Job 39

16. On a slight noise she often forsakes her eggs, and returns not, as if she were "hardened towards her young."
her labour--in producing eggs, is in vain, (yet) she has not disquietude (about her young), unlike other birds, who, if one egg and another are taken away, will go on laying till their full number is made up.

17. wisdom--such as God gives to other animals, and to man ( Job 35:11 ). The Arab proverb is, "foolish as an ostrich." Yet her very seeming want of wisdom is not without wise design of God, though man cannot see it; just as in the trials of the godly, which seem so unreasonable to Job, there lies hid a wise design.

18. Notwithstanding her deficiencies, she has distinguishing excellences.
lifteth . . . herself--for running; she cannot mount in the air. GESENIUS translates: "lashes herself" up to her course by flapping her wings. The old versions favor English Version, and the parallel "scorneth" answers to her proudly "lifting up herself."

19. The allusion to "the horse" ( Job 39:18 ), suggests the description of him. Arab poets delight in praising the horse; yet it is not mentioned in the possessions of Job ( Job 1:3 , 42:12 ). It seems to have been at the time chiefly used for war, rather than "domestic purposes."
thunder--poetically for, "he with arched neck inspires fear as thunder does." Translate, "majesty" [UMBREIT]. Rather "the trembling, quivering mane," answering to the "vibrating wing" of the ostrich [MAURER]. "Mane" in Greek also is from a root meaning "fear." English Version is more sublime.

20. make . . . afraid--rather, "canst thou (as I do) make him spring as the locust?" So in Joel 2:4 , the comparison is between locusts and war-horses. The heads of the two are so similar that the Italians call the locusts cavaletta, "little horse."
nostrils--snorting furiously.

21. valley--where the battle is joined.
goeth on--goeth forth ( Numbers 1:3 , 21:23 ).

23. quiver--for the arrows, which they contain, and which are directed "against him."
glittering spear--literally, "glittering of the spear," like "lightning of the spear" ( Habakkuk 3:11 ).
shield--rather, "lance."

24. swalloweth--Fretting with impatience, he draws the ground towards him with his hoof, as if he would swallow it. The parallelism shows this to be the sense; not as MAURER, "scours over it."
neither believeth--for joy. Rather, "he will not stand still, when the note of the trumpet (soundeth)."

25. saith--poetically applied to his mettlesome neighing, whereby he shows his love of the battle.
smelleth--snuffeth; discerneth ( Isaiah 11:3 , Margin).
thunder--thundering voice.

26. The instinct by which some birds migrate to warmer climes before winter. Rapid flying peculiarly characterizes the whole hawk genus.

27. eagle--It flies highest of all birds: thence called "the bird of heaven."

28. abideth--securely ( Psalms 91:1 ); it occupies the same abode mostly for life.
crag--literally, "tooth" ( 1 Samuel 14:5 , Margin).
strong place--citadel, fastness.

29. seeketh--is on the lookout for.
behold--The eagle descries its prey at an astonishing distance, by sight, rather than smell.

30. Quoted partly by Jesus Christ ( Matthew 24:28 ). The food of young eagles is the blood of victims brought by the parent, when they are still too feeble to devour flesh.
slain--As the vulture chiefly feeds on carcasses, it is included probably in the eagle genus.