“Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about a wild donkey; it's highlighting an animal known for its fierce independence and refusal to be yoked like its domestic cousins. The questions God poses point to the Creator’s hand in giving this creature its untamable spirit and freedom, a freedom so profound it's as if it's been released from chains it never wore.
“Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
English Standard Version (ESV)
After detailing the wild goat and the hind, God shifts to the wild donkey, a creature known for its fierce independence and speed. He questions Job, essentially asking who gave this animal its untamable spirit and its love of freedom, a stark contrast to its domesticated cousin. This introduction highlights that the wild donkey, like other creatures, operates under divine design, not human control.
Have you ever watched an animal that just oozes freedom? The Bible points to a creature known for its untamed spirit – the wild donkey. It's not just about being wild; it's about an inherent love for liberty.
In Job 39, God begins to speak, and He starts by asking questions about the natural world. These aren't questions seeking information, but rhetorical challenges to Job's understanding.
An Innate Desire for Freedom
When God asks, 'Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey?' (Job 39:5), He's highlighting something profound. The wild donkey (or onager) is famously independent. Unlike its domesticated cousin, it scorns cities and drivers. Its very nature is to roam free.
God's Sovereign Design
The questions aren't about how it was freed, but who ordained this freedom. It points to God as the One who designed the wild donkey with this uncontainable spirit. He is the source of its untamed nature and its fierce desire for liberty. This isn't an accident; it's a deliberate creation.
This reminds us that even the wildest, most uncontrollable aspects of creation ultimately reflect God's power and design.
We often see creatures like the donkey as simple or even stubborn. But Job 39 zooms in on a stark contrast that reveals something about God's creative wisdom.
The power of these questions in Job 39:5 lies in the implied comparison between the wild donkey and its tame counterpart.
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The Unmanageable Spirit
Scholars point out that the wild donkey is incredibly swift and independent, resisting all attempts at domestication. Its spirit is not easily broken. This untamed quality, this 'love of freedom,' is a defining characteristic that sets it apart from the donkey we know.
God's Intentional Design
God's questions challenge Job: Did you instill this wildness? Did you set these creatures free from any imagined 'bands'? The implication is that no human has the power to create such an inherent disposition. God is the one who allows this creature to 'scorn the noise of cities and laugh at the driver,' as one commentator put it.
This highlights that God's creation isn't just functional; it's diverse and contains inherent qualities that showcase His power – some creatures are meant for service, while others are designed to represent untamed liberty.
Understand the original words
pere' · Hebrew Noun
An animal known in the Ancient Near East for its untamable, independent, and rugged nature; it represents creatures that defy human domestication and thrive in desolate spaces by divine decree.
shalach / pathach · Hebrew Verb
To set loose, release, or untie; signifies the act of providing freedom or removing constraints, which in the biblical worldview is a prerogative of God as Creator.
moserah · Hebrew Noun
Restraints, ropes, or chains; in Scripture, these can represent bondage or limitation, but here they specifically refer to the control mechanisms that humanity fails to impose on God's untamable creation.
This Psalm speaks of God providing for all the wild creatures, including the wild donkey, reinforcing the theme of God's provision for even the most untamed animals.
Jeremiah 2:24This verse directly compares Israel's unruliness to a wild donkey, highlighting the inherent wildness and freedom of the animal that the Lord questions about in Job.
Isaiah 32:14This passage describes a desolation where wild asses will roam freely, underscoring their connection to the wilderness and their untamed nature.
Job 11:12This earlier verse in Job also describes the wild donkey as being born free and untamed, directly paralleling the sentiments expressed in chapter 39.
pulpitJob 39:5: "Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?"
Verse 5. - Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? Two kinds of onager or wild ass, seem to be intended - the one called pore' (פִרֶא), and the other 'arod (עָרוד). These correspond probably to the Asinus hemippus and the Asinus onager of modern naturalists, the former of which is still found in the deserts of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Northern Arabia, while th…
cambridgeJob 39:5: "Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?"
5–8 . The wild ass. Who gave the wild ass his freedom and his indomitable love of liberty—who scorns the noise of cities and laughs at the shouts of the driver, which his tame brother obeys? The point of the questions lies not only in the striking peculiarities of the beautiful creature itself, but in the strange contrast between it and the tame ass, which in external appearance it resembles.
This verse isn't just about a wild donkey; it's highlighting an animal known for its fierce independence and refusal to be yoked like its domestic cousins. The questions God poses point to the Creator’s hand in giving this creature its untamable spirit and freedom, a freedom so profound it's as if it's been released from chains it never wore.
After detailing the wild goat and the hind, God shifts to the wild donkey, a creature known for its fierce independence and speed. He questions Job, essentially asking who gave this animal its untamable spirit and its love of freedom, a stark contrast to its domesticated cousin. This introduction highlights that the wild donkey, like other creatures, operates under divine design, not human control.
After detailing the wild goat and the hind, God shifts to the wild donkey, a creature known for its fierce independence and speed. He questions Job, essentially asking who gave this animal its untamable spirit and its love of freedom, a stark contrast to its domesticated cousin. This introduction highlights that the wild donkey, like other creatures, operates under divine design, not human control.
"“Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey," — This verse isn't just about a wild donkey; it's highlighting an animal known for its fierce independence and refusal to be yoked like its domestic cousins. The questions God poses point to the Creato…
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Last reviewed October 2026