Job 38:39

JPS Old Testament

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Can you hunt prey for a lionessor satisfy the appetite of young lions

Hebrew Names Version
"Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

King James Version
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

English Standard Version
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

New Century Version
"Do you hunt food for the female lion to satisfy the hunger of the young lions

New English Translation
"Do you hunt prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of the lions,

Amplified Bible
"Can you [Job] hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions

New American Standard Bible
"Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,

World English Bible
"Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wilt thou hunt the pray for the lyon? or fill the appetite of the lyons whelpes,

Legacy Standard Bible
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion,Or fulfill the appetite of the young lions,

Berean Standard Bible
Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions

Contemporary English Version
When lions are hungry, do you help them hunt?

Complete Jewish Bible
"Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Darby Translation
Dost thou hunt the prey for the lioness, and dost thou satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Easy-to-Read Version
"Do you find food for the lions? Do you feed their hungry babies?

George Lamsa Translation
Who has given prey for the lion? Or filled the appetite of the young lions?

Good News Translation
Do you find food for lions to eat, and satisfy hungry young lions

Lexham English Bible
"Can you hunt prey for the lion? And can you satisfy the hunger of strong lions

Literal Translation
Will you hunt the prey for the lion, or fill the appetite of the young lions,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Huntest thou the praye fro the Lyon, or fedest thou his whelpes

American Standard Version
Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Bible in Basic English
Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,

King James Version (1611)
Wilt thou hunt the pray for the lyon? Or fill the appetite of the young lyons,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wylt thou hunt the pray for the lion? or fill the appetite of the lions whelpes,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And wilt thou hunt a prey for the lions? and satisfy the desires of the serpents?

English Revised Version
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether thou schalt take prey to the lionesse, and schalt fille the soulis of hir whelpis,

Update Bible Version
Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Webster's Bible Translation
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

New King James Version
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

New Living Translation
"Can you stalk prey for a lioness and satisfy the young lions' appetites

New Life Bible
"Can you hunt food for the lion? Can you fill the hunger of the young lions,

New Revised Standard
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wilt thou hunt - for the Lioness - prey? Or, the craving of the Strong Lion, wilt thou satisfy;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wilt thou take the prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of her whelps,

Revised Standard Version
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Young's Literal Translation
Dost thou hunt for a lion prey? And the desire of young lions fulfil?

THE MESSAGE
"Can you teach the lioness to stalk her prey and satisfy the appetite of her cubs As they crouch in their den, waiting hungrily in their cave? And who sets out food for the ravens when their young cry to God, fluttering about because they have no food?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

Contextual Overview

²⁵ Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, or a way for the lightning of the thunder; ²⁶ To cause it to rain on a land where no man is, on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; ²⁷ To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? ²⁸ Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew? ²⁹ Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoar-frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? ³⁰ The waters are congealed like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. ³¹ Canst thou bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? ³² Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her sons? ³³ Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth? ³⁴ Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Wilt: Job 4:10, Job 4:11, Psalms 34:10, Psalms 104:21, Psalms 145:15, Psalms 145:16

appetite: Heb. life

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:24 - Let Genesis 1:30 - General Numbers 24:9 - couched Psalms 8:8 - The fowl Proverbs 6:7 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion?.... From meteors the Lord passes to animals, beasts, and birds, wherefore some here begin the thirty ninth chapter, which only treats of such; and he begins with the lion, the strongest among beasts, and most fierce; cruel, and voracious; and asks, who hunts his prey for him? Not man, who cannot; and if he could, durst not: but the Lord does; and, according to some writers x, he has provided a small creature, between a fox and a wolf, called a jackal; which goes before the lion, and hunts the prey for him. And could this be understood particularly of the old lion, as Cocceius and others, naturalists y observe, that young lions hunt for the old ones, when they are not able to go in search of prey; and when they have got it, either bring it to them, or call them to partake of it with them;

or fill the appetite of the young lions, whose appetite is sharp and keen, and requires a great deal to fill it, and especially to satisfy a great many of them; herds of them, as Mr. Broughton renders the word, and which signifies a company; see Psalms 68:30. Men cannot feed them, but God can and does; there being some ends in Providence to be answered thereby, see Psalms 104:21; see also Psalms 34:8.

x Thevenot's Travels, part 2. c. 13. y Aelian. de Animal. l. 9. c. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? - The appeal here is to the instincts with which God has endowed animals, and to the fact that he had so made them that they would secure their own food. He asks Job whether he would undertake to do what the lion did by instinct in finding his food, and by his power and skill in seizing his prey. There was a wise adaptation of the lion for this purpose which man could neither originate nor explain.

Or fill the appetite of the young lions - Margin, as in Hebrew “life.” The word life is used here for hunger, as the appetite is necessarily connected with the preservation of life. The meaning here is, “Wouldst thou undertake to supply his needs? It is done by laws, and in a manner which thou canst not explain. There are in the arrangement by which it is accomplished marks of wisdom which far surpass the skill of man to originate, and the instinct and power by which it is done are proof of the supremacy of the Most High.” No one can study the subject of the instincts of animals, or become in the least acquainted with Natural History, without finding every where traces of the wisdom and goodness of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 38:39. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? — Rather the lioness, or strong lion. Hast thou his instinct? Dost thou know the habits and haunts of such animals as he seeks for his food? Thou hast neither his strength, his instinct nor his cunning.

In the best Hebrew Bibles, the thirty-ninth chapter begins with this verse, and begins properly, as a new subject now commences, relating to the natural history of the earth, or the animal kingdom; as the preceding chapter does to astronomy and meteorology.