him whether he knoweth the wild goats and hinds, with the time of their bringing forth young, the means and the manner? &c. And whether these things were done by his ordination and vigilance? Many admirable things are written of these wild goats; as what cold places they live in, what inaccessible rocks, how strangely there they hang, what huge leaps they fetch; but especially about their bringing forth, how by a natural sagacity they help themselves, both before and after, by biting upon certain herbs that are helpful to them in that case,
Pendentem summa capream de rupe videbis
Casuram speres, decipit illa canes (Mart.).
These things and many more such may be read about in Pliny’s Natural History; of which book Erasmus well saith, that it is a store house, or rather a world full of things most worthy to be read. So are not the Jewish expositors, who tell us many strange things here concerning these creatures, quae commentitia esse puto,
Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Job Chapter 39
Well, now we come to animate nature. Clearly these three verses (39-41) ought rather to be the opening of Job 39 . “Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion?” It says, That is what I do, I find food for the lions and for the young lions too. There they are crouching in their dens, “and they abide in the covert to lie in wait.” I do not allow them to die for want of proper food. “Who provideth for the raven his food?” It is not only the great lion, but the comparatively small raven when his young ones cry unto God – there it is, they cry unto Him. They do not murmur; they cry. They tell their want, God has put that into them. It is a cry, and God hears it as directed to Himself. “They wander for lack of meat.” But He hears and answers.
“Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth” (Job 39:1 )? They are very inaccessible as a general role to man. They are found in the great heights of the mountains. “Canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? They bow themselves; they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows; their young ones are in good liking” – though they are hunted to death, and man is fond of feeding on them, yet God provides for them – “they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them. Who hath sent out the wild ass free?” That is also an animal that shuns the human race. “Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?” (vers. 1-8).
Thus we have had the wild goats, and then, the wild ass; and now, what is called here, a “unicorn.” I do not know why this name has been given to it. There is but one animal with a single horn, the Indian rhinoceros, found only in Southern Asia, but here it should be the wild ox. “Canst thou bind the wild ox with his band in the furrow?” We have the wild goat (ver. 1), the wild ass (ver. 5), and now the wild ox (ver. 9). They follow one another in rotation. This is a more powerful animal than either of the others. There is a rising in the scale. “Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed and gather it into thy barn? “
Well, now we come to a very peculiar phrase. There is really nothing here about peacocks at all. It is a mistake. A peacock we find for the first time in Solomon’s day. They were brought from India or from Ceylon; and it is curious that the name of the peacock as given in Kings and Chronicles is Sanscrit, not Hebrew. It is the language of India, the old classical language of India. But this is quite a different thing. It should read, “The wing of the ostrich waveth joyously; is it the pinion and plumage of the stork?” (ver. 13). It is really the ostrich in the first part of the verse, and the stork in the latter. There is a kind of contrast of the ostrich with its great fluttering and also its stupid indifference to its young with the stork. The stork is the most affectionate bird that God created. There is no bird that has such a great care for its offspring; and for that reason there are people in the world who allow them to be kept and honoured, and not a soul must injure them under penalty. I believe, in Holland to this day, that the storks are found in buildings of any height; and they are allowed not merely on the firs of the forest, but they are very fond of being near mankind, and they often build their nests in chimneys and the like, and in lofty places; and people have such a respect for a bird marked by such affection that they will not allow anyone to shoot or injure them in any respect,
Now that is the bird that is contrasted with the ostrich. The ostrich on the contrary leaves its young just to get through as they can, and exposes its eggs in the sand and leaves them there to come to maturity or to be destroyed. She does not care about them. And this is referred to – “which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; her labour is in vain without fear; because God hath deprived her of wisdom.” And who is to dispute with God? The God that gives one bird its remarkable character of affection takes away the commonest sense even from another bird of immense power and great swiftness so that an ostrich could outrun a racehorse for awhile – “she scorneth the horse and his rider.”
Now he comes to the horse itself; and the war horse in particular. “Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?” What have you to do with it? “Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible” (vers. 19 – 25), Well, it is a splendid description indeed, but it is all for the purpose of overwhelming Job with the folly of his pretending to talk about God. Now He looks at the hawk, and the eagle more particularly. “Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom?” Who was it that conferred these peculiar powers on all these animals and birds? “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?” (vers. 26-30).
Knowest thou . . . ? Note the Figure of speech Erotesis (App-6), used by Jehovah throughout this chapter for emphasis.
Chapter 39
Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? can you mark when the hinds calve? Can you number the months that they fulfil? [Do you know how long their pregnancies are?] or do you know the time when they bring forth? They bow themselves, they bring their young ones, and they cast out their sorrows. Can you actually harness a unicorn to plow in your field and to do your work, to bring in your harvest? Did you paint the beautiful wings on the peacocks? or the feathers of the ostrich? And this dumb ostrich that leaves her eggs in the earth, warms them in the dust, and forgets that a foot might crush them, or that the wild beast might break them in. She’s hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labor is in vain without fear; Because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding ( Job 39:1-3 , Job 39:10 , Job 39:12-17 ).
Now some birds have tremendous instinctive abilities: who put it in the mind of the golden plover to fly from Alaska to the Aleutians Islands in the springtime in order that they might hatch their eggs and raise their babies in Alaska in the springtime? Who put it in the mind of the plover to fly 2,000 miles over uncharted oceans and land up there in the Aleutian Islands? And then after they have their little ones, and as winter is approaching, the little golden plover turns around and flies back to Hawaii. Who guides it? Who’s given it its instinctive guidance system that it can fly over the 2,000 miles of ocean nonstop and land by careful navigation there in Hawaii, even though it may be blown by crosswinds of up to 100 miles an hour and be blown off of course, yet find it’s way to Hawaii? Well, you say it remembered the way that it came. Well, then who guides the kids who are left behind, who don’t take off for Hawaii until two weeks after their parents have left? And they’ve never been to Hawaii.
