Job 39 8

Job 39:8 kjv

The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.

Job 39:8 nkjv

The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing.

Job 39:8 niv

It ranges the hills for its pasture and searches for any green thing.

Job 39:8 esv

He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.

Job 39:8 nlt

The mountains are its pastureland,
where it searches for every blade of grass.

Job 39 verses

Job 39 8 Meaning

Job 39:8 describes the nature of the wild ox (Hebrew: reem), emphasizing its complete independence from human society and its endeavors. It highlights that this creature disdains the clamor and activity of the city, showing no concern for the sounds associated with human habitation, agriculture, or forced labor. The verse illustrates the animal's untamable character, asserting that it remains beyond the influence of a human driver's commands, shouts, or efforts to control it. This portrayal underscores God's sovereign design for certain wild animals, whose freedom and instincts remain untouched by humanity's dominion.

Job 39 8 Context

Job 39:8 is part of a series of rhetorical questions posed by God to Job, spanning chapters 38 through 41. In these chapters, God challenges Job's understanding and wisdom by highlighting His own immense power and profound knowledge as Creator and Sustainer of the universe. This section directly follows Job's despair and complaints, and God uses His creation, from celestial phenomena to various untamable animals, as undeniable evidence of His majesty, providence, and comprehensive governance over all things, both wild and seemingly chaotic.

Specifically, Job 39 describes several animals, each demonstrating unique traits beyond human control or comprehension: the wild goat, the deer, the wild donkey, and then the wild ox (reem). The portrayal of the reem in verses 9-12, starting with verse 8, contrasts its wild, indomitable spirit with humanity's attempts to domesticate and utilize animals for agricultural labor. The context emphasizes that unlike domesticated animals that serve humans, the reem remains aloof from human civilization and control, acting according to God's inherent design, thus further underscoring the Creator's incomprehensible wisdom and power, before which Job's prior pronouncements appear insignificant.

Job 39 8 Word analysis

• It scorns: Hebrew: יִשְׂחַק (yisḥaq). This verb means "to laugh, mock, scorn, play." Here, it signifies a dismissive attitude, a disregard, or even derision. The subject is the wild ox (implicitly the reem from the surrounding verses). The reem is portrayed not just as oblivious, but actively disdainful of human attempts to create order and control.

• the tumult: Hebrew: הָמוֹן (hamon). This word refers to a multitude, throng, uproar, roar, or clamor. It conveys the busy, noisy activity associated with human habitation, particularly in a city—a stark contrast to the quiet expanse of the wilderness.

• of the city: Hebrew: קִרְיָה (qiryah). This is a general term for a city or town, representing human civilization, order, and efforts to build, control, and thrive. The wild ox's scorn for the city's tumult highlights its complete detachment from and independence of human-made environments and societal structures.

• it hears not: Hebrew: לֹא יִשְׁמָע (lo' yishma'). This implies an intentional lack of attention or a state of being completely unaffected. The wild ox is deaf to, or perhaps unaffected by, any human effort to assert authority or influence through sound.

• the shouts: Hebrew: תְּרוּעָה (teru'ah). This term can mean a shout, battle cry, trumpet blast, alarm, or noise of triumph. In this context, it likely refers to the commands or exclamations of a driver or controller attempting to manage an animal. It's the noise of human effort to subdue and direct.

• of the driver: Hebrew: נוֹגֵשׂ (nogesh). This word denotes a taskmaster, an overseer, or an oppressor, particularly one who compels labor. This reinforces the image of forced human control over animals for productive ends. The wild ox's independence means it rejects such attempts to bind or command its actions.

• Words-group: "It scorns the tumult of the city": This phrase captures the animal's radical autonomy from human societal norms and structures. The "tumult of the city" symbolizes human busyness, ambition, and organized living. The "scorn" implies a deliberate indifference or contempt, not merely an unawareness, showing that the animal functions by a different set of divine laws and purposes, entirely unconcerned with human constructs.

• Words-group: "it hears not the shouts of the driver": This elaborates on the animal's untamable nature and its freedom from human subjugation. The "shouts of the driver" represent all human efforts to impose their will, control, and direction, especially for work or service. The inability to hear these shouts underlines its inherent wildness, emphasizing that its movements and behavior are guided solely by God's design and not by human coercion.

Job 39 8 Bonus section

The concept of the "wild ox" (reem) was a significant animal in the ancient Near East, renowned for its formidable strength and solitary nature. Its inclusion in God's speech to Job challenges ancient perceptions where divine blessings were often linked to agricultural prosperity and successful animal husbandry. By presenting an animal that cannot be domesticated for farming, God asserts a dominion that values wildness and independence, showing that His creative genius is not limited to creatures beneficial to humans, but extends to all life according to His own purpose. This further underlines a theological point that not everything in creation exists for man's direct benefit or utility; much exists simply because God willed it, reflecting His vast and intricate design. The "reem" embodies the power that belongs ultimately to God, not to any human ruler or civilization.

Job 39 8 Commentary

Job 39:8, with its description of the wild ox, presents a vivid illustration of the untamed freedom woven into God's creation, beyond the reach and command of human intervention. It stands as a profound commentary on divine sovereignty and humanity's inherent limitations. The wild ox, often identified with the mighty auroch, an extinct ancestor of modern cattle, is presented as inherently contemptuous of human "tumult" and "shouts." This is not just physical deafness but a symbolic disregard for human systems of control, civilization, and labor. While humanity strives to order its world through cities and tasks, the wild ox exemplifies God's freedom and strength, unbridled by the necessities or designs of man. This directly counters any anthropocentric worldview that believes humanity can ultimately subdue and fully understand all of creation. Instead, the wild ox lives out its existence by a different rule, a divine one, serving to remind Job—and us—that God's wisdom far surpasses human wisdom, His power far exceeds human strength, and His domain is infinitely vast and diverse, encompassing realms entirely independent of human will or utility.