Job 39:7 kjv
He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.
Job 39:7 nkjv
He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
Job 39:7 niv
It laughs at the commotion in the town; it does not hear a driver's shout.
Job 39:7 esv
He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver.
Job 39:7 nlt
It hates the noise of the city
and has no driver to shout at it.
Job 39 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 38:25-27 | Who has cut a channel for the torrents... to satisfy the desolate and waste land...? | God's provision for wild places and creatures. |
| Job 39:5-6 | "Who has let the wild donkey go free?... I have made the wilderness its home..." | God is the source of the wild donkey's freedom. |
| Ps 104:18-20 | "The high mountains are for the wild goats; The rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. He made the moon for seasons; The sun knows its setting. You bring darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about." | God sustains wild creation independently. |
| Isa 32:14 | "...the strong city will be a wasteland... a playground for wild donkeys." | Wilderness overtakes deserted human spaces. |
| Jer 2:24 | "A wild donkey used to the wilderness, that sniffs the wind in her desire..." | Untamed nature and inherent will of the wild ass. |
| Gen 1:28 | "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing..." | Human dominion is God-given but has boundaries. |
| Ps 46:10 | "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" | Contrast: divine peace vs. worldly noise. |
| Prov 1:26 | "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes." | Wisdom (and God) scoffs at folly/human presumption. |
| Rom 1:20 | "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen..." | Creation reveals God's eternal power and divine nature. |
| Acts 17:24-25 | "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is served by human hands..." | God's self-sufficiency; not dependent on human effort. |
| Rev 18:22 | "...the sound of millstones shall not be heard... no craftsman... no sound of harps..." | The ultimate silence in fallen Babylon. |
| Isa 5:14 | "Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself... her noise and her gaiety shall go down into it." | City tumult linked to judgment and destruction. |
| Ex 3:7 | "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry..." | God hears the oppressed, unlike the wild donkey deaf to its 'driver'. |
| 1 Sam 8:11 | "He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots... some to be his taskmasters..." | Taskmasters represent oppressive human control. |
| 2 Ki 18:21 | "Now behold, you trust in the staff of this broken reed... Egypt... to all who lean on him." | Human weakness and reliance contrasted with divine strength. |
| Hos 10:14 | "And tumult will arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be plundered." | Tumult and noise often linked to chaos and judgment. |
| Joel 2:2 | "A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness... like the morning clouds spread over the mountains; A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been..." | Describing overwhelming and noisy forces. |
| Zeph 1:16 | "A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities..." | Divine judgment linked to loud alarm and cities. |
| Jer 9:26 | "...for all these nations are uncircumcised; and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart." | Humans are often resistant to God's 'taming'. |
| Jer 4:29 | "The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen..." | The impact of overwhelming noise on cities. |
| Isa 2:15 | "...And upon every high tower, And upon every fenced wall." | Represents human efforts at security, overcome by God. |
Job 39 verses
Job 39 7 Meaning
Job 39:7 describes the wild donkey's complete freedom from human society and its associated disturbances. It disregards the noisy commotion of cities and remains untroubled by any human attempt to control it, such as a driver's shouts, symbolizing its absolute independence provided by God.
Job 39 7 Context
Job 39:7 is part of a longer section (chapters 38-41) where the LORD directly challenges Job from a whirlwind. God begins by questioning Job's understanding of creation, purpose, and natural phenomena, humbling Job by showcasing His divine wisdom and power. He details various wild animals – the lion, raven, wild donkey, wild ox, ostrich, horse, hawk, and eagle – highlighting their unique characteristics, habitats, and behaviors which are beyond human comprehension or control. The wild donkey is presented as a creature given complete freedom by God, whose dwelling is the wilderness and who remains untouched by human civilization and its inherent desire for dominion and order. This underscores God's sovereignty, wisdom in designing creatures to live according to His will, and Job's (and humanity's) limited perspective.
Job 39 7 Word analysis
- He scorns (יִשְׂחַק - yis-ḥaq): From the root meaning "to laugh, to mock, to scorn, to play." Here, it signifies a contemptuous disregard, a deliberate lack of attention, or an arrogant amusement towards something. It conveys the wild donkey's disdain and superiority over the urban world it is contrasted with, suggesting that such human activities are trivial and of no concern to it. This highlights God's purposeful design of a creature whose nature inherently rejects human control.
- the tumult (שָׁאוֹן - sha'on): This noun denotes noise, roar, uproar, or commotion. It often carries negative connotations of chaotic or oppressive sounds, particularly associated with crowds, cities, or war. It represents the bustling, disordered, and often overwhelming sounds of human civilization that conflict with the tranquility of the wilderness.
- of the city (עִיר - ʻir): Refers to a fortified or settled urban area. It symbolizes human civilization, structure, confinement, and the hub of human activity and attempts at control over their environment. The contrast between the wilderness (Job 39:6) and the city highlights the wild donkey's God-given freedom from human constructs and demands.
- No (לֹא - loʼ): A simple negative particle, emphatically denying the action. It reinforces the absolute nature of the wild donkey's independence; it is entirely unaffected.
- shouts (קוֹל - qôl): Literally "voice," "sound," or "noise." Here, specifically the sound of a human voice giving commands or exerting authority. In this context, it represents the verbal cues or coercive calls used by a driver to control an animal.
- of a driver (נוֹגֵשׂ - nogēs): This term means a driver, taskmaster, or oppressor. It signifies someone who compels, pushes, or controls others, often with harshness or authority. By explicitly stating that the wild donkey does not hear the "driver's" voice, God emphasizes that this creature is fundamentally unsubjugated by human dominion, unlike domesticated animals or oppressed people (like Israel under taskmasters in Egypt). It stands as a testament to its inherent freedom from any form of forced labor or human control.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "He scorns the tumult of the city": This phrase powerfully personifies the wild donkey's attitude. It is not merely absent from the city but actively disdains its noise and chaos. This attitude directly challenges the human-centric view of cities as centers of power and control. It underscores that God values wild freedom just as much, if not more, than human order.
- "No shouts of a driver does he hear": This complements the first phrase by detailing the extent of the donkey's freedom. It's not only free from the general city noise but specifically immune to any command or compulsion from a human "driver." The nogēs term carries implications of forced labor and oppression, contrasting the wild donkey's absolute liberation with the common human experience of being driven or constrained by others. It emphasizes the creature's God-endowed wild spirit that cannot be tamed or directed by man's will.
Job 39 7 Bonus section
The wild donkey (Hebrew: pere, often identified as the onager) was renowned in the ancient Near East for its untamable spirit and incredible speed, making it a powerful example of freedom within God's creation. Its intrinsic value, according to God's discourse in Job, does not lie in its utility to humankind (unlike the horse or ox later in the chapter), but purely in its wild, uninhibited existence as designed and sustained by God. This emphasizes that God's creative wisdom encompasses all life, including that which resists human attempts at domestication or understanding, serving as a constant reminder that not all of creation is subjected to or comprehensible by humanity. This perspective often contrasts with typical anthropocentric views of nature.
Job 39 7 Commentary
Job 39:7 highlights the ultimate freedom of the wild donkey, an example God uses to humble Job. This creature, provided for by God, exemplifies absolute independence from human society. It neither acknowledges the chaotic din of the city nor succumbs to the commanding shouts of a "driver." This demonstrates that God’s wisdom in creation extends far beyond what is useful or controllable by humanity. The wild donkey serves as a powerful symbol of unyielding wildness, showcasing God's sovereign care for creatures for their own intrinsic existence, not just for man's dominion. The passage challenges Job's human perspective, asserting God's power over untamed nature and the limits of human understanding and control.