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Texts -- Job 38:4--39:30 (NET)

Context
God’s questions to Job
38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth ? Tell me, if you possess understanding ! 38:5 Who set its measurements – if you know – or who stretched a measuring line across it? 38:6 On what were its bases set , or who laid its cornerstone – 38:7 when the morning stars sang in chorus , and all the sons of God shouted for joy ? 38:8 “Who shut up the sea with doors when it burst forth , coming out of the womb , 38:9 when I made the storm clouds its garment , and thick darkness its swaddling band , 38:10 when I prescribed its limits , and set in place its bolts and doors , 38:11 when I said , ‘To here you may come and no farther , here your proud waves will be confined ’? 38:12 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning , or made the dawn know its place , 38:13 that it might seize the corners of the earth , and shake the wicked out of it? 38:14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal ; its features are dyed like a garment . 38:15 Then from the wicked the light is withheld , and the arm raised in violence is broken . 38:16 Have you gone to the springs that fill the sea , or walked about in the recesses of the deep ? 38:17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of deepest darkness ? 38:18 Have you considered the vast expanses of the earth ? Tell me, if you know it all ! 38:19 “In what direction does light reside , and darkness , where is its place , 38:20 that you may take them to their borders and perceive the pathways to their homes ? 38:21 You know , for you were born before them; and the number of your days is great ! 38:22 Have you entered the storehouse of the snow , or seen the armory of the hail , 38:23 which I reserve for the time of trouble , for the day of war and battle ? 38:24 In what direction is lightning dispersed , or the east winds scattered over the earth ? 38:25 Who carves out a channel for the heavy rains , and a path for the rumble of thunder , 38:26 to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land , a desert where there are no human beings , 38:27 to satisfy a devastated and desolate land, and to cause it to sprout with vegetation ? 38:28 Does the rain have a father , or who has fathered the drops of the dew ? 38:29 From whose womb does the ice emerge , and the frost from the sky , who gives birth to it, 38:30 when the waters become hard like stone , when the surface of the deep is frozen solid ? 38:31 Can you tie the bands of the Pleiades , or release the cords of Orion ? 38:32 Can you lead out the constellations in their seasons , or guide the Bear with its cubs ? 38:33 Do you know the laws of the heavens , or can you set up their rule over the earth ? 38:34 Can you raise your voice to the clouds so that a flood of water covers you? 38:35 Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go ? Will they say to you, ‘Here we are’? 38:36 Who has put wisdom in the heart , or has imparted understanding to the mind ? 38:37 Who by wisdom can count the clouds , and who can tip over the water jars of heaven , 38:38 when the dust hardens into a mass , and the clumps of earth stick together ? 38:39 “Do you hunt prey for the lioness , and satisfy the appetite of the lions , 38:40 when they crouch in their dens , when they wait in ambush in the thicket ? 38:41 Who prepares prey for the raven , when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food ? 39:1 “Are you acquainted with the way the mountain goats give birth ? Do you watch as the wild deer give birth to their young? 39:2 Do you count the months they must fulfill , and do you know the time they give birth ? 39:3 They crouch , they bear their young , they bring forth the offspring they have carried. 39:4 Their young grow strong , and grow up in the open ; they go off , and do not return to them. 39:5 Who let the wild donkey go free ? Who released the bonds of the donkey , 39:6 to whom I appointed the steppe for its home , the salt wastes as its dwelling place ? 39:7 It scorns the tumult in the town ; it does not hear the shouts of a driver . 39:8 It ranges the hills as its pasture , and searches after every green plant . 39:9 Is the wild ox willing to be your servant ? Will it spend the night at your feeding trough ? 39:10 Can you bind the wild ox to a furrow with its rope , will it till the valleys , following after you? 39:11 Will you rely on it because its strength is great ? Will you commit your labor to it? 39:12 Can you count on it to bring in your grain , and gather the grain to your threshing floor ? 39:13 “The wings of the ostrich flap with joy , but are they the pinions and plumage of a stork ? 39:14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground , and lets them be warmed on the soil . 39:15 She forgets that a foot might crush them, or that a wild animal might trample them. 39:16 She is harsh with her young , as if they were not hers; she is unconcerned about the uselessness of her labor . 39:17 For God deprived her of wisdom , and did not impart understanding to her. 39:18 But as soon as she springs up , up , she laughs at the horse and its rider . 39:19 “Do you give the horse its strength ? Do you clothe its neck with a mane ? 39:20 Do you make it leap like a locust ? Its proud neighing is terrifying ! 39:21 It paws the ground in the valley , exulting mightily , it goes out to meet the weapons . 39:22 It laughs at fear and is not dismayed ; it does not shy away from the sword . 39:23 On it the quiver rattles ; the lance and javelin flash . 39:24 In excitement and impatience it consumes the ground ; it cannot stand still when the trumpet is blown . 39:25 At the sound of the trumpet , it says , ‘Aha !’ And from a distance it catches the scent of battle , the thunderous shouting of commanders , and the battle cries . 39:26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars , and spreads its wings toward the south ? 39:27 Is it at your command that the eagle soars , and builds its nest on high? 39:28 It lives on a rock and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and a fortress . 39:29 From there it spots its prey , its eyes gaze intently from a distance . 39:30 And its young ones devour the blood , and where the dead carcasses are, there it is.”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Ignorance

