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Job 39:26

New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the south?
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the south?
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth, (And) stretcheth her wings toward the south?
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings towards the south?
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— Doth the hawk fly by thine intelligence, [and] stretch his wings toward the south?
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— Is it, by thine understanding, that the Bird of Passage betaketh him to his pinions? spreadeth out his wings to the south?
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— By thine understanding flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— Doth the hawk wax feathered by thy wisdom, spreading her wings to the south?
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— Shall the hauke flie by thy wisedome, stretching out his wings toward the South?
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— Doeth the hawke flie by thy wisedome, [and] stretch her wings toward the South?
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— Is it by your wisdom that the hawk was created and wings his way toward the south?
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
— And does the hawk remain steady by thy wisdom, having spread out her wings unmoved, looking toward the region of the south?
Full Hebrew Names / Holy Name KJV (2008) [2] [3]
— Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the south?

Strong's Numbers & Hebrew NamesHebrew Old TestamentColor-Code/Key Word Studies
Doth the hawk 5322
{5322} Prime
נֵץ
nets
{nayts}
From H5340; a flower (from its brilliancy); also a hawk (from its flashing speed).
fly 82
{0082} Prime
אָבַר
'abar
{aw-bar'}
A primitive root; to soar.
z8686
<8686> Grammar
Stem - Hiphil (See H8818)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 4046
by thy wisdom, 998
{0998} Prime
בִּינָה
biynah
{bee-naw'}
From H0995; understanding.
x4480
(4480) Complement
מִן
min
{min}
For H4482; properly a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses.
[and] stretch 6566
{6566} Prime
פָּרַשׂ
paras
{paw-ras'}
A primitive root; to break apart, disperse, etc.
z8799
<8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 19885
her wings 3671
{3671} Prime
כָּנָף
kanaph
{kaw-nawf'}
From H3670; an edge or extremity; specifically (of a bird or army) a wing, (of a garment or bed clothing) a flap, (of the earth) a quarter, (of a building) a pinnacle.
toward the south? 8486
{8486} Prime
תֵּימָן
teyman
{tay-mawn'}
Denominative from H3225; the south (as being on the right hand of a person facing the east).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Job 39:26

_ _ The instinct by which some birds migrate to warmer climes before winter. Rapid flying peculiarly characterizes the whole hawk genus.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Job 39:26-30

_ _ The birds of the air are proofs of the wonderful power and providences of God, as well as the beasts of the earth; God here refers particularly to two stately ones: — 1. The hawk, a noble bird of great strength and sagacity, and yet a bird of prey, Job 39:26. This bird is here taken notice of for her flight, which is swift and strong, and especially for the course she steers towards the south, whither she follows the sun in winter, out of the colder countries in the north, especially when she is to cast her plumes and renew them. This is her wisdom, and it was God that gave her this wisdom, not man. Perhaps the extraordinary wisdom of the hawk's flight after her prey was not used then for men's diversion and recreation, as it has been since. It is a pity that the reclaimed hawk, which is taught to fly at man's command and to make him sport, should at any time be abused to the dishonour of God, since it is from God that she receives that wisdom which makes her flight entertaining and serviceable. 2. The eagle, a royal bird, and yet a bird of prey too, the permission of which, nay, the giving of power to which, may help to reconcile us to the prosperity of oppressors among men. The eagle is here taken notice of, (1.) For the height of her flight. No bird soars so high, has so strong a wind, nor can so well bear the light of the sun. Now, “Doth she mount at thy command? Job 39:27. Is it by any strength she has from thee? or dost thou direct her flight? No; it is by the natural power and instinct God has given her that she will soar out of thy sight, much more out of thy call.” (2.) For the strength of her nest. Her house is her castle and strong-hold; she makes it on high and on the rock, the crag of the rock (Job 39:28), which sets her and her young out of the reach of danger. Secure sinners think themselves as safe in their sins as the eagle in her nest on high, in the clefts of the rock; but I will bring thee down thence, saith the Lord, Jeremiah 49:16. The higher bad men sit above the resentments of the earth the nearer they ought to think themselves to the vengeance of Heaven. (3.) For her quicksightedness (Job 39:29): Her eyes behold afar off, not upwards, but downwards, in quest of her prey. In this she is an emblem of a hypocrite, who, while, in the profession of religion, he seems to rise towards heaven, keeps his eye and heart upon the prey on earth, some temporal advantage, some widow's house or other that he hopes to devour, under pretence of devotion. (4.) For the way she has of maintaining herself and her young. She preys upon living animals, which she seizes and tears to pieces, and thence carries to her young ones, which are taught to suck up blood; they do it by instinct, and know no better; but for men that have reason and conscience to thirst after blood is what could scarcely be believed if there had not been in every age wretched instances of it. She also preys upon the dead bodies of men: Where the slain are, there is she, These birds of prey (in another sense than the horse, Job 39:25) smell the battle afar off. Therefore, when a great slaughter is to be made among the enemies of the church, the fowls are invited to the supper of the great God, to eat the flesh of kings and captains, Revelation 19:17, Revelation 19:18. Our Saviour refers to this instinct of the eagle, Matthew 24:28. Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Every creature will make towards that which is its proper food; for he that provides the creatures their food has implanted in them that inclination. These and many such instances of natural power and sagacity in the inferior creatures, which we cannot account for, oblige us to confess our own weakness and ignorance and to give glory to God as the fountain of all being, power, wisdom, and perfection.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Job 39:26

Fly — So strongly, constantly, unweariedly, and swiftly. South — At the approach of winter, when wild hawks fly into warmer countries, as being impatient of cold. The birds of the air are proofs of the wonderful providence of God, as well as the beasts of the earth. God instances in two stately ones.

Geneva Bible Translation Notes

Job 39:26

Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the (p) south?

(p) That is, when cold comes, to fly into the warm countries.

Cross-Reference Topical ResearchStrong's Concordance
the hawk:
Netz, Arabic naz, Latin nisus, the hawk, so called from natzah, to shoot away, fly, because of the rapidity of its flight. It probably comprehends various species of the falcon family, as the ger-falcon, goshawk, and sparrowhawk.
Leviticus 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which [is] for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which [is] for himself:
Deuteronomy 14:15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

stretch:
Is it through thy teaching that the falcon, or any other bird of passage, knows the precise time for taking flight, and the direction in which she is to go to arrive at a warmer climate?
Song of Songs 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Jeremiah 8:7 Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.
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Chain-Reference Bible SearchCross References with Concordance

Lv 16:11. Dt 14:15. So 2:12. Jr 8:7.

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