FocusCreation and the limits of human knowledge
Connection to the wholeThe LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
interpretation Job 39:16
KJVShe is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;
Read it in context
The LORD Speaks of His Creation
Start reading at Job 39:1 (Job 39:1 to Job 39:30).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
- 39:1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
- 39:2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
- 39:3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.
- 39:4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.
- 39:5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
- 39:6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.
- 39:7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.
- 39:8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.
- 39:9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?
- 39:10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
- 39:11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?
- 39:12 Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?
- 39:13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
- 39:14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,
- 39:15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.
- 39:16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;
- 39:17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
- 39:18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.
- 39:19 Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
- 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
- 39:21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
- 39:22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.
- 39:23 The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
- 39:24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
- 39:25 He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
- 39:26 Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?
- 39:27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
- 39:28 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
- 39:29 From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
- 39:30 Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.
Who
- Who wrote the book? The author is unknown. Moses is one ancient traditional proposal, but neither that proposal nor another named author can be established with confidence. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). book background
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Job 38:1–41:34): The LORD addresses Job out of the whirlwind; Job gives a brief response within the exchange. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Readers within Israel's wisdom tradition, wrestling with innocent suffering, justice, and the limits of human judgment. No named individual or first community is identified. Biblical references: Job 28:28; Job 42:7. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? The LORD Speaks of His Creation. Read Job 39:1 through Job 39:30 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The book supplies no royal date or exact historical year for Job's experiences. Proposed patriarchal-era settings are historical inferences, not a date explicitly stated by the narrative. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Job is introduced as a man in the land of Uz. The poetic speeches range through imagined and remembered scenes that should not all be treated as the speakers' physical locations. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in The LORD Speaks of His Creation (Job 39:1 to Job 39:30). Start reading at Job 39:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? James refers to Job's endurance and the Lord's compassion. Connections between Job's suffering and Christ may be considered as comparisons; Job's speeches should not all be treated as direct predictions of Jesus. See Job 1:1, James 5:11, Hebrews 4:15. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Do not assume that a sufferer's losses prove a hidden sin. Listen carefully, distinguish the speakers, and read their claims alongside the LORD's concluding rebuke of the friends. interpretation
Cited: Job 39:1, Job 39:30, Job 1:1, James 5:11, Hebrews 4:15
Who wrote it, and how we know
Uncertain; among the oldest books of Scripture
Not known
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author.
Early traditionJewish tradition (Baba Bathra 14b) suggested Moses, but ancient opinion varied widely.
What is debatedThe author is unknown and the date is uncertain. The setting appears patriarchal, but the book could have been written far later.
Related passages
- hardened Lam 4:3
- as Deut 28:56-57 1 Kgs 3:26-27 2 Kgs 6:28-29 Lam 2:20 Rom 1:31
- her labour Eccl 10:15 Hab 2:13
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Job 39
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Job
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated.
Job's losses and the friends' arrival
Job 1:1–2:13FocusSuffering and the opening test
Connection to the wholeThe narrative establishes Job's losses and integrity before the speeches begin, giving readers information the disputing friends do not possess.
interpretation The lament and first exchange
Job 3:1–14:22FocusSuffering questioned and explained
Connection to the wholeJob's lament leads into the first cycle of speeches, in which the friends' explanations are challenged by Job's experience.
interpretation The second exchange
Job 15:1–21:34FocusAccusation and protest intensify
Connection to the wholeThe argument sharpens as the friends connect suffering with wickedness and Job challenges their account of the wicked's fortunes.
interpretation The final exchange and Job's defense
Job 22:1–31:40FocusWisdom and the demand for an answer
Connection to the wholeThe later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
interpretation Elihu speaks
Job 32:1–37:24FocusClaims about God's justice and instruction
Connection to the wholeA new speaker responds to Job and the friends before the LORD's speeches begin; his speech must be distinguished from the divine answer.
interpretation FocusCreation and the limits of human knowledge
Connection to the wholeThe LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
interpretation Job's response and the conclusion
Job 42:1–17FocusRepentance, rebuke, and restoration
Connection to the wholeJob responds, the friends are rebuked, and the narrative closes with intercession and restoration without turning every speech into endorsed doctrine.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.