Job 38 40

Job 38:40 kjv

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

Job 38:40 nkjv

When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?

Job 38:40 niv

when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?

Job 38:40 esv

when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket?

Job 38:40 nlt

as they lie in their dens
or crouch in the thicket?

Job 38 verses

Job 38 40 Meaning

Job 38:40 continues God's challenge to Job, highlighting His intimate knowledge and control over the natural world, specifically the predatory behavior of the lioness. God rhetorically asks Job if he is the one who enables the lioness to successfully hunt, crouching hidden in its den or in thick vegetation, waiting for prey. This emphasizes God's comprehensive provision and sovereign design over creation, down to the instincts and habitats of wild animals, a sphere far beyond human influence or comprehension.

Job 38 40 Context

Job 38:40 is embedded within God's powerful first speech to Job, delivered from a whirlwind (Job 38:1-40:2). For chapters, Job has grappled with suffering and questioned God's justice, even demanding an audience with the Almighty. In response, God challenges Job's understanding and wisdom, posing a rapid-fire series of rhetorical questions about the creation and sustaining of the natural world. These questions highlight God's omniscience, omnipotence, and intricate governance over cosmic phenomena (light, darkness, clouds, storms) and the animal kingdom (wild goats, donkeys, oxen, ravens, lions, etc.). Specifically, Job 38:39-41 focuses on God's provision for predators like lions and ravens. Verse 40 directly follows the question about hunting prey for the lioness (v. 39) and precedes the question about feeding ravens (v. 41), showing God's detailed knowledge of how these creatures secure their food—a process entirely beyond human control or even full comprehension. The historical and cultural context reflects an ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine power, where many cultures attributed such control to multiple deities. In stark contrast, God through Job asserts exclusive, sovereign control over all aspects of creation, underscoring monotheism and His singular providence. This challenges any notion that human wisdom or strength can dictate natural order or understand divine governance.

Job 38 40 Word analysis

• when they crouch: Hebrew: שָׁח (shach). This verb signifies "to sink, stoop, bow down." Here, it vividly depicts the low, stealthy posture a predator assumes just before ambushing its prey. It highlights the precise, instinctive movements inherent in the animal, designed by God for effective hunting, which God knows and enables. This act is a natural part of a divinely ordered predatory cycle.
• in their dens: Hebrew: מְעוֹנֹתֵיהֶם (m'onoteyhem). Derived from מָעוֹן (ma'on), meaning "lair, dwelling place, refuge." This term refers to the specific, secluded places, often caves or hidden areas, where predators like lions reside and strategize their hunts. The phrase underscores God's intimate knowledge of the animals' specific habitats and how these spaces facilitate their natural, God-given behaviors. The possessive "their" indicates these are their natural, sovereignly appointed abodes.
• and lie in wait: Hebrew: יֵשְׁבוּ (yesh'vu). From the root יָשַׁב (yashab), meaning "to sit, dwell, remain." In this specific context, it idiomatically conveys the sense of "to set an ambush," "to lie in ambush," or "to prepare for attack." This word choice points to the intentionality, patience, and cunning inherent in the predator's waiting behavior, acting on instincts placed within it by the Creator. It describes a calculated preparation for the hunt, a divinely programmed strategy for survival.
• in the thicket: Hebrew: בַּסֻּכָּה (basukkah). From סֻכָּה (sukkah), referring to a "booth, covert, thicket," implying dense, concealed vegetation. This refers to the environmental elements that God has provided, which naturally afford excellent cover for ambush, allowing the predator to hide effectively. It illustrates God's provision not only of the animal's physical being and instincts but also of the perfect environment that facilitates its sustenance methods and survival.
• "when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in the thicket?": This entire rhetorical question serves to emphasize God's unparalleled and detailed knowledge of the animal kingdom. It's not a mere general statement about lions, but a pointed inquiry into Job's awareness of their precise hunting techniques and preferred habitats. This depth of detail in God's question further serves to highlight Job's human limitations in knowledge and control, underscoring the infinite gap between the Creator and His creation. It implies that these precise behaviors are not random but part of an intentional and perfectly ordered divine design.

Job 38 40 Bonus section

The detailed depiction of the lion's hunting behavior in Job 38:39-40, from hunting prey for its cubs to the cunning ambush in their dens and thickets, serves to further illustrate God's dominion over even the fearsome and destructive aspects of nature. This is not about human morality applied to nature but about God's holistic oversight and purposeful design within the ecosystem. In the ancient world, powerful predatory animals were often seen as symbols of chaos or even worshipped as deities representing aspects of power. By unequivocally demonstrating His supreme control over them, God asserts His unique status as the ultimate Power who orders all things. This reveals that even what appears to be chaotic or savage within the wild is, in fact, subordinate to His intelligent design for creation's ecological balance and the ongoing sustenance of His creatures. The rhetorical nature of the question powerfully forces Job to confront his limited perspective, enabling him to understand that his personal suffering must be viewed against the backdrop of God's immense and inscrutable governance over the entire cosmos, promoting true humility.

Job 38 40 Commentary

Job 38:40 encapsulates a pivotal theme in God's discourse to Job: the Creator's absolute sovereignty and meticulous governance over all creation, even down to the predatory instincts and hunting grounds of wild animals. By posing a rhetorical question about the lioness's stealthy ambush tactics, God emphasizes that only He possesses the comprehensive knowledge and power to sustain such creatures in their natural, often brutal, ecosystems. Humans like Job, despite their wisdom, cannot command a lion to hunt or provide its prey; this domain belongs exclusively to God. The verse indirectly counters any human arrogance or self-reliance, demonstrating that life's very mechanisms, even the sustenance of dangerous beasts, depend solely on divine providence. It reminds us that creation operates according to an intricate divine design, revealing God's majesty and wisdom in every detail, urging humility and awe before the one who controls all.