God is just saying to Job, “Hey, Job, who has done all of these things? You know, you think you’re so smart, go ahead and see how far you can get in doing these things.” Now the ostrich, it lays its eggs, it doesn’t worry about, you know, someone coming along and stepping on the sand and cracking the egg because God has hid wisdom from it. He’s just let it be dumb, not care about the egg, whether it will hatch or not. He’s hardened her against her young ones. And yet with some animals, there is very strong mother instincts. Then God talks about the horse with its tremendous strength and the excitement of the horse in battle and so forth. Who created this excitement within the horse?
Does the hawk fly by wisdom, and stretch forth her wings toward the south? Does the eagle mount up at your command, and makes her nest on high? ( Job 39:26-27 )
Who gave the eagle that instinct to build the nest way up on the cliff? Did you order that?
She dwells and abides on the rocks, upon the crags of the rocks, and in the strong place. And from there she seeks her prey, and her eyes behold very far off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she ( Job 39:28-30 ). “
Job 39
Job Chapter 39
Job 39:1 “Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? [or] canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?” We see that this is an extension of the last lesson. All of these Words from God are to show that the mysteries of nature are beyond the comprehension of man. God in all His wisdom and understanding created all things. Man is not intended to understand the mysteries of God. The greatest mystery of all is the origin of life, itself. The particular wild goat above, is unusually secluded. They live in the very rockiest places, and far away from civilization. Of course, man does not know when they will have their newborn. The hinds, above, are speaking of the female goats.
Job 39:2 “Canst thou number the months [that] they fulfil? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?” Animals do not carry their babies the same amount of time that a human mother carries hers before birth. In the time of Job, people had not gone to the trouble to find out how long a particular animal carried their young before birth.
Job 39:3 “They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.” This is speaking of the manner of the birth. It is a natural thing for an animal to give birth.
Job 39:4 “Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.” This is speaking of these animals being born in good health. They do not stay with their mothers very long. The Lord provides for them.
Job 39:5 “Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?”
Job 39:6 “Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.” We saw in the last lesson, how God sent rain to the barren land and to the wilderness, and made the vegetation to grow. Now, we see that those things were provisions for the wild ass and other wild animals like them. God provided for every living thing upon the earth.
Job 39:7 “He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.” This is speaking of the wild ass not wanting to be tamed by the man who dwells in the city. The ass, many times, was used in the manner of some horses. They were ridden by the princes of many lands. The wild ass does not want to be driven and is hard to tame.
Job 39:8 “The range of the mountains [is] his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.” He lives as far away from people as he can, and he eats the grass of the fields.
Job 39:9 “Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?” The word that was translated unicorn, here, just denotes an animal with horns. This, again, is speaking of a wild animal that would not easily be domesticated.
Job 39:10 “Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?” Man might try to make him like an ox to plow the fields, but he really was not created of God for such a task and would, probably, not be very good at it.
Job 39:11 ” Wilt thou trust him, because his strength [is] great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?” This is still speaking of the horned animal called a unicorn, here. This animal seemed to be of tremendous strength. He would have been unmanageable as a farm animal, however. Job 39:12 “Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather [it into] thy barn?” This is saying that he would not have been trustworthy to pull the wagon and bring in the harvest. An animal with great strength is of no use to the farmer, if he cannot manage him. God made other animals for this purpose.
Job 39:13 “[Gavest thou] the goodly wings unto the peacocks? Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?” An ostrich, or a peacock, does not soar away into the heavens like an eagle does. They are fowl that stay very near the earth. In fact, they move around by walking, and not by flying. God had made each thing for the purpose He intended it, and He equipped it with whatever it needed to fulfill His purpose.
Job 39:14 “Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,” This was speaking of the ostrich of that part of the country where Job lived. The mother ostrich dug a hole in the sand and deposited her eggs there. She covered the nest with sand, and the hot sun kept the eggs warm for her.
Job 39:15 “And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.” Actually, she separated herself from the eggs, as if he she was no longer interested in them. One of the reference books says that the ostrich might have as many as thirty eggs. She felt they were safe from harm in the hole she built and covered them with sand.
Job 39:16 “She is hardened against her young ones, as though [they were] not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;” Actually, the mother and the father ostrich incubate the eggs at night. The eggs get plenty of warmth from the sun in the desert sand in the daytime.
Job 39:17 “Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.” The mother ostrich does not worry at the loss of an egg, because she is not very intelligent. She, probably, does not even realize an egg is gone.
Job 39:18 “What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.” The ostrich is large and when a horse and rider get near, the ostrich stands upright {usually taller than a horse} and flaps her wings, while she chases the horse.
Job 39:19 “Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?” Man did not give the horse strength, God did. This is the beginning of a picture of a horse about to go to battle. His neck is high and jutting forth in pride.
Job 39:20 “Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils [is] terrible.” This is speaking of a horse flaring his nostrils and snorting. This has been known to frighten the bravest of men. He is not afraid at all.
Job 39:21 “He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in [his] strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.” This is, probably, the reason men use horses to ride in battle. He is not aware of any danger in battle. They are not able to reason that they might be going to their own death.
Job 39:22 “He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.” This is speaking of the horse, and not the man on the horse. The horse cannot reason, and therefore does not realize there is any danger against drawn swords.
Job 39:23 “The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.” This was just explaining that the quiver was on the side of the neck of the horse. The spear and shield were, also, touching the body of the horse. He had no excitement from this. Horses trained for battle were used to these things. Their owners had trained them with these, as well as them riding them.
Job 39:24 “He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that [it is] the sound of the trumpet.” This was speaking of the rushing of the horse to battle, as if he were swallowing up the ground in front of him. When the trumpet sounded he charged forward to battle.
Job 39:25 “He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.” The horse seemed to sense the excitement of the captain who was riding him. When the captain shouted it excited the horse even further.
Job 39:26 “Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the south?” No, it does not. No man gave the hawk strength to fly. Man used the hawk, but God empowered the hawk.
Job 39:27 “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?” This explanation of the source of strength for all animals and birds ends with the eagle. Many countries, including the United States, use the eagle as a symbol of strength on their coinage. When you think of an eagle, you automatically think of the king of the birds. The eagle, nearly always makes its nest high in the rocks.
Job 39:28 “She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.” This is a vantage point above anything else around. The rocks are usually jagged and very high in the side of a mountain, or crag.