    [nave] IGNORANCE. Job 8:9; Job 11:7, 8, 12; Job 28:12, 13, 20, 21; Job 36:26, 29; Job 37:5, 15, 16, 19, 23 Job 38; 39. Psa. 139:6; Prov. 7:6-23; Prov. 8:5; Prov. 9:14-18; Prov. 19:2; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 22:3 Prov. 27:12. Prov. 27:1...

  • Readings, Select

    [nave] READINGS, SELECT. Judah's Defense Gen. 44:18-34 Joseph Revealing His Identity Gen. 45:1-15 The Deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh Ex. 14:5-30 Song of Moses When Pharaoh and His Army Were Overthrown Ex. 15:1-1...

  • Condescension of God

    [nave] CONDESCENSION OF GOD In reasoning with his creatures: Sets forth his reasons for sending the flood, Gen. 6:11-13. Enters into covenant with Abraham, Gen. 15:1-21; 18:1-22. Indulges Abraham's intercession for Sodom, Gen. 18...

  • Job

    [nave] JOB 1. A man who dwelt in Uz, Job 1:1. Righteousness of, Job 1:1, 5, 8; 2:3; Ezek. 14:14, 20. Riches of, Job 1:3. Trial of, by affliction of Satan, Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10. Fortitude of, Job 1:20-22; 2:10; Jas. 5:11. Visite...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • JOB, BOOK OF

    [isbe] JOB, BOOK OF - || I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Place in the Canon 2. Rank and Readers II. THE LITERARY FRAMEWORK 1. Setting of Time, Place and Scene 2. Characters and Personality 3. Form and Style III. THE COURSE OF THE STORY A) To Jo...
    [smith] This book has given rise to much discussion and criticism, some believing the book to be strictly historical; others a religious fiction; others a composition based upon facts. By some the authorship of the work was attribute...

  • BARUCH, BOOK OF

    [isbe] BARUCH, BOOK OF - One of the Apocryphal or Deutero-canonical books, standing between Jeremiah and Lamentations in the Septuagint, but in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) after these two books. I. Name. See un...

  • Eagle

    [ebd] (Herb. nesher; properly the griffon vulture or great vulture, so called from its tearing its prey with its beak), referred to for its swiftness of flight (Deut. 28:49; 2 Sam. 1:23), its mounting high in the air (Job 39:27), ...
    [isbe] EAGLE - e'-g'-l (nesher; aetos; Latin aquila): A bird of the genus aquila of the family falconidae. The Hebrew nesher, meaning "to tear with the beak," is almost invariably translated "eagle," throughout the Bible; yet many ...
    [nave] EAGLE Forbidden as food, Lev. 11:13; Deut. 14:12. Swift flight of, Deut. 28:49; Job 9:26; Prov. 30:19; Jer. 4:13; 49:22; Lam. 4:19. Nest of: Deut. 32:11; Job 39:27-30; Jer. 49:16. Bears her young on her wings, Ex. 19:4; D...

