Job 39:12

"Will you trust him, because his strength is great? Or will you leave to him your labor?"

Key Reflection

In Job 39:12, God poses a rhetorical question to Job, challenging his trust in the mighty and swift ostrich. The original audience would understand that the strength of the ostrich, while impressive, is not without limitations or labor involved. This parallels larger themes in the Book of Job about human limitations and divine sovereignty, prompting Job to consider whether his own faith should be as steadfast even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Wilt thou believe him? -That is, wilt thou trust him with the productions of the field? The idea is, that he was an untamed and unsubdued animal. He could not be governed, like the camel or the ox. If the sheaves of the harvest were laid on him, there would be no certainty that he would convey them where the farmer wished them. And gather it into thy barn? -Or, rather, “to thy threshing-floor,” for so the word used here (גרןgôren) means. It was not common to gather a harvest into a barn, but it was usually collected on a hard-trod place and there threshed and winnowed.

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