Job 39:29 “From thence she seeketh the prey, [and] her eyes behold afar off.”
Job 39:30 “Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain [are], there [is] she.” The eagle has eyes that can see at great distances. This elevated area gives the eagle full view of the surrounding area, so it can spot its prey at great distances. The blood speaks of a freshly dead animal that the eagle had brought to its babies. It eats the blood with the meat. Each animal and bird has its own purpose on the earth. Their purpose is what God created them for.
Job 39 Questions
1. What is the purpose of chapter 39 and chapter 38?
2. Man is not intended to understand the __________ of God.
3. Quote Job 39:2.
4. What do we learn from that verse?
5. What is Job 39:3 speaking of?
6. Who provides for the young goat?
7. Why does God send rain to the barren land?
8. The ______ was sometimes used as a horse.
9. The wild ass does not want to be ridden and is ______ to tame.
10. What does he feed on?
11. What does “unicorn” in Job 39:9 mean?
12. Would he make a good plow animal?
13. An animal of great strength is of no use to a farmer, if he can’t __________ him.
14. How does an ostrich, or a peacock, differ from other fowl?
15. What warmed the eggs she had left in the sand?
16. An ostrich might have as many as ________ eggs.
17. When do the mother and father ostrich incubate their eggs?
18. Why does the ostrich not act concerned, when something destroys one of her eggs?
19. How large is an ostrich?
20. Job 39:19 says the horse’s neck is clothed with _________.
21. What is verse 20 speaking of?
22. Why did men choose horses to ride on in battle?
23. What is meant by him “swallowing the ground”?
24. When the trumpet sounds, the horse ________ _________.
25. The explanation of the source of all strength ends with the _______.
And still the unveiling goes forward: the mystery of the begetting and birth of lower animals, with the sorrows of travail, and the finding of strength; the freedom and wildness and splendid untameableness of the wild ass, the uncontrolled strength of the wild ox; in all these things God reveals Himself as interested, and, moreover, as active. The differing manifestations of foolishness and power and wisdom, as they are evident among birds and beasts, are dealt with. The ostrich rejoicing in the power of her pinions and in her folly abandoning her eggs and her young, is described; and her very foolishness is accounted for by the act of God. He deprived her of wisdom.
There is nothing, then, that happens in these lower realms of life, apart from God’s volition. The war horse with his might, but tameable so that he will serve man and come to rejoice amid strange and awful battle scenes and sounds, is yet not of man’s creation. All his essential strength is divinely bestowed. The hawk, with wisdom directing it to the south land, and the eagle placing her nest on high, far from the possibility of intrusion, yet in such place of observation as enables her to feed her young, these also are God-guided. Even though in the great dispensation of His government God has committed dominion to man, it is dominion over facts and forces which he has not originated, nor does he sustain.
Knowest Thou? Canst Thou?
Job 39:1-30
The series of questions is continued, and God asks more especially with respect to animated and organic nature. The wild goats, Job 39:1-4; the wild ass, Job 39:5-8; the wild ox, Job 39:9-12; the peacocks and ostriches, Job 39:13-18; the war horse, Job 39:19-25; the hawk, Job 39:26-30. In each case some special point is asked, hidden from the observation of ordinary men. If Job were unable to know more than they on such matters as these, how could he expect to know more than they of the reasons that dictate Gods dealings with His people?
There is mystery in every part of the universe of God. He hides Himself, so that we cannot discover Him. His thoughts are deeper, His ways profounder, than our mind can fathom. There is not a single pathway leading out of the garden of life along which a man, traversing it, will not come to a point when the track dies away in the grass and there is no further progress. In nature and in Scripture alike we have to deal with the inscrutability of Gods ways. Nor can we wonder, if the God of the Bible and of nature be the God of providence, to find mystery also there. This is the argument of The Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed, by Bishop Butler.
the wild: 1Sa 24:2, Psa 104:18
when: Psa 29:9, Jer 14:5
Reciprocal: Gen 1:24 – Let Psa 8:8 – The fowl Pro 6:7 – General Pro 25:2 – the glory Ecc 11:5 – even
CREATURE AND CREATOR
Thou God.
Job 39:1; Job 39:17
I. Still the unveiling of the Divine glory proceeds, but now in its application to the things of life.The feeding of lions and young lions; the fact that the cry of a young raven is prayer in His ears, which He answers with food; the mystery of the begetting and birth of lower animals, with the sorrows of travail, and the finding of strength; the freedom and wildness and splendid untameableness of the wild ass; the uncontrolled strength of the wild ox: in all these things God reveals Himself as interested; and, morever, as active.
II. And still the unveiling goes forward, and the differing manifestations of foolishness and power and wisdom, as they are evident among birds and beasts, are dealt with.The ostrich rejoicing in the power of her pinions, and in her folly abandoning her eggs and her young, is described; and her very foolishness is accounted for by the act of God. He deprived her of wisdom. There is nothing, then, that happens in these lower realms of life apart from His volition. The war-horse with his might, who is yet tameable, so that he will serve man, and come to rejoice amid strange and awful battle scenes and sounds, is yet not of mans creation. All his essential strength is Divinely bestowed. The hawk with wisdom directing it to the south land, and the eagle placing her nest on high, far from the possibility of intrusion, yet in such place of observation as enables her to feed her young, these also are God-guided. Even though in the great dispensation of His government God has committed to man dominion, it is dominion over facts and forces which he has not originated, nor does he sustain.
Illustration
Notable especially to us is the close relation between this portion and certain sayings of our Lord in which the same argument brings the same conclusion. Two passages of Gods speaking, says Mr. Ruskin, one in the Old and one in the New Testament, possess, it seems to me, a different character from any of the rest, having been uttered, the one to effect the last necessary change in the mind of a man whose piety was in other respects perfect; and the other as the first statement to all men of the principles of Christianity by Christ HimselfI mean the thirty-eighth to the forty-first chapters of the Book of Job and the Sermon on the Mount. Now the first of these passages is from beginning to end nothing else than a direction of the mind which was to be perfected, to humble observance of the works of God in nature. And the other consists only in the inculcation of three things: First, right conduct; second, looking for eternal life; third, trusting God through watchfulness of His dealings with His creation.
