From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar.
Parallel translations
- WEB From there he spies out the prey. His eyes see it afar off.
- KJV From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
- NKJV From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar.
- NASB “From there he tracks food; His eyes look at it from afar.
- NLT From there it hunts its prey, keeping watch with piercing eyes.
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
From its high perch the eagle spies its prey from far off with keen eyes. Its remarkable sight is a gift of its Maker.
Overview
The eagle's extraordinary vision, able to spot prey at great distances, is presented as further evidence of God's design. Job could neither grant such sight nor command its use. The passage continues to lead Job from the wonders of creation to the wonder of the Creator, who alone provides for and governs all his creatures.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Job 9:26They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
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 39:29 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.