Psalms 147:9

147:9 He gives food to the animals,

and to the young ravens when they chirp. ¹ 

Job 38:41

38:41 Who prepares prey for the raven,

when its young cry out to God

and wander about ²  for lack of food?

Joel 1:18

1:18 Listen to the cattle groan! ³ 

The herds of livestock wander around in confusion ⁴ 

because they have no pasture.

Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

Joel 1:20

1:20 Even the wild animals ⁵  cry out to you; ⁶ 

for the river beds ⁷  have dried up;

fire has destroyed ⁸  the grassy pastures. ⁹ 

Joel 2:22

2:22 Do not fear, wild animals! ¹⁰ 

For the pastures of the wilderness are again green with grass.

Indeed, the trees bear their fruit;

the fig tree and the vine yield to their fullest. ¹¹ 

[147:9]  ¹ tn Heb “which cry out.”

[38:41]  ² tn The verse is difficult, making some suspect that a line has dropped out. The little birds in the nest hardly go wandering about looking for food. Dhorme suggest “and stagger for lack of food.”

[1:18]  ³ tn Heb “how the cattle groan!”

[1:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “the herds of cattle are confused.” The verb בּוּךְ (bukh, “be confused”) sometimes refers to wandering aimlessly in confusion (cf. Exod 14:3).

[1:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “beasts of the field.”

[1:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “long for you.” Animals of course do not have religious sensibilities as such; they do not in any literal sense long for Yahweh. Rather, the language here is figurative (metonymy of cause for effect). The animals long for food and water (so BDB 788 s.v. עָרַג), the ultimate source of which is Yahweh.

[1:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “sources of water.”

[1:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “consumed.”

[1:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”

[2:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “beasts of the field.”

[2:22]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their strength.” The trees and vines will produce a maximum harvest, in contrast to the failed agricultural conditions previously described.