Job 39:19

CAN YOU EXPLAIN SUCH AN ANIMAL AS THE HORSE?

"Hast thou given the horse his might?

Has thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane?

Has thou made him to leap as a locust?

The glory of his snorting is terrible.

He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength:

He goeth out to meet the armed man.

He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed;

Neither turneth he back from the sword.

The quiver rattleth against him,

The flashing spear and the javelin.

He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;

Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the

Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet.

As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha!

And he smelleth the battle afar off,

The thunder of the captains and the shouting."

Here again, the question addressed to Job is implied rather than spoken as an interrogative. We have paraphrased it in the paragraph heading. The horse is a war animal, surpassing all others in that inherent characteristic.

"He mocketh at fear ... he turneth not back ... from the sword ... the spear ... the javelin" (Job 39:22-23). The weapons mentioned here of which the horse was not afraid were all ancient weapons, and relatively silent, when compared to artillery and other modern weapons; but the horse is no more afraid of the roar of a canon than he was the silent flight of an arrow. Who can explain such a thing? God evidently created the horse for warfare; and, for that reason, forbade the kings of Israel to multiply horses unto themselves, a restriction which they promptly violated.