This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Job 39:5-8
5 Who hath sent out [shalach] the wild ass [pere'] free [chophshiy]? or who hath loosed [pathach] the bands [mowcer] of the wild ass [`arowd]?
6 Whose house [bayith] I have made [suwm] the wilderness [`arabah], and the barren [malechah] land his dwellings [mishkan].
7 He scorneth [sachaq] the multitude [hamown] of the city [qiryah], neither regardeth [shama`] he the crying [tashu'ah] of the driver [nagas].
8 The range [yathuwr] of the mountains [har] is his pasture [mir`eh], and he searcheth [darash] after ['achar] every green thing [yarowq]. KJV-Interlinear
5 'Who sent out the wild donkey free? And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, 6 To whom I gave the wilderness for a home, And the salt land for his dwelling place? 7 'He scorns the tumult of the city, The shoutings of the driver he does not hear. 8 'He explores the mountains for his pasture, And he searches after every green thing. NASB
The wild donkey and the swift donkey are two different breeds of animal as noted by the different words used, 'pere,' and 'arowd.' Both live in the wild. The former is a breed that lives in the rocky hill/mountainous country to the north and east. The latter lives in the desert and arid regions to the south and west.
Both are similar to the wild horses that run swift, sure footed, and free in uninhabited areas.
And as the poets say, the stars are their blanket, and the world is their playground. They wander, run free, and graze to their hearts content with no master to restrict or order their lives.
They avoid the civilizations of the cities, avoid becoming domesticated, and refuse to succumb to the commands of a taskmaster or herdsman (shoutings of the driver).
The lifestyle of the wild gives them the freedom and exhilaration of a full life, with no restraints, no obligations, and no responsibilities.
It is God, not man, who gave these animals these circumstances in which they may live their lives.
It is God, not man, who supplies their every need.
It is God, not man, who perpetuates and maintains these animals from generation to generation.