  • Euthanasia

    [nave] EUTHANASIA Euthanasia is an attempt to prevent painful, excessive or prolonged death. It may be passive (stop treatment) or direct acts aimed at terminating life (active). The latter is wrong because it does not see God, as ...

  • Blessing

    [nave] BLESSING For blessing before eating, See: Prayer, Thanksgiving Before Taking Food. See also Benedictions. Responsive Blessings of the Law Deut. 28:1-14 For the responsive Curses of the law, See: Curse. Divine, Contingent...

  • Animals

    [nave] ANIMALS Creation of, Gen. 1:24, 25; 2:19; Jer. 27:5. Food of, Gen. 1:30. Named, Gen. 2:20. Ordained as food for mankind, Gen. 9:2, 3; Lev. 11:3, 9, 21, 22; Deut. 14:4-6, 9, 11, 20. God's care of, Gen. 9:9, 10; Deut. 25:4...

  • Horse

    [ebd] always referred to in the Bible in connection with warlike operations, except Isa. 28:28. The war-horse is described Job 39:19-25. For a long period after their settlement in Canaan the Israelites made no use of horses, acco...
    [isbe] HORSE - hors: 1. Names: The common names are (1) cuc, and (2) hippos. (3) The word parash, "horseman," occurs often, and in several cases is translated "horse" or "warhorse" (Isa 28:28; Ezek 27:14; Joel 2:4 the Revised Versi...
    [smith] The most striking feature in the biblical notices of the horse is the exclusive application of it to warlike operations; in no instance is that useful animal employed for the purposes of ordinary locomotion or agriculture, if...
    [nave] HORSE Description of: Great strength, Job 39:19-25; swifter than eagles, Jer. 4:13; snorting and neighing of, Isa. 5:28; Jer. 8:16; a vain thing for safety, Psa. 33:17; Prov. 21:31. Used by the Egyptians in war, Ex. 14:9; 1...

  • Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena

    [nave] METEOROLOGY AND CELESTIAL PHENOMENA. Gen. 2:5, 6; Gen. 27:39; Job 9:7; Job 26:7, 8, 11; Job 27:20, 21; Job 28:24-27; Job 29:19; Job 36:27-33; Job 37:6-22; Job 38:9 [with vs. 8-11.] Job 38:22, 24-29, 31-35, 37; Psa. 18:8-15;...

  • Land, Land Masses

    [nave] LAND, LAND MASSES Gen. 1:9, 10; Job 26:7, 10; 28:8-11; 38:4-18; Psa. 95:5; 104:5-9; 136:6; Prov. 8:29; 30:4. See: Geology.

  • OSTRICH

    [ebd] (Lam. 4:3), the rendering of Hebrew pl. enim; so called from its greediness and gluttony. The allusion here is to the habit of the ostrich with reference to its eggs, which is thus described: "The outer layer of eggs is gene...
    [isbe] OSTRICH - os'-trich (ya`anah; strouthos; Latin Struthio camelus): The largest bird now living. The Hebrew words ya`anah, which means "greediness," and bath ha-ya`anah, "daughter of greediness," are made to refer to the indis...
    [smith] a large bird, native of African and Arabia, nearly ten feet high, having s long neck and short wings. It seeks retired places, (Job 30:29; Lamentations 4:13) and has a peculiar mournful cry that is sometimes mistaken by the A...

  • Birds

    [nave] BIRDS Creation of, on the fifth creative day, Gen. 1:20-30. Mankind's dominion over, Gen. 1:26, 28; 9:2, 3; Psa. 8:5-8; Jer. 27:6; Dan. 2:38; Jas. 3:7. Appointed for food, Gen. 9:2, 3; Deut. 14:11-20. What species were un...