Job 39:1-2. Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock
Which dwell in high and steep rocks, where no man can come; bring forth? Which they do with great difficulty, as is implied, Psa 29:9, and observed by naturalists, and in which they have no help save from God only. Vain man, who wouldest so fain pry into my secrets! Didst thou ever climb the rocks to see the wild goats bring forth? Or hast thou assisted at the hard labour of the hinds, and helped to ease them of their burdens? Canst thou number the months that they fulfil, &c. Dost thou know the moment of their conception? Or keepest an account when they will be delivered? Patrick. The questions here, as Bochart argues, do not relate to a mere idle and speculative knowledge of the particular time when the wild goats bring forth, or the hinds calve, and the months they fulfil, (which by common observation might easily be found out,) but to the various circumstances thereof, and that divine and providential oversight and care by which God not only knows all things, but directs and governs them. For this reason, he supposes that the LXX interpreters render the clause, , Hast thou observed, or guarded the bringing forth of the hinds? Without the custody of God, (as he argues,) who preserves with the utmost care whatever he has once created, this kind of wild goats must quickly fail, amidst the numberless dangers to which they are exposed, both from hunters and from savage beasts; not to mention how often the dams themselves bring their young into the utmost peril. To this he subjoins St. Chrysostoms observation, namely, how properly the word is here applied, because the wild goat being always on the flight, in fear and agony, continually leaping and prancing about; why does it not produce mere abortions, instead of bringing any of its young to maturity? No other reason can be assigned than the wonderful providence of God, in the preservation of the dams and their young. We have also an account, in Bochart, from Aristotle, Pliny, &c., of the pregnant hinds receiving great assistance in parturition from the herb seselis, to which they are directed by instinct, and the eating of which greatly forwards their delivery. To all which may be added what we read in Psa 29:9, concerning thunder, or the voice of the Lord, which , jecholel, aijaloth, (the very words in our text,) maketh the hinds to calve: that is, (as the same learned writer observes,) among the many wonderful effects of thunder this is one, that those wild beasts, which with difficulty bring forth their young at other times, upon the hearing of it are immediately delivered; the terror they are thereby thrown into being so great as to have a strong effect on those parts which have need to be relaxed. See Chappelow.
Job 39:1. The wild goat, on the Arabian rocks, leaps with incredible celerity from rock to rock, and leaves the dogs and wolves behind. She hides her young in those retreats. They follow the laws of their own nature, which mark the care of providence over all creatures.
Job 39:9. Will the unicorn serve thee? Hebrews Reem. The LXX, Rhinoceros or river horse, which is followed in Latin bibles, for they had no knowledge of the real unicorn. See Campbells account of this almost extinct animal in the note on Numbers 23. His strength and temper render it impossible to subjugate him to the yoke. Therefore Balaam and the Psalmist, as well as Job, had knowledge of this most noble creature. His horn rises not as in bulls, but in the middle of the head, with a slight curve to tear and toss his antagonist. Therefore David, in Psa 92:10, is quite correct in saying, My horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of the unicorn.
Job 39:26. Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, from the cold to the warmer regions in the season? Here the various species of hawks are included in the genera. The emigration and the return of birds of passage designate the wisdom and goodness of God. See on Jer 8:7.
Job 39:27-30. Doth the eagle. Better thus,
Is it at thy voice that the eagle soars,
And makes his nest on high?
The rock is the place of his habitation:
He dwells on the craig, the place of strength,
Thence he pounces on his prey,
And his eyes discern afar off;
His young ones drink down blood;
And where the slain in battle, there is he.
THE WILD GOATS AND THE DEER
(vv.1-4)
The Lord now turns Job’s attention to animals not in the least aggressive, the wild goats and the deer. Indeed, rather than aggressive, they are elusive. Did Job understand all about them? – when they bear their young, how many months of gestation, etc. How much Job knew at the time we do not know, but even though there is more general knowledge of these things now, how many people know by practical experience with the animals themselves all about such matters? Why also do the young grow strong quickly, then leave their parents, not to return?
While man does not care for these animals, God does; and if God cares for these climbers of the rocks, how much more does He care for humans who have the adversity of difficulties that may seem insurmountable? Let Job consider this well.
THE WILD DONKEY
(vv.5-8)
The wild donkey is a totally different type of creature, found mainly in the plains or wilderness. Man just does not control the habits of this animal that is ‘free as the breeze.” Though living in “the barren land,” he is somehow sustained by God in finding food. He avoids the tumult of the city and is not like the tame donkey that must obey the direction of a driver.
The lower ranges of the mountains (not the rocks) supply his pasture, where he may find green vegetation. Would men have even thought of creating an animal like this? But in some respects Job was like the wild donkey, – independent, rebellious, wanting his own way. Thus, he had another object lesson to consider.
THE WILD ANTELOPE
(vv.9-12)
The wild ox is understood to be a large antelope that is untameable. Can its will be subdued by men as domesticated cattle are, so that it willingly serves the authority of man? (v.9). Would it willingly lie down in a manger where cattle are quite content? Could Job make it to plod in a furrow, pulling a plough as oxen were taught to do? (v.10). The strength of the antelope was more than sufficient for this, but how could man make use of such strength? Could he trust such an animal to bring home grain from the field? (v.12). Of course the answer to all these questions is negative, but this serves to teach us that there is much diversity in God’s creation that is beyond man to even understand, and to show up man’s limitations in contrast to God’s unlimited resources. Job was in need of lessons like this, as no doubt all mankind is.
THE OSTRICH
(vv.13-18)
The ostrich is another most interesting creature of God, – a bird, but not a flying bird, using its wings only to help it run at a fast rate. Also, unlike other birds, she makes no comfortable nest in which to lay her eggs, and to hide them from predators, but leaves them in the ground, warming them in the dust, in places where beasts or men may walk, not considering that these eggs are in danger of being easily broken (vv.14-15).
