“He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He goes out to meet the battle.
Parallel translations
- WEB He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the armed men.
- KJV He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
- BSB He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle.
- NKJV He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.
- NLT It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength when it charges out to battle.
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
The horse paws the ground eagerly and charges joyfully into the fray. God displays a creature delighting in the very work for which he made it.
Overview
The war-horse rejoices in its strength, pawing the valley floor and rushing to meet armed men without hesitation. This eager courage is part of the animal's God-given nature. The scene underscores that God has equipped each creature perfectly for its calling, a wisdom Job is invited to admire rather than to question.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jer 8:6I listened and heard, but they didn’t say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Everyone turns to his course, as a horse that rushes headlong in the battle.
- Prov 21:31The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
- 1 Sam 17:4–10A champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span went out.
- Judg 5:22Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing, the prancing of their strong ones.
- 1 Sam 17:42When the Philistine looked around, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face.
- Ps 19:5which is as a bridegroom coming out of his room, like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.
- Jer 9:23Yahweh says, “Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Don’t let the rich man glory in his riches.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 39:21 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.