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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 39:1-12

God here shows Job what little acquaintance he had with the untamed creatures that run wild in the deserts and live at large, but are the care of the divine Providence. As, I. The wild goats and the hinds. That which is taken notice of concerning them is the bringing forth and bringing up of their young ones. For, as every individual is fed, so every species of animals is preserved, by the care of the divine Providence, and, for aught we know, none extinct to this day. Observe here, 1.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 39:4

Their young ones are in good liking ,.... Plump, fat, and sleek, as fawns are: they grow up with corn ; by which they grow, or without in the field, as the word also signifies; and their growth and increase is very quick, as Aristotle observes F12 Ib. (Aristot. Hist. Animal.) l. 6. c. 29. ; they go forth, and return not unto them : they go forth into the fields, and shift and provide for themselves, and trouble their dams no more; and return not to them, nor are they known by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 39:5

Who hath sent out the wild ass free ?.... Into the wide waste, where it is, ranges at pleasure, and is not under the restraint of any; a creature which, as it is naturally wild, is naturally averse to servitude, is desirous of liberty and maintains it: not but that it may be tamed, as Pliny F13 Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 44. speaks of such as are; but it chooses to be free, and, agreeably to its nature, it is sent out into the wilderness as such: not that it is set free from bondage, for in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 39:6

Whose house I have made the wilderness ,.... Appointed that to be his place of residence, as being agreeable to his nature, at a distance from men, and in the less danger of being brought into subjection by them. Such were the deserts of Arabia; where, as Xenophon F14 De Expedition. Cyri, l. 1. relates, were many of these creatures, and which he represents as very swift: and Leo Africanus F15 Descriptio Africae, l. 9. p. 752. says, great numbers of them are found in deserts, and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 39:4

In good liking - After the fawns have sucked for some time, the dam leads them to the pastures, where they feed on different kinds of herbage; but not on corn, for they are not born before harvest-time in Arabia and Palestine, and the stag does not feed on corn, but on grass, moss, and the shoots of the fir, beech, and other trees: therefore the word בר bar , here translated corn, should be translated the open field or country. See Parkhurst. Their nurslings bound away - Mr. Good. In a... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 39:5

Who hath sent out the wild ass free? - פרא pere , which we translate wild ass, is the same as the ονος αγριος of the Greeks, and the onager of the Latins; which must not, says Buffon, be confounded with the zebra, for this is an animal of a different species from the ass. The wild ass is not striped like the zebra, nor so elegantly shaped. There are many of those animals in the deserts of Libya and Numidia: they are of a gray color; and run so swiftly that no horse but the Arab barbs... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 39:6

Whose house - Habitation, or place of resort. The barren land - מלחה melechah , the salt land, or salt places, as in the margin. See above. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 39:1-30

This chapter completes the survey of animate nature begun at Job 38:39 . The habits and instincts of the wild goat, the wild ass, and wild cattle are first noticed ( Job 38:1-12 ); then a transition is made to the most remarkable of birds, the ostrich ( Job 38:13-18 ). Next, the horse is described, and, as it were, depicted, in a passage of extraordinary fire and brilliancy ( Job 38:19-25 ). Finally, a return is made to remarkable birds, and the habits of the hawk and eagle obtain... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 39:1-30

Jehovah to Job: the first answer-the examination: 6. Concerning certain wild animals. I. THE MOUNTAIN GOAT AND THE HIND . (Verses 1-4.) 1 . The creatures intended. It is generally agreed that these are the steinbock, or ibex, and the stag. The former, inhabiting exclusively the more rocky and desolate parts of the country, possesses fore legs considerably shorter than its hinder, which enable it to ascend with more facility than to descend, and lead it, when pursued, to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 39:1-30

The creatures not dependent upon man. We truly know that of man it is written, "Thou hast put all things under his feet;" and "We see not yet all things put under him." The creatures over whom dominion was given to man are not wholly submissive. And man must learn his littleness in presence of the great creatures of God whom he fails to subdue. "The wild goats" and "the hinds" and "the wild ass," "the unicorn," even "the ostrich," "the horse" and the birds of the air, "the hawk" and "the... read more

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