Job 39:25

Amplified Bible

"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he smells the battle from far away, And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
It snorts at the sound of the horn. It senses the battle in the distance. It quivers at the captain's commands and the noise of battle.

English Revised Version
As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Update Bible Version
As often as the trumpet [sounds] he says, Aha! And he smells the battle far off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

New Century Version
When the trumpet blows, the horse snorts, ‘Aha!' It smells the battle from far away; it hears the shouts of commanders and the battle cry.

New English Translation
At the sound of the trumpet, it says, ‘Aha!' And from a distance it catches the scent of battle, the thunderous shouting of commanders, and the battle cries.

Webster's Bible Translation
He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

World English Bible
As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

English Standard Version
When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whanne he herith a clarioun, he `seith, Joie! he smellith batel afer; the excityng of duykis, and the yellyng of the oost.

Berean Standard Bible
At the blast of the trumpet, he snorts with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar-the shouts of captains and the cry of war.

Contemporary English Version
Stirred by the distant smells and sounds of war, they snort in reply to the trumpet.

American Standard Version
As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha! And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Bible in Basic English
When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.

Complete Jewish Bible
At the sound of the shofar it whinnies; as from afar it scents the battle, the roar of the chiefs and the shouting.

Darby Translation
At the noise of the trumpets he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Easy-to-Read Version
When the trumpet sounds, it snorts, ‘Hurray!' It can smell the battle from far away and hear the shouts of commanders with all the other sounds of battle.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
As oft as he heareth the horn he saith: 'Ha, ha!' and he smelleth the battle afar off,

King James Version (1611)
Hee saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha: and he smelleth the battaile afarre off, the thunder of the captaines, and the shouting.

New Life Bible
When the horn sounds, he laughs without fear. He smells the battle from far away. He hears the thunder of the captains, and the war cry.

New Revised Standard
When the trumpet sounds, it says ‘Aha!' From a distance it smells the battle, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He sayth among the trumpets, Ha, ha: hee smelleth the battell afarre off, and the noyse of the captaines, and the shouting.

George Lamsa Translation
He makes the sound, Aha, aha; and he smells the battle from afar; he terrifies the officers with his neighing.

Good News Translation
At each blast of the trumpet they snort; they can smell a battle before they get near, and they hear the officers shouting commands.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
As oft as the horn soundeth, he saith, Aha! And, from afar, he scenteth the battle, - the thunder of commanders and the war-cry.

Douay-Rheims Bible
When he heareth the trumpet he saith: Ha, ha: he smelleth the battle afar off, the encouraging of the captains, and the shouting of the army.

Revised Standard Version
When the trumpet sounds, he says 'Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But when the trumpettes make most noyse, he saith, tushe, for he smelleth the battaile a farre of, the noyse of the captaines and the shouting.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And when the trumpet sounds, he says, Aha! and afar off he smells the war with prancing and neighing.

Christian Standard Bible®
When the trumpet blasts, he snorts defiantly.He smells the battle from a distance;he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry.

Hebrew Names Version
As often as the shofar sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

King James Version
He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Lexham English Bible
Whenever a horn sounds, it says, ‘Aha!' And it smells the battle from a distance— the thunder of the commanders and the war cry.

Literal Translation
When the ram's horn sounds , he says, Aha! And he smells the battle from a distance, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Young's Literal Translation
Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but as soone as he heareth the shawmes blowe, tush (sayeth he) for he smelleth the batell afarre of, ye noyse, the captaynes and the shoutinge.

New American Standard Bible
"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he senses the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

New King James Version
At the blast of the trumpet he says, "Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he scents the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

Legacy Standard Bible
As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!'And he scents the battle from afar,And the thunder of the commanders and the shout of war.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹"Have you given the horse his might? Have you clothed his neck with quivering and a shaking mane? ²⁰"Have you [Job] made him leap like a locust? The majesty of his snorting [nostrils] is terrible. ²¹"He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; He goes out to meet the weapons [of armed men]. ²²"He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; And [in battle] he does not turn back from the sword. ²³"The quiver rattles against him, [As do] the flashing spear and the lance [of his rider]. ²⁴"With fierceness and rage he races to devour the ground, And he does not stand still at the sound of the [war] trumpet. ²⁵"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he smells the battle from far away, And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ha: Psalms 70:3, Ezekiel 26:2, Ezekiel 36:2

