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Texts -- Job 39:3-30 (NET)

Context
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.”

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

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  • 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,...
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  • 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...
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  • 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...
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