Trembling with excitement, he devours the distance; he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds.
Parallel translations
- WEB He eats up the ground with fierceness and rage, neither does he stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
- KJV He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
- NKJV He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
- NASB “He races over the ground with a roar and fury, And he does not stand still when he hears the sound of the trumpet.
- NLT It paws the ground fiercely and rushes forward into battle when the ram’s horn blows.
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 devours the ground in fierce eagerness and cannot be held still at the trumpet's call. His ardor for battle is God-given.
Overview
So eager is the horse that he seems to swallow the ground in his charge and will not stand still when the trumpet sounds. This vivid picture of barely-contained energy testifies to the Creator's craftsmanship. Throughout the speech, each creature's instincts reveal a design Job did not author and cannot fully grasp, humbling him before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Amos 3:6If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?
- Luke 24:41While they were still in disbelief because of their joy and amazement, He asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
- Job 37:20Should He be told that I want to speak? Would a man ask to be swallowed up?
- Job 29:24If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
- Job 9:16If I summoned Him and He answered me, I do not believe He would listen to my voice.
- Jer 4:19My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.
- Hab 1:8–9Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 39:24 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.