Chapter Thirty-Nine

1–30. Description of the animal kingdom. 31–35. Job’s submission.

Job 39:1. “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the deer are in labor? Job 39:2. “Can you count the months they fulfill? Do you know the time when they give birth? Job 39:3. “They crouch down and bring forth their young, they deliver their offspring. Job 39:4. “Their young ones grow strong, they go forth in the open field; they depart and do not return to them. The wild goats and gazelles, as if conscious of their helplessness during pregnancy and childbirth, withdraw at that time to places inaccessible to their enemies – humans and wild beasts – mountainous regions, and here they give birth to and raise their young. Therefore man does not know when they give birth, cannot “count the months of their pregnancy.”

Job 39:5. “Who sends out the wild donkey free, or who loosens the bonds of the wild ass? Job 39:6. “Whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place? Job 39:7. “He laughs at the commotion of the city, nor does he hear the shouts of a driver. Job 39:8. “He ranges the hills as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing. The wild ass – Hebrew “pere” from “para” – “to run swiftly,” the Asian “kulan,” belongs to those animals that cannot be tamed by man. An inhabitant of the steppes, he finds himself food in salt marshes, does not tolerate the noise of the city, and cannot be adapted, like the domestic ass, to carrying heavy loads.

Job 39:9. “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he stay by your manger? Job 39:10. “Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Will he plow the valleys behind you? Job 39:11. “Will you trust him because his strength is great? Will you leave your labor to him? Job 39:12. “Will you rely on him to bring in your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? The animal “reem,” the “wild ox” of the Synodal reading, “μονοκέρως” of the LXX, ῥινοκέρως of Aquila and the Vulgate (a false interpretation of μονοκερως of the LXX). Recent exegetes – Delitzsch, Lange and others – on the basis of the Talmud, testimony of Pliny the Younger and Egyptian monuments about a single-horned antelope, understand by “reem” the white gazelle – the oryx – that inhabits and to this day in Syria. And finally, others: Gesenius, De Wette, Umbreit, see in it a wild ox. The latter opinion is scarcely other than the correct one. The wild ox is contrasted with a similar domestic animal used for tilling fields, that is, the ox; with the latter the wild ox is akin. Job 39:13-18. Description of the ostrich. Just as the wild ass and ox in contrast to the domestic ox and ass cannot be tamed, so the ostrich, similar to the stork, is distinguished by many characteristics.

Job 39:13. “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are her wings and feathers kind to the young? The literal reading of this verse should be: “does the ostrich’s wing wave joyfully, is it a stork’s wing and feather?” Although the ostrich in the coloring of its feathers and its inclination to live in whole flocks resembles the stork, in many respects it is not like it.

Job 39:14. “For she leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them be warmed by the sand, Job 39:15. “And forgets that a foot may crush them, or that a wild animal may trample them. Job 39:16. “She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; her labor is in vain, without fear, Job 39:17. “Because God has deprived her of wisdom, and has not given her a share of understanding. One of such characteristics is the relationship of the ostrich to its offspring. While the stork is tender toward its young, which is why it is called “chasida” – “devout,” the ostrich is harsh (verse 16; cf. Lam 4:3). It leaves its eggs to the mercy of fate, not at all troubled that they may be crushed and eaten by animals. But this natural lack of reason of the ostrich, threatening the destruction of its offspring, is eliminated by the fact that the desert itself – the hot sand – warms its eggs and brings forth young. Its labor does not remain in vain (verse 16).

Job 39:18. “Yet when she lifts herself up on high, she laughs at the horse and his rider. Apparently helpless on account of inability to fly, the ostrich possesses swift running, which saves it from pursuit by enemies, including people. Job 39:19-25. Following the description of the ostrich, this “half-camel, half-bird” as the Arabs say, comes the description of the horse, as if born, intended for battle.

Job 39:19. “Do you give the horse its strength? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? And indeed, he is given strength, necessary for war (Hebrew “gevurah”; cf. Judg 8:21; 2 Sam 18:20).

Job 39:20. “Can you frighten him like a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible. Job 39:21. “He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he advances to meet the armed men. The correct reading is: “will you make him leap like a grasshopper?” Prancing, breaking into a gallop, a horse makes leaps like a grasshopper (cf. Joel 2:4), and the spiritedness it displays in this case is manifested in its snorting, which frightens those around, and its habit of stamping, striking the ground with its hoof.

Job 39:22. “He mocks at fear and is not frightened; nor does he turn back from the sword. Job 39:23. “The quiver rattles against him, the glittering spear and javelin. Job 39:24. “He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage; nor does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet. Job 39:25. “At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of captains and the shouting. The spiritedness of the horse does not diminish with the circumstances of battle. For him – nothing the sword, the flash of the spear and javelin, but the sounds of the trumpet – used in war as a signal horn (Hebrew “shofar,” cf. Judg 3:27; 2 Sam 2:28), and the cries of commanders bring it into even greater excitement.

Job 39:26. “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south? Like other birds, the “netz” – the “hawk” is endowed with the instinct to foresee the coming of cold and migrate to the south – to warm lands – for the duration of winter.

Job 39:27. “Does the eagle mount up at your command and make its nest on high? Job 39:28. “On the rock it dwells and lodges, on the crag of the rock and the stronghold. Job 39:29. “From there it spies out the prey; its eyes look from afar. Job 39:30. “Its young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there it is. The series of phenomena of the animal world begins with the description of the king of beasts – the lion (Job 38:39), and concludes with the description of the king of birds – the eagle. Its characteristic feature is the habit of building a nest on the summits of mountains, in inaccessible places (cf. Jer 49:16), in accordance with which it is given keen eyesight, which helps it to spy on prey from inaccessible heights unreachable to man.

Job 39:31. Then the Lord answered Job and said, Job 39:32. “Shall one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer for it. Job 39:33. Then Job answered the Lord and said, Job 39:34. “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Job 39:35. “I have spoken once, but I will not answer; even twice, but I will not continue. A whole series of questions showed Job how great is the amount of evidence testifying to the wisdom of God that arranges. Compared to them – nothing are the facts upon which he based his view of divine arbitrariness. To contend with God, therefore, is not possible, and in response to the challenge (verse 32) he answers with silence: “I lay my hand on my mouth” (cf. Job 21:5). It signifies a renunciation of his former views and constitutes the first step in the restoration of proper relationship to God. Job was brought to such a state by the revelation of the thought of the wise and beneficent God. God, who subdues the sea, waters the desert, provides food for the raven, is that same God who so unjustly punishes him. But can the latter be admitted? Is it not better to acknowledge that with the goodness of God this cannot be.