1 Of the wild goats and hinds. 5 Of the wild asses. 9 The unicorn. 13 The peacock, stork, and ostrich. 19 The horse. 26 The hawk. 27 The eagle.
Job 39:1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
God continues to present to Job the divine description of the wonders of the animal creation that begins in ch. 38:39. Such expressions as “do you know” emphasize Job’s ignorance in contrast with God’s wisdom. Man is not even able to understand those things that God can create.
These were very wild animals, and inhabited remote, rocky regions. Their nature made it impossible for men to become acquainted with their habits. Yet God, as the Creator, knew every detail regarding them.
Mountain goats. Compare Ps. 29:9. The term may refer either to the female of the wild goat species, the application thus making the second line of the text a repetition of the first, or to the deer.
Job 39:2 Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth?
Count the months? The gestation period of animals like the wild goat was probably not known to man, since such animals could neither be domesticated nor carefully observed. Every birth, even though it be of a wild animal, is evidence of the life-giving power of the Creator.
Job 39:3 They crouch down and bring forth their young; their labor pains are ended.
Job 39:4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds; they leave and do not return.
The self-reliance of the young of wild animals is remarkable. In the open fields these young animals grow up and soon leave their mothers. These remarkable phenomena are in no way dependent on the wisdom or planning of man. Instead, they reveal the amazing planning of an intelligent and loving God.
Job 39:5 “Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied its ropes?
This animal is said to be different in spirit, energy, agility, and appearance from the domestic animal of that name. In his wildness he is entirely outside the orbit of man’s influence. Anyone who considers the habits of such a creature cannot but wonder at the creative knowledge responsible for such beauty, agility, and self-reliance. This seems to be the lesson that God is trying to teach Job.
Job 39:6 I gave it the wasteland as its home, the salt flats as its habitat.
God created the wild donky so that it might dwell comfortably in arid, treeless wastes where man and his domesticated animals could scarcely survive.
Job 39:7 It laughs at the commotion in the town; it does not hear a driver’s shout.
The domesticated ass is directed by man, but the commands of the driver mean nothing to the wild donkey, the child of the treeless plains. He will not be curbed in his limitless freedom.
Job 39:8 It ranges the hills for its pasture and searches for any green thing.
The rocky ranges are the wild donkey’s source of food. He survives where many another animal would starve. Whence does this beast receive his unusual abilities? Not from man, but from God.
Job 39:9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will it stay by your manger at night?
Wild ox. Heb. rem, elsewhere re’em, occurring 9 times in the OT. From the various descriptions of this animal, it is thought to designate the wild ox (see Num. 23:22; 24:8; Deut. 33:17; Ps. 22:21; 29:6; 92:10).
The wild bull often found on Assyrian monuments was known as rīmu. The animal was probably like those which Caesar found in Gaul and which he described as follows: “These uri are scarcely less than elephants in size, but in their nature, color and form are bulls. Great is their strength and great their speed. Nor do they spare man nor beast, when once they have caught sight of him. … Even when they are young, they cannot be habituated to man and made tractable. The size and shape of their horns are very different from those of our oxen” (De bello Gallico vi. 28).
It is commonly believed that the contrast between the wild ox and the tame ox in vs. 9–12 is comparable to the contrast between the wild ass and the tame ass in vs. 5–8.
Serve you. The tame ox would pull the plow, but the wild ox could not be used for such purposes.
The wild ox could not be kept in a domestic environment. His nature was different. Who endowed him with such different characteristics, even though outwardly he might resemble his tame brother? The answer is—God.
Job 39:10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness? Will it till the valleys behind you?
Job 39:11 Will you rely on it for its great strength? Will you leave your heavy work to it?
The wild ox cannot be depended on. His strength cannot be harnessed for man’s purposes. The variance in nature is divinely implanted and resists all efforts toward change.
Job 39:12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?
The dependability of the tame ox is proverbial. Job knows well that the wild ox is entirely dissimilar in this respect. Can Job explain the reasons for the difference? Such knowledge is beyond his grasp.