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:17 - There is a noise Job 39:19 - thunder Ezekiel 21:22 - to lift Amos 1:14 - with shouting 1 Corinthians 14:8 - General Revelation 9:9 - and the

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He saith among the trumpets, ha, ha,.... As pleased with the sound of them, rejoicing thereat, and which he signifies by neighing;

and he smelleth the battle afar off; which respects not so much the distance of place as of time; he perceives beforehand that it is near, by the preparations making for it, and particularly by what follows; so Pliny b says of horses, they presage a fight. The thunder of the captains, and the shouting; they understand an engagement is just about to start by the loud and thundering voice of the captains, exhorting and spiralling up their men, and giving them the word of command; and by the clamorous shout of the soldiers echoing to the speech of their captains; and which are given forth upon an onset, both to animate one another, and intimidate the enemy. Bootius c observes, that Virgil d and Oppianus e say most of the same things in praise of the horse which are here said, and seem to have taken them from hence; and some f give the horse the preference to the lion, which, when it departs from a fight, never returns, whereas the horse will. This is an emblem both of good men, Zechariah 10:3; and of bad men, Jeremiah 8:6.

b Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 42. c Animadvers. Sacr. l. 3. c. 6. s. 1. d Georgic. l. 3. e Cyneget. l. 1. f Horus Aegypt. apud Steeb. Coelum Sephirot. Heb. c. 6. s. 1. p. 106.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha - That is,” When the trumpet sounds, his voice is heard “as if” he said, Aha - or said that he heard the sound calling him to the battle.” The reference is to the impatient neighing of the war horse about to rush into the conflict.

And he smelleth the battle afar off - That is, he snuffs, as it were, for the slaughter. The reference is to the effect of an approaching army upon a spirited war-horse, as if he perceived the approach by the sense of smelling, and longed to be in the midst of the battle.

The thunder of the captains - literally, “the war-cry of the princes.” The reference is to the loud voices of the leaders of the army commanding the hosts under them. In regard to the whole of this magnificent description of the war-horse, the reader may consult Bochart, “Hieroz.” P. i. L. ii. c. viii., where the phrases used are considered and illustrated at length. The leading idea. here is, that the war-horse evinced the wisdom and the power of God. His majesty, energy, strength, impatience for the battle, and spirit, were proofs of the greatness of Him who had made him, and might be appealed to as illustrating His perfections. Much as people admire the noble horse, and much as they take pains to train him for the turf or for battle, yet how seldom do they refer to it as illustrating the power and greatness of the Creator; and, it may be added, how seldom do they use the horse as if he were one of the grand and noble works of God!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 39:25. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha — The original is peculiarly emphatical: האח Heach! a strong, partly nasal, partly guttural sound, exactly resembling the first note which the horse emits in neighing. The strong, guttural sounds in this hemistich are exceedingly expressive: האח ומרחוק יריח מלחמה Heach! umerachok yariach milchamah; "Heach, for from afar he scenteth the battle."

The reader will perceive that Mr. Good has given a very different meaning to Job 39:20 from that in the present text, Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? by translating the Hebrew thus: -

"Hast thou given him to launch forth as an arrow?"

The word ארבה arbeh, which we translate locust or grasshopper, and which he derives from רבה rabah, the א aleph being merely formative, he says, "may as well mean an arrow as it does in Job 16:13, רביו rabbaiv, 'His arrows fly around me.'" The verb רעש raash in the word התועישנו hatharishennu, "Canst thou make him afraid?' he contends, "signifies to tremble, quiver, rush, launch, dart forth; and, taken in this sense, it seems to unite the two ideas of rapidity and coruscation." This is the principal alteration which this learned man has made in the text.

I shall conclude on this subject by giving Coverdale's translation: Hast thou geven the horse his strength, or lerned him how to bow down his neck with feare; that he letteth himself be dryven forth like a greshopper, where as the stout neyenge that he maketh is fearfull? He breaketh the grounde with the hoffes of his fete chearfully in his strength, and runneth to mete the harnest men. He layeth aside all feare, his stomach is not abated, neither starteth he aback for eny swerde. Though the qyvers rattle upon him, though the speare and shilde glistre: yet russheth he in fearsley, and beateth upon the grounde. He feareth not the noise of the trompettes, but as soone as he heareth the shawmes blowe, Tush (sayeth he) for he smelleth the batell afarre of, the noyse, the captaynes, and the shoutinge. This is wonderfully nervous, and at the same time accurate.