Open an explanation beneath verses with notes. Your notes and highlights stay on this device.
“Do you know the time when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears fawns?
Verse 1. Goats (Ibex. Hebrew Yahale. Bible.) frequent rocks, and places which are almost inaccessible to man. Calmet.
Can you count the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they give birth?
They bow themselves. They bear their young. They end their labor pains.
Verse 3. Roarings. They pretend that these animals bring forth with great difficulty. Psalms 28:9. Vatab. and so forth—Aristotle (verse 2. and vi. 29.) asserts, that they receive the male bending down, as Hebrew may be here explained. “They bend, they divide their young,” as they have often two; “and they leave their strings” at the navel, and so forth Calmet.
Their young ones become strong. They grow up in the open field. They go out, and don’t return again.
Verse 4. Feed. Being weaned very soon. Pliny viii. 32.
“Who has set the wild donkey free? Or who has loosened the bonds of the swift donkey,
Verse 5. Wild ass, described, Calmet. 6:5. The industry of man cannot make this beautiful and strong animal serviceable to him. The like would be the case ( Calmet.) with many others, if Providence had not ordered it otherwise. Bible.
whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?
Verse 6. Barren. Lit. “salt.” Bible.—This is of a nitrous quality, which renders those countries barren. The salt in snow and dung gives warmth and fruitfulness.
He scorns the tumult of the city, neither does he hear the shouting of the driver.
The range of the mountains is his pasture. He searches after every green thing.
“Will the wild ox be content to serve you? Or will he stay by your feeding trough?
Verse 9. Rhinoceros. See Deuteronomy 33:17. Numbers 23:22. Sanchez says they are untameable. Menochius.—But this is not true, when they have been taken young. Malvenda. Calmet.
Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?
Verse 10. Valleys, or furrows. Can he be made to harrow?
Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor?
Will you confide in him, that he will bring home your seed, and gather the grain of your threshing floor?
“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the feathers and plumage of love?
Verse 13. Hawk. We may also read, “Is the wing of the ostrich like?” Septuagint or Theod. “The bird of Neelasa is rejoicing, if she take the Asida, and so forth the Neessa.” Bible.—Hebrew is variously translated, “The ostrich lifts itself up with its wings, which have feathers, as well as those of the stork.” Bochart.—It flutters, running like a partridge, swifter than any horse. Adamson.—“Canst thou give to the stork and the ostrich their feathers,” which form all their beauty? Calmet.—Prot. “Gavest thou the goodly wings upon the peacock, or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?” Bible.—The import of these names is uncertain. Menochius.—Renanim, (from Ron, “to cry, or move quickly,”) may signify peacocks, ostriches, and so forth Chasida, “a stork, ( Bible. Jer.) falcon, ( Worthington.) or heron; notsa “a hawk, or a feather.” Bible.—The first term occurs no where else, and may denote any singing birds or grasshoppers, as the last may be applied to the ostrich, which has “wings,” though it fly not. Grot. Calmet.—Acknowledge the wisdom of Providence, which has thus enabled such a huge animal to travel so fast. Menochius.—See Parkhurst, álcs. Bible.
For she leaves her eggs on the earth, warms them in the dust,
Verse 14. Dust. This might help to hatch them. Calmet.—Hebrew “earth, and warmeth them in the dust.” Prot.
and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.
She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,
Verse 16. Ones, or eggs which she leaves. Calmet.—Ælian (xiv. 6.) asserts that this bird will expose her own life to defend her young. Yet the neglect of her eggs, will suffice to make her deemed cruel. Lamentations 4:3. Bible.—Her. Other birds leave their nests through fear; ( Calmet.) but this, after sitting a while, will depart carelessly, ( Bible.) and if she meet with other eggs on her road, will take to them, thus rendering her own useless. Bochart.
because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.
Verse 17. Understanding. This bird has a head disproportionately small; insomuch, that Heliogabalus served up the brains of 600 at one supper. It greedily eats iron, and so forth which may help its digestion, as sand does that of other birds. Calmet.—When it is hunted, it hides its head only, as if this would be a sufficient defence, (Pliny x. 1.) and is taken alive by a man, clothed in the skin of an ostrich, who moves the head with his hand. Strabo xvi.—All which proves its stupidity. Calmet.