Also, she treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers (v.16). How unlike most mother birds or animals! Why is this so? “Because God deprived her of wisdom, and did not endow her with understanding” (v.17). Sad to say, some human mothers act like the ostrich in this matter, but it is abnormal. But Job was to learn from the ostrich that God does not do what man might naturally expect, nor does God need to give us His reasons. The speed of the ostrich also is amazing, far exceeding the speed of a horse (v.18). Why? Because God chose to make it this way.
THE HORSE
(vv.19-25)
The Lord now turns to consider the horse, a domesticated animal, having great strength and remarkably fearless, yet controlled by his rider. Had Job given such strength to this amazing creature? (v.19). Or could he frighten him? (v.20). It is a war horse particularly in this case, an animal that “gallops into the clash of arms” (v.21). He does not shy away from danger, but rushes right into it. Swordsmen opposing him do not slow him down (v.22). The spear and the javelin mean nothing to him, but the clash of arms seems only to increase his fierceness and rage (v.24). Though he is not a wild animal, when engaged in war, he seems to have the qualities of the wildest of animals. The sound of the trumpet does not stop him, but spurs him on (vv.24-25): as long as the noise and shouting of the battle continues, he continues his advance.
Again, this is another creature that man would not have thought of creating, specially any man who was a lover of peace, and Job is faced with this as another object lesson to tell him God is greater than Job.
THE HAWK AND THE EAGLE
(vv.26-30))
The Lord here returns to consider two creatures that prey on others. Was it Job who decided the hawk should fly southward when winter approaches? (v.26). Of course scientists would say it is by instinct that birds migrate to a warmer climate. But polar bears, for instance, do not have this instinct, nor do penguins. Who gave this instinct to some birds? Only their Creator. It is certainly not lack of food that moves them, for they leave the northern areas even when food is plentiful. Jer 8:7 speaks of some birds, “The stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming.”
Job is told to consider the eagle too. Did Job command it to rise in flight to tremendous heights of the mountains? (vv.27-28). In fact, if man in being created, had never seen a bird, would it even enter his mind to create such a creature? From the highest heights the eagle observes its prey (v.29), having amazing eyes that see a small creature from the greatest distances and descends as rapidly as an arrow to catch its prey and bear it to its young ones in the nest.
Also, “where the slain are, there it is” (v.30). The horse has rushed into the battle, and the eagle follows to feast on the flesh of the fallen. How this reminds us of Rev 19:17-18 : “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”‘ All this tells us that God has a means of carrying out His judgments, whether man understands it or not. Job was to learn from this that the One who made the eagle and its penetrating eyes, surely has eyes more keen than the eagle, and His judgments can be fully trusted.
XXVIII.
THE RECONCILIATION
Job 38:1 – Job 42:6
THE main argument of the address ascribed to the Almighty is contained in chapters 38 and 39 and in the opening verses of chapter 42. Job makes submission and owns his fault in doubting the faithfulness of Divine providence. The intervening passage containing descriptions of the great animals of the Nile is scarcely in the same high strain of poetic art or on the same high level of cogent reasoning. It seems rather of a hyperbolical kind, suggesting failure from the clear aim and inspiration of the previous portion.
The voice proceeding from the storm cloud, in which the Almighty veils Himself and yet makes His presence and majesty felt, begins with a question of reproach and a demand that the intellect of Job shall be roused to its full vigour in order to apprehend the ensuing argument. The closing words of Job had shown misconception of his position before God. He spoke of presenting a claim to Eloah and setting forth his integrity so that his plea would be unanswerable. Circumstances had brought upon him a stain from which he had a right to be cleared, and, implying this, he challenged the Divine government of the world as wanting in due exhibition of righteousness. This being so, Jobs rescue from doubt must begin with a conviction of error. Therefore the Almighty says:-
“Who is this darkening counsel
By words without knowledge?
Gird up now thy loins like a man;
For I will demand of thee and answer thou Me.”
The aim of the author throughout the speech from the storm is to provide a way of reconciliation between man in affliction and perplexity and the providence of God that bewilders and threatens to crush him. To effect this something more than a demonstration of the infinite power and wisdom of God is needed. Zophar affirming the glory of the Almighty to be higher than heaven, deeper than Sheol, longer than the earth, broader than the sea, basing on this a claim that God is unchangeably just, supplies no principle of reconciliation. In like manner Bildad, requiring the abasement of man as sinful and despicable in presence of the Most High with whom are dominion and fear, shows no way of hope and life. But the series of questions now addressed to Job forms an argument in a higher strain, as cogent as could be reared on the basis of that manifestation of God which the natural world supplies. The man is called to recognise not illimitable power only, the eternal supremacy of the Unseen King, but also other qualities of the Divine rule. Doubt of providence is rebuked by a wide induction from the phenomena of the heavens and of life upon the earth, everywhere disclosing law and care cooperant to an end.
First Job is asked to think of the creation of the world or visible universe. It is a building firmly set on deep-laid foundations. As if by line and measure it was brought into symmetrical form according to the archetypal plan; and when the cornerstone was laid as of a new palace in the great dominion of God there was joy in heaven. The angels of the morning broke into song, the sons of the Elohim, high in the ethereal dwellings among the fountains of light and life, shouted for joy. In poetic vision the writer beholds that work of God and those rejoicing companies: but to himself, as to Job, the question comes-What knows man of the marvellous creative effort which he sees in imagination? It is beyond human range. The plan and the method are equally incomprehensible. Of this let Job be assured-that the work was not done in vain. Not for the creation of a world the history of which was to pass into confusion would the morning stars have sung together. He who beheld all that He had made and declared it very good would not suffer triumphant evil to confound the promise and purpose of His toil.
Next there is the great ocean flood, once confined as in the womb of primeval chaos, which came forth in living power, a giant from its birth. What can Job tell, what can any man tell of that wonderful evolution, when, swathed in rolling clouds and thick darkness, with vast energy the flood of waters rushed tumultuously to its appointed place? There is a law of use and power for the ocean, a limit also beyond which it cannot pass. Does man know how that is?-must he not acknowledge the wise will and benignant care of Him who holds in check the stormy devastating sea?
