Job 38:39-41

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 38:25-41

Hitherto God had put such questions to Job as were proper to convince him of his ignorance and short-sightedness. Now he comes, in the same manner, to show his impotency and weakness. As it is but little that he knows, and therefore he ought not to arraign the divine counsels, so it is but little that he can do, and therefore he ought not to oppose the proceedings of Providence. Let him consider what great things God does, and try whether he can do the like, or whether he thinks himself an... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 38:39

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion ?.... From meteors the Lord passes to animals, beasts, and birds, wherefore some here begin the thirty ninth chapter, which only treats of such; and he begins with the lion, the strongest among beasts, and most fierce; cruel, and voracious; and asks, who hunts his prey for him? Not man, who cannot; and if he could, durst not: but the Lord does; and, according to some writers F24 Thevenot's Travels, part 2. c. 13. , he has provided a small creature,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 38:40

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? Which some understand of old lions, who, for want of strength, lie couchant in their dens, or in some covert place, waiting for any prey that passes by, to seize upon it. But the same pasture and places are used by younger lions, as well as old ones; who are emblems of wicked men, cruel persecutors, and bloodthirsty tyrants, who fill their palaces and kingdoms with murder and rapine; see Psalm 10:8 , Nahum 2:11 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 38:41

Who provideth for the raven his food ?.... Not man, but God; he feeds the ravens, creatures very voracious, mean, and useless, Luke 12:24 ; when his young ones cry unto God ; cry for want of food; which is interpreted by the Lord as a cry unto him, and he relieves them, Psalm 147:9 ; when deserted by the old ones; either left in their nests through forgetfulness, as some F26 Plin. apud Servium in Virgil. Georgic. l. 1. p. 189. ; or because they are not, till fledged, black like... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 38:39

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? - Rather the lioness, or strong lion. Hast thou his instinct? Dost thou know the habits and haunts of such animals as he seeks for his food? Thou hast neither his strength, his instinct nor his cunning. In the best Hebrew Bibles, the thirty-ninth chapter begins with this verse, and begins properly, as a new subject now commences, relating to the natural history of the earth, or the animal kingdom; as the preceding chapter does to astronomy and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 38:40

When they couch in their dens - Before they are capable of trusting themselves abroad. Abide in the covert - Before they are able to hunt down the prey by running. It is a fact that the young lions, before they have acquired sufficient strength and swiftness, lie under cover, in order to surprise those animals which they have not fleetness enough to overtake in the forest; and from this circumstance the כפירים kephirim , "young lions, or lions' whelps," have their name: the root is ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 38:41

Who provideth for the raven - This bird is chosen, perhaps, for his voracious appetite, and general hunger for prey, beyond most other fowls. He makes a continual cry, and the cry is that of hunger. He dares not frequent the habitations of men, as he is considered a bird of ill omen, and hated by all. This verse is finely paraphrased by Dr. Young: - "Fond man! the vision of a moment made! Dream of a dream, and shadow of a shade! What worlds hast thou produced, what creatures framed, ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:1-41

The tone of the appeal is sustained at a high pitch, and the entire passage is one of extraordinary force and eloquence. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:31-41

Jehovah to Job: the first answer-the examination: 5. Concerning four worlds. I. THE WORLD OF STARS . Jehovah invites Job to reflect upon his own impotence, and therefore also inferentially upon his ( i.e. Jehovah's) omnipotence, as regards the phenomena of the heavens, over which the Power of God is exhibited in a fourfold degree. 1 . In creating the orbs of heaven. The constellations (Orion, Arcturus, the Pleiades, Mazzaroth) and the planets that adorn the nocturnal sky,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:39

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? A new departure. Job 39:1-30 should commence from this point. What does Job know of the habits and instincts of animals? Can he arrange so that the lion (rather, lioness ) shall obtain its proper prey, and thus fill the appetite —or, satisfy the appetite (Revised Version)—of the young lions, which depend on their dam? Certainly not. "The lions, roaring after their prey, do seek their meat from God " ( Psalms 104:21 ). read more

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