“DOES THE EAGLE SOAR AT YOUR COMMAND?”
Key verse: 27
NIV
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats(A) give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?(B)
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?(C)
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey(D) go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland(E) as its home,
the salt flats(F) as its habitat.(G)
7 It laughs(H) at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.(I)
8 It ranges the hills(J) for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.
9 “Will the wild ox(K) consent to serve you?(L)
Will it stay by your manger(M) at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?(N)
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?(O)
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.(P)
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.(Q)
16 She treats her young harshly,(R) as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.(S)
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs(T) at horse and rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength(U)
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,(V)
striking terror(W) with its proud snorting?(X)
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,(Y)
and charges into the fray.(Z)
22 It laughs(AA) at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver(AB) rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear(AC) and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.(AD)
25 At the blast of the trumpet(AE) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.(AF)
26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?(AG)
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?(AH)
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag(AI) is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;(AJ)
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”(AK)
Cross references
- Job 39:1 : S Dt 14:5
- Job 39:1 : Ge 49:21
- Job 39:2 : S Ge 31:7-9
- Job 39:5 : S Ge 16:12
- Job 39:6 : Job 24:5; Ps 107:34; Jer 2:24
- Job 39:6 : Job 30:4
- Job 39:6 : Job 30:7; Jer 14:6; 17:6
- Job 39:7 : S Job 5:22
- Job 39:7 : Job 3:18
- Job 39:8 : Isa 32:20
- Job 39:9 : S Nu 23:22
- Job 39:9 : S Ex 21:6
- Job 39:9 : S Ge 42:27
- Job 39:10 : Job 41:13; Ps 32:9
- Job 39:11 : ver 19; Job 40:16; 41:12, 22; Ps 147:10
- Job 39:13 : Zec 5:9
- Job 39:15 : 2Ki 14:9
- Job 39:16 : ver 17; La 4:3
- Job 39:17 : S ver 16; S Job 21:22
- Job 39:18 : S Job 5:22
- Job 39:19 : S ver 11
- Job 39:20 : Joel 2:4-5; Rev 9:7
- Job 39:20 : Job 41:25
- Job 39:20 : Jer 8:16
- Job 39:21 : ver 11
- Job 39:21 : Jer 8:6
- Job 39:22 : S Job 5:22
- Job 39:23 : Isa 5:28; Jer 5:16
- Job 39:23 : Na 3:3
- Job 39:24 : Nu 10:9; Jer 4:5, 19; Eze 7:14; Am 3:6
- Job 39:25 : Jos 6:5
- Job 39:25 : Jer 8:6; Am 1:14; 2:2
- Job 39:26 : Jer 8:7
- Job 39:27 : Jer 49:16; Ob 1:4; Hab 2:9
- Job 39:28 : Jer 49:16; Ob 1:3
- Job 39:29 : S Job 9:26
- Job 39:30 : Mt 24:28; Lk 17:37
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
39 “Do you know when (A)the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe (B)the calving of the does?
2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,
and do you know the time when they give birth,
3 when they (C)crouch, bring forth their offspring,
and are delivered of their young?
4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;
they go out and (D)do not return to them.
5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free?
Who has (E)loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 to whom I have given (F)the arid plain for his home
and (G)the salt land for his dwelling place?
7 He scorns the tumult of the city;
he hears not the shouts of the driver.
8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture,
and he searches after every green thing.
9 “Is (H)the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will he spend the night at your (I)manger?
10 Can you bind (J)him in the furrow with ropes,
or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great,
and will you leave to him your labor?
12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[a]
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
and that the wild beast may trample them.
16 She (K)deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;
though her (L)labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,
17 because God has made her forget wisdom
and (M)given her no share in understanding.
18 When she rouses herself to flee,[b]
she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him leap like the locust?
His majestic (N)snorting is terrifying.
21 He paws[c] in the valley and exults in his strength;
he (O)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not turn back from the sword.
23 Upon him rattle the quiver,
the flashing spear, and the javelin.
24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;
he cannot stand still at (P)the sound of the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
and makes his (Q)nest on high?
28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,
on (R)the rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there he spies out the prey;
his eyes behold it from far away.
30 His young ones suck up blood,
and (S)where the slain are, there is he.”
Footnotes
Cross references
- Job 39:1 : 1 Sam. 24:2; Ps. 104:18
- Job 39:1 : Ps. 29:9
- Job 39:3 : 1 Sam. 4:19
- Job 39:4 : [Gen. 8:12]
- Job 39:5 : [ch. 12:18; Ps. 116:16]
- Job 39:6 : ch. 24:5; Jer. 2:24
- Job 39:6 : Ps. 107:34; Jer. 17:6; [Deut. 29:23]
- Job 39:9 : Num. 23:22
- Job 39:9 : Prov. 14:4; Isa. 1:3
- Job 39:10 : [See ver. 9 above]; Num. 23:22
- Job 39:16 : [Lam. 4:3]
- Job 39:16 : Isa. 49:4; 65:23
- Job 39:17 : [ch. 35:11]
- Job 39:20 : Jer. 8:16
- Job 39:21 : [Jer. 8:6]
- Job 39:24 : Jer. 4:19; Amos 3:6
- Job 39:27 : [Num. 24:21; Jer. 49:16; Obad. 4; Hab. 2:9]
- Job 39:28 : 1 Sam. 14:5
- Job 39:30 : Matt. 24:28; Luke 17:37
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
God created all the animals, each in their own way. He created all of the various kinds according to Genesis 1. He created the mountain goats to be independent and thrive. He created the wild donkeys to roam the hills in a carefree manner. The wild ox is strong, but it will never submit to work for a man by itself. Yet each of these wild animals submits to their Creator God.
The ostrich is distinct from other birds, joyful, though God did not endow her with wisdom. The horse is strong and useful. They became men’s allies in battle.
God asked, “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom? Does the eagle soar at your command?” The hawk takes flight by God’s wisdom, and the eagle soars by God’s command. Each is created by God. Each serves God’s purpose in its existence. They are testimonies of God’s power and sovereignty over all things. When we submit to God, he will care for us.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating me as I am. Help me submit my life under your rule.
One Word: Submit to the Creator God