She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;
Parallel translations
- WEB She deals harshly with her young ones, as if they were not hers. Though her labor is in vain, she is without fear,
- BSB She treats her young harshly, as if not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain.
- NKJV She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern,
- NASB “She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor is for nothing, she is unconcerned,
- NLT She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She doesn’t care if they die.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God describes the ostrich, which seems to neglect her young and labors without apparent reward, yet lives without fear. It shows that God's creatures display a wisdom and design beyond human accounting.
Overview
Continuing his survey of the wild creatures, God highlights the ostrich, whose seemingly careless treatment of her eggs and young puzzles human observers. The point is not to praise cruelty but to display how God's ordering of creation surpasses Job's understanding. Even what looks foolish to us falls under the Creator's wise governance, calling Job to humble trust rather than complaint.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Lam 4:3Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
- Rom 1:31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
- Deut 28:56–57The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
- Eccl 10:15The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
- 1 Kgs 3:26–27Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
- Lam 2:20Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?
- Hab 2:13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
- 2 Kgs 6:28–29And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 39:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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