Job 39 2

Job 39:2 kjv

Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?

Job 39:2 nkjv

Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young?

Job 39:2 niv

Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth?

Job 39:2 esv

Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth,

Job 39:2 nlt

Do you know how many months they carry their young?
Are you aware of the time of their delivery?

Job 39 verses

Job 39 2 Meaning

Job 39:2 is a rhetorical question posed by God to Job, emphasizing Job's lack of knowledge and control over the precise biological rhythms of creation, specifically animal gestation periods. It highlights God's intimate knowledge and sovereign control over all aspects of His creation, down to the minute details of animal birth cycles. The verse underscores humanity's limited understanding compared to God's boundless wisdom and intricate providence.

Job 39 2 Context

Job 39:2 is part of God's majestic discourse from the whirlwind (chapters 38-41) where He challenges Job's complaints and presumed wisdom. Having listened to Job and his friends debate human suffering and divine justice, God begins to ask Job a series of rhetorical questions about creation's intricate details and His sovereign control over them. Verse 2 specifically follows questions about the mountain goats and does (Job 39:1), continuing the theme of precise biological cycles. These questions serve to humble Job by revealing his immense ignorance about the natural world, which God effortlessly orchestrates. The broader purpose is to shift Job's perspective from his personal suffering to the immeasurable power, wisdom, and knowledge of God, thereby encouraging trust rather than demand for answers. For the original audience, it challenged any human-centric view of knowledge and power, implicitly countering pagan beliefs that ascribed control of nature to various lesser deities or human rituals.

Job 39 2 Word analysis

• Can you number (הֲתִסְפֹּר - ha-tispōr): From the Hebrew root sāpar, meaning "to count, number, recount." The interrogative particle ha- signifies a rhetorical question expecting a "no." It implies not just the physical act of counting, but a deep, precise knowledge that allows for such accounting. This highlights the impossibility for humans to truly grasp or predict these natural phenomena without divine revelation.
• the months (יְרָחִים - yĕrāḥîm): Plural of yeraḥ, meaning "month" or "moon." Months were historically measured by the lunar cycle. The use of "months" emphasizes a fixed, pre-determined period, highlighting the regularity and predictability established by the Creator in animal gestation, a precision unknown to human observers.
• that they fulfill (יְמַלְּאוּ - yĕmalle'û): From mālēʾ, "to be full, to complete, fulfill." This refers to the animals completing their full term of pregnancy. The word denotes the completion of a necessary and natural process, demonstrating the intricate biological programming divinely implanted.
• or know (וְיָדַעְתָּ - wĕ-yādaʿtā): From yādaʿ, meaning "to know, perceive, understand." The conjunction wĕ here acts as "or." It emphasizes that even if one couldn't precisely number the months, does Job even know (comprehend/predict) the exact time? It stresses not just lack of factual data, but a fundamental lack of understanding or insight into the processes themselves.
• the time (עֵת - ʿēt): Meaning "time, season, period." This term stresses the specific moment, the critical juncture of birth. It further pinpoints the exactitude and perfect timing of nature's operations under God's sovereignty.
• when they give birth (לֶדֶת - ledet): From yālad, "to bear, bring forth, beget," here specifically "to give birth." This highlights the culminating act of the gestation cycle. God's question encompasses the entire process leading to birth and the timing of the birth event itself, underscoring His meticulous involvement and knowledge in every stage of life.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Can you number the months that they fulfill": This phrase directly challenges Job's ability to precisely account for the entire, consistent duration of animal pregnancies. It points to a systematic, inherent biological timing established and maintained by God, beyond human capacity to track perfectly or replicate. It underlines God's ordering of complex biological cycles.
• "or know the time when they give birth?": This broadens the challenge to knowing the exact moment of parturition. It highlights divine providence not only in setting the overall gestational period but also in orchestrating the final, precise event of birth, which can be critical for survival. The rhetorical "or know" reinforces human ignorance and dependence on a Creator who governs every minute detail. Both phrases together underscore God's omniscience and precise control over the very cycles of life.

Job 39 2 Bonus section

The seemingly "wild" and uncontrolled nature of mountain goats and deer in their natural habitats (alluded to in Job 39:1) makes God's detailed knowledge of their gestation periods even more striking. Humans could track domestic animals, but to "number the months" or "know the time" for wild, elusive creatures emphasizes a divine superintendence that extends to every corner of creation, regardless of human interaction. This specific choice of animals underscores that God's providence is universal, not confined to human domains or needs. This verse, like many in Job 38-41, highlights the profound order within what might appear to be untamed chaos, all maintained by the Creator's unwavering power and wisdom. It invites reflection on the inherent "logic" of nature, testifying to a Supreme Intelligence behind it all.

Job 39 2 Commentary

Job 39:2 concisely captures God's challenge to Job, revealing the immense chasm between divine knowledge and human understanding. Through simple yet profound questions about animal reproduction, God illustrates that even the seemingly observable cycles of the natural world are beyond human control or complete comprehension. This verse is not meant to condemn Job but to reorient his perspective: if he cannot grasp the precise timing of a wild goat's birth, how can he fully comprehend the intricacies of divine justice or the purposes of his own suffering? It underscores God's meticulous care and sovereignty over creation, down to the timing of every living creature's existence. The ultimate message is an invitation to humility and trust in the wisdom of a God who orchestrates all things perfectly, even when His ways are beyond human reckoning.