  • Unicorn

    [ebd] described as an animal of great ferocity and strength (Num. 23:22, R.V., "wild ox," marg., "ox-antelope;" 24:8; Isa. 34:7, R.V., "wild oxen"), and untamable (Job 39:9). It was in reality a two-horned animal; but the exact re...
    [isbe] UNICORN - u'-ni-korn (re'em (Nu 23:22; 24:8; Dt 33:17; Job 39:9,10; Ps 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isa 34:7)): "Unicorn" occurs in the King James Version in the passages cited, where the Revised Version (British and American) has "w...
    [nave] UNICORN Intractable, Job 39:9-12. Horned, Deut. 33:17; Psa. 22:21; 92:10. Great strength of, Num. 23:22; 24:8; Job 39:9-12. Agile, Psa. 29:6. Figurative Of the judgments of God, Isa. 34:7.

  • Ostriches

    [nave] OSTRICHES, Job 39:13-18; Lam. 4:3; Isa. 13:21; 34:13; 43:20. The cry of, Mic. 1:8. In A.V. occurs the word owl, but in the R.V., the word ostrich, Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15; Job 30:29; Isa. 43:20; Jer. 50:39; Mic. 1:8.

  • Astronomy

    [ebd] The Hebrews were devout students of the wonders of the starry firmanent (Amos 5:8; Ps. 19). In the Book of Job, which is the oldest book of the Bible in all probability, the constellations are distinguished and named. Mentio...
    [nave] ASTRONOMY. Job 26:7, 13; Job 37:18; Job 38:31-33; Psa. 8:3; Psa. 19:1-6; Psa. 68:33; Psa. 136:5-9; Isa. 13:10; Isa. 40:22, 26; Isa. 47:13; Jer. 31:35-37; Jer. 33:22; Amos 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:41; Jude 13 Celestial Phenomena Jos...

  • ASS

    [ebd] frequently mentioned throughout Scripture. Of the domesticated species we read of, (1.) The she ass (Heb. 'athon), so named from its slowness (Gen. 12:16; 45:23; Num. 22:23; 1 Sam. 9:3). (2.) The male ass (Heb. hamor), the c...
    [isbe] ASS - as (chamowr or chamor, compare Arabic chamar, apparently connected with Arabic root 'achmar, "red," but referred by some to root hamal, "to carry"; also, but less commonly, both in Hebrew and in Arabic, 'athon, Arabic ...
    [smith] Five Hebrew names of the genus Asinus occur in the Old Testament. Chamor denotes the male domestic ass. Athon , the common domestic she-ass. Air , the name of a wild ass, which occurs (Genesis 32:15; 49:11) Pere , a species ...
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Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • Agungkan Kuasa NamaNya [KJ.222a]
  • Agungkan Kuasa NamaNya [KJ.222b]
  • Hai Kota Mungil Betlehem [KJ.94] ( O Little Town of Bethlehem )
  • Tahukah Kamu Jumlah Bintang [KJ.68]
  • [Job 38:7] Almighty Spirit, Now Behold
  • [Job 38:7] Brightest And Best Of The Sons Of The Morning
  • [Job 38:7] Perfect World, By Adam Trod, The
  • [Job 38:7] Sound Over All Waters
  • [Job 38:7] Stars Of The Morning