Job 39:13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork.
The ostrich was common in Job’s country. From the alternative reading given in the margin of the second clause, “the feathers of the stork and ostrich,” some have concluded that God is contrasting the stork and the ostrich, as He contrasted the tame and wild ass and the tame and wild ox. The stork is a bird that can fly easily and gracefully. The ostrich has large wings that flap while the bird runs, but these wings will scarcely lift the heavy creature off the ground. There is also a marked difference in the habits of the two birds.
The stork is kind to its young, but the ostrich seems to have little regard for its young. This characteristic is developed in subsequent verses of the chapter. The idea seems to be that God, in His providence, endowed the various creatures with differing characteristics. These variations cannot be explained or controlled by man.
Job 39:14 She lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand,
The females of a group use one nest, one staying with the eggs part of the day while the others wander in search of food. The male incubates the eggs at night. Job 39:15 unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. The female roams unconcerned about her eggs. Later all the chicks run with the whole group. This may account for her indifference to her young.
Job 39:16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain,
The ostrich seems to lack sufficient intelligence to show concern about her offspring (see Lam. 4:3).
Even though her eggs are broken, and she has no little ones, she remains unconcerned.
Job 39:17 for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense.
In making this creature, God apparently saw fit to endow the ostrich with limited intelligence. He does not give His reasons for so doing, and such reasons man cannot fathom. There is an Arab proverb, “As stupid as an ostrich.” God speaks of Himself here in the third person perhaps for emphasis.
Job 39:18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider.
Despite her stupidity and her lack of concern for her young, the ostrich has been endowed by God with a remarkable ability for speedy travel. It is well known that the bird can outrun the fastest horse.
Job 39:19 “Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
Verses 19–25 describe the war horse. The following quotation from Virgil resembles this vivid picture: “But, at the clash of arms, his ear afar Drinks the deep sound and vibrates to the war; Flames from each nostril roll in gathered stream, His quivering limbs with restless motion gleam; O’er his right shoulder, floating full and fair, Sweeps his thick mane and spreads his pomp of hair; Swift works his double spine, and earth around Rings to his solid hoof that wears the ground.”
Job 39:20 Do you make it leap like a locust, striking terror with its proud snorting?
Job 39:21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray
The picture of a horse pawing eagerly to be off to battle.
Job 39:22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; it does not shy away from the sword.
His rider may be frightened, but not he. The sword does not terrorize him.
Job 39:23 The quiver rattles against its side, along with the flashing spear and lance.
Job 39:24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground; it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
A vivid way of describing the rapidity with which a trained war horse covers the ground.
Job 39:25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’ It catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
Aha. Perhaps a description of the horse’s snort or neigh; or it may figuratively describe the horse as uttering an expression of satisfaction when he hears the war trumpet. Compare Isa. 5:28–30.
Lange has described the Arab horse thus: “Although docile as a lamb and requiring no other guide than the halter, when the Arab mare hears the war-cry of the tribe and sees the quivering spear of her rider, her eyes glitter with fire, her blood-red nostrils open wide, her neck is nobly arched, and her tail and mane are raised and spread out to the wind.”
Job 39:26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?
From the charging war horse, God transfers Job’s attention to the migrating hawk. Has Job implanted the instinct that causes the bird to seek warmer climate in the winter? Again, he is confronted with an example of God’s unfathomable wisdom. Job 39:27 Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?
The eagle has always been noted for the great heights to which it ascends. Has Job instructed these birds to find high pinnacles for their homes?
Job 39:28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold.
No place is too rugged or inaccessible to be the home of an eagle.
Job 39:29 From there it looks for food; its eyes detect it from afar.
Eagles, noted for their keenness of vision, sense the presence of prey from an incredible distance, and swoop down from their high nests to seize their victim. Who gave them these remarkable instincts, completely beyond anything known to man?
Job 39:30 Its young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there it is.”
See Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37. The phenomena mentioned illustrate the power and goodness of God. All that man has discovered about nature since Job’s time only tends to substantiate the same power and goodness.