And who has control of the light? The morning dawns not by the will of man. It takes hold of the margin of the earth over which the wicked have been ranging, and as one shakes out the dust from a sheet, it shakes them forth visible and ashamed. Under it the earth is changed, every object made clear and sharp as figures on clay stamped with a seal. The forests, fields, and rivers are seen like the embroidered or woven designs of a garment. What is this light? Who sends it on the mission of moral discipline? Is not the great God who commands the dayspring to be trusted even in the darkness? Beneath the surface of earth is the grave and the dwelling place of the nether gloom. Does Job know. does any man know, what lies beyond the gates of death? Can any tell where the darkness has its central seat? One there is whose is the night as well as the morning. The mysteries of futurity, the arcana of nature lie open to the Eternal alone.
Atmospheric phenomena, already often described, reveal variously the unsearchable wisdom and thoughtful rule of the Most High. The force that resides in the hail, the rains that fall on the wilderness where no man is, satisfying the waste and desolate ground and causing the tender grass to spring up, these imply a breadth of gracious purpose that extends beyond the range of human life. Whose is the fatherhood of the rain, the ice, the hoar frost of heaven? Man is subject to the changes these represent; he cannot control them. And far higher are the gleaming constellations that are set in the forehead of night. Have the hands of man gathered the Pleiades and strung them like burning gems on a chain of fire? Can the power of man unloose Orion and let the stars of that magnificent constellation wander through the sky? The Mazzaroth or Zodiacal signs that mark the watches of the advancing year, the Bear and the stars of her train-who leads them forth? The laws of heaven, too, those ordinances regulating the changes of temperature and the seasons, does man appoint them? Is it he who brings the time when thunderstorms break up the drought and open the bottles of heaven, or the time of heat when the dust gathers into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together? Without this alternation of drought and moisture recurring by law from year to year the labour of man would be in vain. Is not He who governs the changing seasons to be trusted by the race that profits most of His care?
At Job 38:39 attention is turned from inanimate nature to the living creatures for which God provides. With marvellous poetic skill they are painted in their need and strength, in the urgency of their instincts, timid or tameless or cruel. The Creator is seen rejoicing in them as His handiwork, and man is held bound to exult in their life and see in the provision made for its fulfilment a guarantee of all that his own bodily nature and spiritual being may require. Notable especially to us is the close relation between this portion and certain sayings of our Lord in which the same argument brings the same conclusion.
“Two passages of Gods speaking,” says Mr. Ruskin, “one in the Old and one in the New Testament, possess, it seems to me, a different character from any of the rest, having been uttered, the one to effect the last necessary change in the mind of a man whose piety was in other respects perfect; and the other as the first statement to all men of the principles of Christianity by Christ Himself-I mean the 38th to 41st chapters of the Book of Job and the Sermon on the Mount. Now the first of these passages is from beginning to end nothing else than a direction of the mind which was to be perfected, to humble observance of the works of God in nature. And the other consists only in the inculcation of three things: 1st, right conduct; 2nd, looking for eternal life; 3rd, trusting God through watchfulness of His dealings with His creation.”
The last point is that which brings into closest parallelism the doctrine of Christ and that of the author of Job, and the resemblance is not accidental, but of such a nature as to show that both saw the underlying truth in the same way and from the same point of spiritual and human interest.
“Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness?
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
When they couch in their dens
And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
Who provideth for the raven his food,
When his young ones cry unto God
And wander for lack of meat?”
Thus man is called to recognise the care of God for creatures strong and weak, and to assure himself that his life will not be forgotten. And in His Sermon on the Mount our Lord says, “Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they?” The parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke approaches still more closely the language in Job-“Consider the ravens that they sow not neither reap.”
The wild goats or goats of the rock and their young that soon become independent of the mothers care; the wild asses that make their dwelling place in the salt land and scorn the tumult of the city; the wild ox that cannot be tamed to go in the furrow or bring home the sheaves in harvest; the ostrich that “leaveth her eggs on the earth and warmeth them in the dust”; the horse in his might, his neck clothed with the quivering mane, mocking at fear, smelling the battle afar off; the hawk that soars into the blue sky: the eagle that makes her nest on the rock, -all these, graphically described, speak to Job of the innumerable forms of life, simple, daring, strong, and savage, that are sustained by the power of the Creator. To think of them is to learn that, as one among the dependants of God, man has his part in the system of things. his assurance that the needs God has ordained will be met. The passage is poetically among the finest in Hebrew literature, and it is more. In its place, with the limit the writer has set for himself, it is most apt as a basis of reconciliation and a new starting point in thought for all like Job who doubt the Divine faithfulness. Why should man, because he can think of the providence of God, be alone suspicious of the justice and wisdom on which all creatures rely? Is not his power of thought given to him that he may pass beyond the animals and praise the Divine Provider on their behalf and his own?
Man needs more than the raven, the lion, the mountain goat, and the eagle. He has higher instincts and cravings. Daily food for the body will not suffice him, nor the liberty of the wilderness. He would not be satisfied if, like the hawk and eagle, he could soar above the hills. His desires for righteousness, for truth, for fulness of that spiritual life by which he is allied to God Himself, are his distinction. So, then, He who has created the soul will bring it to perfectness. Where or how its longings shall be fulfilled may not be for man to know. But he can trust God. That is his privilege when knowledge fails. Let him lay aside all vain thoughts and ignorant doubts. Let him say: God is inconceivably great, unsearchably wise, infinitely just and true; I am in His hands, and all is well.
The reasoning is from the less to the greater, and is therefore in this case conclusive. The lower animals exercise their instincts and find what is suited to their needs. And shall it not be so with man? Shall he, able to discern the signs of an all-embracing plan, not confess and trust the sublime justice it reveals? The slightness of human power is certainly contrasted with the omnipotence of God, and the ignorance of man with the omniscience of God; but always the Divine faithfulness, glowing behind, shines through the veil of nature, and it is this Job is called to recognise. Has he almost doubted everything, because from his own life outward to the verge of human existence wrong and falsehood seemed to reign? But how, then, could the countless creatures depend upon God for the satisfaction of their desires and the fulfilment of their varied life? Order in nature means order in the scheme of the world as it affects humanity. And order in the providence which controls human affairs must have for its first principle fairness, justice, so that every deed shall have due reward.