When she lifts up herself on high, she scorns the horse and his rider.
Verse 18. High. With her head erect, the ostrich is taller than a man on horseback. Pliny x. 1.—Its wings are used like sails, and enable it to run as fast as many birds can fly, ( Calmet.) while it hurls stones at the pursuer with its feet, so as frequently to kill them. Diod. ii.—Rider, as they can travel with equal speed. Menochius. verse 13.—Adamson (Senegal) placed two negroes on one, and testified that it still went faster than any English horse. Bible.
“Have you given the horse might? Have you clothed his neck with a quivering mane?
Verse 19. Neighing. Hebrew “thunder,” to denote the fierceness of the horse; or “with a mane,” (Bochart) “armour,” (Syr.) or “terror.” Septuagint Calmet.—Wilt thou enable the horse to neigh, ( Menochius.) when he appears so terrible? Bible.
Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.
Verse 20. Up. Hebrew “frighten,” ( Bible.) or “make him leap.” Bochart. Calmet.—Nostrils. Septuagint “of his chest, or shoulders, is boldness.” Bible.—This inspires the rider with courage, and the enemy with fear. But the Vulg. is more followed. Calmet.
Frænoque teneri
Impatiens crebros expirat naribus ignes. Silius vi.
He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.
Verse 21. Hoof. Ploughing, or rather prancing, through impatience. Calmet.—Boldly. Hebrew “he exults in his strength,” being sensible of glory and commendation. Calmet.—Non dubiè intellectum adhortationis et gloriæ fatentur. Pliny vii. 43.
He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, neither does he turn back from the sword.
The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and the javelin.
Verse 23. Shield, or lance. Joshua 8:18. Calmet.—The din of armour does not disturb the horse, which has been inured to such things. Bible.—It is of singular courage. Worthington.
He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
Verse 24. Ground. This expression is still used by the Arabs, to denote velocity. Grotius.—Septuagint “in wrath he will make the earth disappear.” Bible.—
Mox sanguis venis melior calet, ire viarum
Longa volunt latumque fugâ consumere campum. Nemesianus.
—Account. Hebrew “believe that,” or “stops not when.” He is so eager to rush forward to battle.
Si qua sonum procul arma dedêre,
Stare loco nescit, micat auribus et tremit artus. Georg. iii.
As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
Verse 25. Ha. Lit. “Vah,” a sound of joy, ( Menochius.) or of contempt. Septuagint The trumpet having given the sign, he will say, Well: Euge. Nothing could be more poetically descriptive of the war-horse. Bible.
“Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?
Verse 26. Feathered. Hebrew “fly.” Bible.—South, at the approach of “winter retiring” to warmer regions. Pliny x. 8.—Septuagint “spreading her wings, looking unmoved, towards the south.” The hawk alone can stare at the sun, and fly to a great height. Ælian x. 14.—Hence the Egyptians consecrated this bird to the sun. Calmet.—The eagle is of the same species, and has the same properties. Bible. Aristotle mentions 10, and Pliny 16 species of hawks. Worthington.
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, and makes his nest on high?
On the cliff he dwells and makes his home, on the point of the cliff and the stronghold.
Verse 28. Access. See Abdias 4. Arist. anim. ix. 32.
From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.
Verse 29. Off. The eagle was remarkably ( Calmet.) quick-sighted, ( Worthington.) as well as the serpent. Hor. i. Sat. iii. Homer, Il. xvii.—They say it can discern a fly or a fish from the highest situation; (Bochart) and if its young seem dazzled with the sun-beams, it hurls them down as spurious. Pliny x. 3.
His young ones also suck up blood. Where the slain are, there he is.”
Verse 30. Blood, gushing forth from the animals, which the eagle brings. Menochius.—S. Chrysostom explains this of the vulture, (Matthew 24:28. Calmet.) which is of the same species. Menochius.—Some eagles will not touch carcasses, but others are greedy of them. Pliny x. 3. Proverbs 30:17.—There. Our Saviour quotes this passage. Lu. 17:37. Calmet.