Job 39:1-4
“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young? Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It's easy to think these questions are just about knowing animal cycles, but God is actually highlighting His intimate, detailed care for even the most elusive and wild creatures. He's asking Job if he's ever observed the precise, instinctual timing of the mountain goat's birth or the hind's calving, implying that such detailed knowledge and provision belong only to the Creator.
God begins to challenge Job's understanding by pointing to the intricate details of animal life, specifically the wild goats and deer. These creatures live in remote, inaccessible places, and their calving is governed by instincts and timings that Job, despite his wisdom, likely never personally observed or controlled. The questions set the stage for God to reveal His intimate knowledge and care for even the most wild and seemingly insignificant of creatures, demonstrating His sovereignty over all of creation.
When we think of care and protection, we usually imagine human involvement. But what about creatures far beyond our reach?
God's questions in Job 39:1 challenge Job's (and our!) perspective on knowledge and care. He asks if Job knows the specific times when wild goats give birth or when does (female deer) calve. These aren't just abstract facts; they point to intimate, crucial moments in the lives of animals that live in incredibly remote and difficult places – high, inaccessible rocks.
The Point: These animals live where humans can barely tread, let alone observe or assist during the vulnerable times of childbirth. The questions highlight that human knowledge and presence are limited. God's knowledge and care, however, extend to every creature, even those completely hidden from human view.
How do wild animals know exactly what to do and when, especially during such critical life events?
The questions about the wild goats and does aren't just about the time, but about the innate ability and timing of these animals to give birth successfully. The ancient commentators noted that these animals possess a God-given instinct that guides them through childbirth, sometimes even to specific plants that aid the process.
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The Divine Designer: This instinct isn't random. It's a direct provision from God, the Creator, ensuring the continuation of these species. It demonstrates a providential care that operates independently of human intervention. Even when thunder strikes (as mentioned in Psalm 29:9), it can inexplicably trigger the birthing process in does, showing how even natural phenomena are linked to God's timing and care for His creation.
Understand the original words
ya'alah · Hebrew Noun
Referring to animals adapted to rugged, mountainous terrain, used in the Bible as a symbol of God's provision for creatures in inaccessible or difficult places.
'ayalah · Hebrew Noun
A female deer; in this context, it represents wildlife that exists and reproduces entirely outside of human control or intervention.
saphar · Hebrew Verb
To count, recount, or declare; biblically, it often implies God's exhaustive knowledge and sovereignty over the number and duration of all things.
kara' · Hebrew Verb
To crouch or kneel down, often in the context of giving birth or bowing in worship; here it denotes the natural, instinctual posture of the animal during labor.
bar / biryah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the young of animals; used metaphorically in Scripture to speak of progeny, descendants, or that which is produced by another.
koach / chazaq · Hebrew Adjective/Verb
Possessing vigor, might, or health; often used to describe physical strength, but also carries spiritual connotations of endurance and resilience under God’s design.
This psalm also points to the wild goats, specifically mentioning their dwelling in the high hills, highlighting their inaccessible habitat that underscores God's care even for creatures beyond human reach.
Psalm 29:9This verse connects God's voice (often interpreted as thunder) with causing hinds to calve, suggesting a divine intervention in the natural processes of these wild animals that Job couldn't possibly know or control.
1 Samuel 24:2This passage shows Saul hunting David among the 'rocks of the wild goats,' illustrating the wild and rugged terrain these animals inhabit, reinforcing the idea that their birthing and survival occur in places hidden from human observation.
Matthew 6:26Jesus uses the same rhetorical style, asking if humans are not of more value than birds, to show God's care for creation, paralleling God's knowledge and care for wild animals with His profound concern for humanity.
clarkeJob 39:1: "Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?"
Knowest thou the time - To know time, etc., only, was easy, and has nothing extraordinary in it; but the meaning of these questions is, to know the circumstances, which have something peculiarly expressive of God's providence, and make the questions proper in this place. Pliny observes, that the hind with young is by instinct directed to a certain herb, named seselis, which…
jfbJob 39:1: "Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?"
CHAPTER 39Job 39:1-30.1. Even wild beasts, cut off from all care of man, are cared for by God at their seasons of greatest need. Their instinct comes direct from God and guides them to help themselves in parturition; the very time when the herdsman is most anxious for his herds.wild goats—ibex (Ps 104:18; 1Sa 24:2).hinds—fawns; most timid and defenseless animals, yet cared…
It's easy to think these questions are just about knowing animal cycles, but God is actually highlighting His intimate, detailed care for even the most elusive and wild creatures. He's asking Job if he's ever observed the precise, instinctual timing of the mountain goat's birth or the hind's calving, implying that such detailed knowledge and provision belong only to the Creator.
God begins to challenge Job's understanding by pointing to the intricate details of animal life, specifically the wild goats and deer. These creatures live in remote, inaccessible places, and their calving is governed by instincts and timings that Job, despite his wisdom, likely never personally observed or controlled. The questions set the stage for God to reveal His intimate knowledge and care for even the most wild and seemingly insignificant of creatures, demonstrating His sovereignty over all of creation.
God begins to challenge Job's understanding by pointing to the intricate details of animal life, specifically the wild goats and deer. These creatures live in remote, inaccessible places, and their calving is governed by instincts and timings that Job, despite his wisdom, likely never personally observed or controlled. The questions set the stage for God to reveal His intimate knowledge and care for even the most wild and seemingly insignificant of creatures, demonstrating His sovereignty over all of creation.
"“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspr…" — It's easy to think these questions are just about knowing animal cycles, but God is actually highlighting His intimate, detailed care for even the most elusive and wild creatures. He's asking Job if…
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