Such is the Divine law perceived by our inspired author “through the things that are made.” The view of nature is still different from the scientific, but there is certainly an approach to that reading of the universe praised by M. Renan as peculiarly Hellenic, which “saw the Divine in what is harmonious and evident.” Not here at least does the taunt apply that, from the point of view of the Hebrew, “ignorance is a cult and curiosity a wicked attempt to explain,” that “even in the presence of a mystery which assails and ruins him, man attributes in a special manner the character of grandeur to that which is inexplicable,” that “all phenomena whose cause is hidden, all beings whose end cannot be perceived, are to man a humiliation and a motive for glorifying God.” The philosophy of the final portion of Job is of that kind which presses beyond secondary causes and finds the real ground of creaturely existence. Intellectual apprehension of the innumerable and far-reaching threads of Divine purpose and the secrets of the Divine will is not attempted. But the moral nature of man is brought into touch with the glorious righteousness of God. Thus the reconciliation is revealed for which the whole poem has made preparation. Job has passed through the furnace of trial and the deep waters of doubt, and at last the way is opened for him into a wealthy place. Till the Son of God Himself come to clear the mystery of suffering no larger reconciliation is possible. Accepting the inevitable boundaries of knowledge, the mind may at length have peace.
And Job finds the way of reconciliation:
“I know that Thou canst do all things,
And that no purpose of Thine can be restrained.
Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?
Then have I uttered what I understood not,
Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.”
“Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me.
I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear;
But now mine eye seeth Thee,
Wherefore I repudiate my words and repent in dust and ashes.”
All things God can do, and where His purposes are declared there is the pledge of their accomplishment. Does man exist?-it must be for some end that will come about. Has God planted in the human mind spiritual desires?-they shall be satisfied. Job returns on the question that accused him-“Who is this darkening counsel?” It was he himself who obscured counsel by ignorant words. He had only heard of God then, and walked in the vain belief of a traditional religion. His efforts to do duty and to avert the Divine anger by sacrifice had alike sprung from the imperfect knowledge of a dream life that never reached beyond words to facts and things. God was greater far than he had ever thought, nearer than, he had ever conceived. His mind is filled with a sense of the Eternal power, and overwhelmed by proofs of wisdom to which the little problems of mans life can offer no difficulty.
“Now mine eye seeth Thee.” The vision of God is to his soul like the dazzling light of day to one issuing from a cavern. He is in a new world where every creature lives and moves in God. He is under a government that appears new because now the grand comprehensiveness and minute care of Divine providence are realised. Doubt of God and difficulty in acknowledging the justice of God are swept away by the magnificent demonstration of vigour, spirit, and. sympathy, which Job had as yet failed to connect with the Divine Life. Faith therefore finds freedom, and its liberty is reconciliation, redemption. He cannot indeed behold God face to face and hear the judgment of acquittal for which he had longed and cried. Of this, however, he does not now feel the need. Rescued from the uncertainty in which he had been involved-all that was beautiful and good appearing to quiver like a mirage-he feels life again to have its place and use in the Divine order. It is the fulfilment of Jobs great hope, so far as it can be fulfilled in this world. The question of his integrity is not formally decided. But a larger question is answered, and the answer satisfies meantime the personal desire.
Job makes no confession of sin, His friends and Elihu, all of whom endeavour to find evil in his life, are entirely at fault. The repentance is not from moral guilt, but from the hasty and venturous speech that escaped him in the time of trial. After all ones defence of Job one must allow that he does not at every point avoid the appearance of evil. There was need that he should repent and find new life in new humility. The discovery he has made does not degrade a man. Job sees God as great and true and faithful as he had believed Him to be, yea, greater and more faithful by far. He sees himself a creature of this great God and is exalted, an ignorant creature and is reproved. The larger horizon which he demanded having opened to him, he finds himself much less than he had seemed. In the microcosm of his past dream life and narrow religion he appeared great, perfect, worthy of all he enjoyed at the hand of God; but now, in the macrocosm, he is small, unwise, weak. God and the soul stand sure as before; but Gods justice to the soul He has made is viewed along a different line. Not as a mighty sheik can Job now debate with the Almighty he has invoked. The vast ranges of being are unfolded, and among the subjects of the Creator he is one, -bound to praise the Almighty for existence and all it means. His new birth is finding himself little, yet cared for in Gods great universe.
The writer is no doubt struggling with an idea he cannot fully express; and in fact he gives no more than the pictorial outline of it. But, without attributing sin to Job, he points, in the confession of ignorance, to the germ of a doctrine of sin. Man, even when upright, must be stung to dissatisfaction, to a sense of imperfection-to realise his fall as a new birth in spiritual evolution. The moral ideal is indicated, the boundlessness of duty and the need for an awakening of man to his place in the universe. The dream life now appears a clouded partial existence, a period of lost opportunities and barren vainglory. Now opens the greater life in the light of God.
And at the last the challenge of the Almighty to Satan with which the poem began stands justified. The Adversary cannot say, -The hedge set around Thy servant broken down, his flesh afflicted, now he has cursed Thee to Thy face. Out of the trial Job comes, still on Gods side, more on Gods side than ever, with a nobler faith more strongly founded on the rock of truth. It is, we may say, a prophetic parable of the great test to which religion is exposed in the world, its difficulties and dangers and final triumph. To confine the reference to Israel is to miss the grand scope of the poem. At the last, as at the first, we are beyond Israel, out in a universal problem of mans nature and experience. By his wonderful gift of inspiration, painting the sufferings and the victory of Job, the author is a herald of the great advent. He is one of those who prepared the way not for a Jewish Messiah, the redeemer of a small people, but for the Christ of God, the Son of Man, the Saviour of the world.