Questions

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 6:1-2 There are three major views about the identity of the sons of God.1. They were fallen angelswho married women.278Arguments in favor of this view follow with responses.a. The term "sons of God"as it occurs here in Hebrew...
  • Abimelech's rule over Israel appears to have been very small in scope as well as short in duration. He was only the ruler of Shechem and its surrounding territory. He evidently lived in Arumah about five miles to the southeas...
  • Again God raised up a prophet to announce what He would do. Evidently Ahab's apostasy had been going on for 14 years before God raised up His prophetic challenge.173Normally God gives sinners an opportunity to judge themselve...
  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • Verse 2 is irony; his companions were not as wise as they thought. Job pointed out that much of what they had said about God was common knowledge (cf. 5:9-10; 8:13-19; 11:7-9). Nonetheless their conclusion, that the basis of ...
  • Because the speech in this chapter is more soliloquy than dialogue some scholars have concluded that someone other than Job spoke it: Zophar, Bildad, or God. One writer argued for its being a speech by none of the characters,...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • Elihu focused next on God's activities in nature. There may be reference to autumn conditions in 36:27-33, winter in 37:1-13, and summer in 37:17-18.150Elihu's third "Behold"(36:26) draws attention to the infinite wisdom of G...
  • As Job's friends had done, God began to break Job down blow by verbal blow. Finally all his pride was gone. However where Job's friends had failed, God succeeded."The function of the questions needs to be properly understood....
  • God's first speech began and ended with a challenge to Job. Job had found fault with God for allowing him to suffer when he was godly. He had said he wished he could meet God in court to face Him with His injustice and to hea...
  • Yahweh's purpose in directing Job's attention to such inexplicable animals on land (Behemoth) and in the water (Leviathan) seems to have been the same as His purpose in His first speech. He intended to humble Job by reminding...
  • Agur began with three declarations. The subject of each is God.30:2-4 Behind this ironical section one can perhaps imagine Agur's sons claiming to be wiser than their father. Agur confessed his own limited understanding while...
  • Though his view of and awareness of God are very much behind what Agur said in the rest of this chapter, his counsel deals primarily with practical prudence from this point on.30:10 It is unwise to meddle in the domestic affa...
  • The preceding section answered the question that the people of Isaiah's day had about God's desire to deliver them. Yes, He wantedto deliver them. This section answered their question about whether He could save them. Yes, He...
  • This section of the poem consists of two parallel parts (vv. 1-6, 7-11). The Judahites had become despised (vv. 1-2, 7-8), and both children and adults (everyone) suffered (vv. 3-5, 9-10). This calamity was the result of Yahw...
  • The writer now turned from reviewing the plight of the people to consider the greatness of their God."In 5:19-20 the writer carefully chose his words to summarize the teaching of the entire book by using the split alphabet to...
  • 2:3 This huge army advanced like a forest fire consuming everything in its path (cf. 1:19). Before the devastation conditions were idyllic, but after it there was nothing but a scorched earth wilderness. Nothing escaped the a...
  • 16:18 "I say to you"(cf. 5:18, 20, 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44; 8:10) may imply that Jesus would continue the revelation the Father had begun. However the phrase occurs elsewhere where that contrast is not in view. Undoubtedly it ...
  • John probably included this incident for a number of reasons. It accounts for the return of Jesus and His disciples to the western shore of Galilee where Jesus gave the discourse on the Bread of Life. Perhaps he did so to con...
  • The writer began his epistle with an affirmation of Jesus Christ's greatness to introduce his readers to his subject. This section is one sentence in the Greek text. It contrasts God's old revelation with the new, specificall...
  • The writer proceeded to explain the exaltation of Jesus Christ to help his readers appreciate the fact that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Son of David. He did this so they would appreciate Him properly an...
  • John turned to see the person who had given him his commission. These verses describe what he saw.1:12 When John turned to see the person who spoke to him he saw a majestic figure clothed in a long robe standing among seven l...
  • 6:1 "I saw"marks the continuation of what John had seen that chapters 4 and 5 record, but also the commencement of revelation concerning future events on earth. Chapters 1-5 have introduced this revelation. John was an eyewit...
  • 9:1 Again John saw a "star"(cf. 6:13; 8:10), but this time the "star"was an intelligent being. If "fallen"(Gr. peptokota) has theological connotations, the "star"may refer to Satan (vv. 2, 11; cf. 1:20; Job. 38:7; Luke 10:18)...
  • 16:17 This final judgment has the greatest impact of all since the air into which the angel pours his bowl is what humans breathe.535The loud voice is probably once again God's since it comes from the throne in the heavenly t...
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