A universal problem, that is, a question of every human age, has been presented and within limits brought to a solution. But it is not the supreme question of mans life. Beneath the doubts and fears with which this drama has dealt lie darker and more stormy elements. The vast controversy in which every human soul has a share oversweeps the land of Uz and the trial of Job. From his life the conscience of sin is excluded. The author exhibits a soul tried by outward circumstances; he does not make his hero share the thoughts of judgment of the evildoer. Job represents the believer in the furnace of providential pain and loss. He is neither a sinner nor a sin bearer. Yet the book leads on with no faltering movement toward the great drama in which every problem of religion centres. Christs life, character, work cover the whole region of spiritual faith and struggle, of conflict and reconciliation, of temptation and victory, sin and salvation; and while the problem is exhaustively wrought out the Reconciler stands divinely free of all entanglement. He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. Jobs honest life emerges at last, from a narrow range of trial into personal reconciliation and redemption through the grace of God. Christs pure heavenly life goes forward in the Spirit through the full range of spiritual trial, bearing every need of erring man, confirming every wistful hope of the race, yet revealing with startling force mans immemorial quarrel with the light, and convicting him in the hour that it saves him. Thus for the ancient inspired drama there is set, in the course of evolution, another, far surpassing it, the Divine tragedy of the universe, involving the spiritual omnipotence of God. Christ has to overcome not only doubt and fear, but the devastating godlessness of man, the strange sad enmity of the carnal mind. His triumph in the sacrifice of the cross leads religion forth beyond all difficulties and dangers into eternal purity and calm. That is through Him the soul of believing man is reconciled by a transcendent spiritual law to nature and providence, and his spirit consecrated forever to the holiness of the Eternal.
The doctrine of the sovereignty of God, as set forth-in the drama of Job with freshness and power by one of the masters of theology, by no means covers the whole ground of Divine action. The righteous man is called and enabled to trust the righteousness of God; the good man is brought to confide in that Divine goodness which is the source of his own. But the evildoer remains unconstrained by grace, unmoved by sacrifice. We have learned a broader theology, a more strenuous yet a more gracious doctrine of the Divine sovereignty. The induction by which we arrive at the law is wider than nature, wider than the providence that reveals infinite wisdom, universal equity and care. Rightly did a great Puritan theologian take his stand on the conviction of God as the one power in heaven and earth and hell; rightly did he hold to the idea of Divine will as the one sustaining energy of all energies. But he failed just where the author of Job failed long before: he did not fully see the correlative principle of sovereign grace. The revelation of God in Christ, our Sacrifice and Redeemer, vindicates with respect to the sinful as well as the obedient the Divine act of creation. It shows the Maker assuming responsibility for the fallen, seeking and saving the lost; it shows one magnificent sweep of evolution which starts from the manifestation of God in creation and returns through Christ to the Father, laden with the manifold immortal gains of creative and redeeming power.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(2) The resemblance in the meaning of and (yaanim),the latter being the ordinary name of the ostrich;
(4) The ostrich otherwise not named. The ostrich is literally the crying bird; the Arabs being accustomed to name things rather from their character. So REISKE and FAUSSET. The word in the text first rendered peacock, by POMARIUS, and then hesitatingly adopted by PAGNINUS, MONTANUS, VATABLUS, MERCER, &C, and all modern versions: BOOTHROYD. (neelasah) here rendered goodly, is rather the Niphal of the verb (alas) to rejoice, exult, as in chap Job. 20:18; or, according to others, to make a vibrating noise. GESENIUS renders the word: Moveth joyfully. SCHULTENS: Is full of exultation; is always moving. According to MERCER, the word is rarely found in Scripture, but is cognate with (alatz) or (alaz) to exult, or triumph. DRUSIUS, COCCETUS, and SCULTETUS render the clause: The wing of the peacocks is joyful, or moves joyfully. VATABLUS: Is full of joy and pleasure. MERCER: Does the wing of the peacock exult joyfully from thee? PAGNINUS: The peacock exults in its wings. GROTIUS: Canst thou give the exulting wings of the peacocks? MUNSTER: A wing to exult, or to be exulted in. MONTANUS: The wing of the exulting ones is joyful. DODERLKIN: She is one that exults with sounding wingsupply, does she fly by thy wisdom? STICKEL: The ostrich rejoices with fluttering wings. HUFNAGEL: Joyfully move the sounding feathers and wing. MICHAELIS: To the morning dawn the ostrich lifts its wings. UMBREIT: The wing of the ostrich [which] lifts itself joyfully. HERDER: A wing with joyous cry is uplifted yonder. SCOTT and BOOTHROYD: The wing of the ostrich is triumphantly expanded. STOCK: Is set to flutter. GOOD and WEMYSS: The wing of the ostrich tribe is for flapping. PARKHURST: Quivers, or flutters up and down. ROSENMULLER: Exults. COLEMAN: Flaps exultingly. NOYES and FAUSSET: Moveth joyfully. LEE: In the exulting wing of the ostrich [wilt thou put thy trust?] BARNES: The wing of the exulting fowls moves joyfully; not their beauty, but their exulting, joyful, triumphant appearance being the object of attraction. FRY: Is the flapped wing of the ostrich from thee. CAREY: The wing of the ostrich thrilleth joyously. CONANT: Waves exulting. DE WETTE: Swings joyfully. ZOCKLER: Flaps joyfully. Of the ancient and earlier versions, the SEPTUAGINT has: The wing of the rejoicing ones; leaving untranslated. The VULGATE: The wing of the ostrich is extolled. SYRIAC: The wing of those that praise is lifted up. ARABIC: The wing of praise. TARGUM: The wing of the wild cock, which sings and exults. SYMMACHUS: The wing of exultation grows around. AQUILA: The wing of the praising ones folds up. COVERDALE: The ostrich, whose feathers are fairer, &c. LUTHER; The feathers of the peacock are finer, &c. MARTIN (French): Has thou given to the peacock that plumage which is so brilliant. DIODATI (Italian): The wings of the peacock, are they beautiful by thy doing?
That their discharge did stretch his leathern coat
Almost to bursting; and the big round tears
Coursed one another down his innocent nose
In piteous chase.
(5) Variety a characteristic in the Creators works. Wildness and independence given by Him to the wild ass. The Almighty tied to no uniform type.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Though her labor be in vain, she is without fear;
The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
And life itself th’ inferior gift of Heaven.”
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
they wander for lack of meat.
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
Stare loco nescit, micat auribus et tremit artus
Collectumque fremens volvit sub naribus ignem.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary