Job 38:39 · Bible study
Job 38:39 Commentary: God Alone Provides for the Lion
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does God ask Job about hunting for the lion? A study of divine sovereignty and care in Job 38:39.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God alone provides for the lioness and her cubs, no human can do it, so Job should trust God's sovereignty.
- Key words: “hunt” (H6679, tzud, to stalk or capture); “prey” (H2964, tereph, food captured by violence); “fill” (H4390, mal’e, to satisfy fully); “life” (H2416, chaiyat, appetite or living soul).
- Main debate: No major interpretive dispute; minor discussion about the placement of the chapter division (whether v. 39 begins a new section).
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty extends to every creature, including the wild and dangerous; God's care is universal.
- Best use: Humbling human pride while building confidence in God's provision for all needs.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions
WEB World English Bible 2000
“Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
KJV King James Version 1769
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Dost thou hunt for a lion prey? And the desire of young lions fulfil?
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Dost thou hunt the prey for the lioness, and dost thou satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Wilt thou take the prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of her whelps,
Translations in other languages (7 available)
Caçarás tu a presa para o leão? Ou saciarás a fome dos leões jovens,
Kannst du der Löwin ihren Raub zu jagen geben und die jungen Löwen sättigen,
Zult gij voor den ouden leeuw roof jagen, of de graagheid der jonge leeuwen vervullen?
Sei tu che cacci la preda per la leonessa, che sazi la fame de’ leoncelli
Ты ли ловишь добычу львице и насыщаешь молодых львов,
母獅子 在洞 中蹲伏，少壯獅子 在隱密處 埋伏；你能為牠們抓取 食物，使牠們飽 足嗎？
Do you go after food for the she-lion, or get meat so that the young lions may have enough,
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 38:39
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree the question highlights the chasm between human and divine power. Matthew Henry states God is showing Job's ignorance and impotence, he can do little, let alone understand the divine plan. Barnes notes the lion's instinct and strength to seize prey come from God alone, not from any human arrangement. Wesley calls this “another wonderful work of God.” Clarke adds that the verb “hunt” (Hebrew tzud) carries the sense of stalking and capturing prey, something no man can do for the lioness. The rhetorical form expects a firm “No.” Gill mentions ancient reports of jackals hunting for lions, but even those are God's provision. The consensus: God sustains even the fiercest creatures without Job’s help, and that fact should humble anyone who questions God's justice.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God asks a question that expects a negative answer, demonstrating that He alone provides for the lioness and her cubs—Job cannot do it, and therefore should trust God's wisdom and power.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God's provision for wild animals | All traditions agree that God alone provides for the lioness and her cubs, demonstrating His sovereignty and care over all creation. | Some traditions emphasize God's general providence (sustaining natural laws), while others highlight direct, moment-by-moment divine action. |
| Meaning of 'life of young lions' | The phrase refers to the appetite or the life-sustaining hunger of the cubs. | A minority view (noted by Gill) reads 'life' as the actual living beings themselves, but most commentators see it as a metonymy for their hunger. |
| Chapter division | The section on animals clearly begins at 38:39. | Some Hebrew Bibles start chapter 39 at this verse, while other versions retain it in chapter 38. The difference affects the literary structure but not the interpretation of the verse itself. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The book of Job reaches its climax when God answers Job “out of the whirlwind” (Job 38:1). The first part of the speech (38:4-38) covers cosmology and meteorology: the laying of earth's foundations, the storehouses of snow, the paths of lightning. Then, at verse 39, God turns to the animal kingdom. The shift is deliberate. After showing that Job cannot explain the stars or the rain, God now shows he cannot feed a lion.
In ancient Israel, the lion was the supreme predator, dangerous, unpredictable, a symbol of both strength and chaos. Lions roamed the Jordan thickets and the wilderness (Jeremiah 49:19). No human could safely approach a lioness with cubs. By asking “Can you hunt the prey for the lioness?” God picks the creature least subject to human control. The question exposes Job’s utter limitation: he cannot provide for the strongest beast, yet he dares to question how God governs the world.
Poole notes that this verse continues the theme of God's wonderful works. The Hebrew phrasing uses an interrogative particle (ha-) expecting a negative answer, driving home the point: no, you cannot. The verse is part of a larger unit running through Job 39:30, which surveys wild goats, the wild ass, the ostrich, the war-horse, the hawk, and the eagle. Each creature displays an instinct or attribute that comes directly from God. The lioness opens the list because she represents raw power combined with dependence, she must hunt to live, and God supplies the skill, strength, and opportunity.
Textual Notes
Consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 38:39. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the rhetorical force of the question is clear. A few early translations (e.g., the Vulgate) read “lion” instead of “lioness,” but the difference does not change the sense since the animal is clearly a predator caring for its young.
Reception History
Early church fathers such as Gregory the Great saw in God's speech a lesson in humility: if the Creator feeds lions, humans have no right to complain about their own lot. Medieval Jewish commentators (e.g., Rashi) read the verse as an argument for God's ongoing involvement in the natural world, the lion does not survive by blind instinct alone but by God's direct provision.
During the Reformation, Luther and Calvin both pointed to this verse to counter the idea that God is distant or uninvolved. In the modern era, the verse is often cited in discussions of divine providence and animal suffering, with many Christians finding comfort that God's care extends to every living thing, not just humanity.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s question exposes human weakness. Job cannot hunt for the lioness because he lacks the instinct, strength, and daring. The question reminds us that many necessary things in life lie entirely outside our control.
- God’s provision reveals His care for all creation. The lioness and her cubs are not tame, not useful, and often dangerous, yet God feeds them. His goodness extends beyond human interests to every living thing.
- God’s sovereignty should produce trust, not debate. If God cares for wild predators, how much more can we trust Him with our own needs and questions?
Five-point outline
- From the heavens to the hunt. After stars and storms, God turns to animals, showing that divine wisdom operates in everyday, gritty realities.
- The lion as a test case. No creature is more independent of human help. If God provides for the lion, His sovereignty covers every domain.
- The instinct behind the hunt. The lioness knows when and where to stalk; that knowledge is a gift from God (Barnes).
- The satisfaction of hunger. “Fill the appetite” (Hebrew mal’e chaiyat, literally “fill the life”). God alone can truly satisfy what living creatures need.
- Seeing ourselves in the picture. Job is not a lion; he is a suffering man. But the question humbles without crushing. It reorients faith toward the God who feeds even the fierce.
Illustration hooks
- The neighbor who feeds stray cats. Most people feed a pet, but what about a feral cat that won’t come near? That costly, unreciprocated care echoes how God provides for animals that offer no return to humans.
- A zookeeper’s impossible task. Even with a team and budget, no zoo can replicate the wild lion’s diet without God’s prior provision (the prey animals, the ecosystem). The question “Can you hunt the prey?” still stands.
- The parent who can’t make a child eat. We can prepare food, but we cannot force appetite or the power to digest. God gives the hunger and the food and the strength to receive it.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God cares for lions, why does He allow them to suffer (or to kill)? Doesn’t creation still groan?
- This verse feels distant from my daily worries, how does it help when I can’t pay a bill or find a solution for my child?
- Is God only concerned with “big” things (lions, stars) or does He also attend to the small and ordinary?
Leading a Discussion
This small-group guide invites honest wrestling with God's sovereignty. The passage does not solve Job's suffering; it expands his (and our) view of who God is. Read Job 38:39-41 aloud together, then work through the questions below.
Discussion questions
- What does the lioness represent in this verse? Why do you think God began the animal series with the most dangerous predator?
- The Hebrew verb tzud (to hunt) appears only here in God's speech. What does the choice of that word tell us about human ability?
- How does v. 41 (the raven) balance the picture of the lion? What does it mean that God provides for both the strongest bird of prey and the most despised? (see Luke 12:24)
- Commentators note that “life” in the phrase “life of young lions” can refer to appetite or the very existence of the cubs. How does that nuance affect your reading?
- In what areas of life do you find yourself trying to “hunt prey for the lion”, doing what only God can do? How does this verse invite you to release that burden?
- Psalm 104:21 says the young lions “seek their food from God.” How does that change the way you view your own daily needs?
- If God cares for the lioness and her cubs, what confidence does that give you about the people or situations you care about?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 4:10 | The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken. |
| Job 4:11 | The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad. |
| Psalms 34:10 | The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing. |
| Psalms 104:21 | The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God. |
| Psalms 145:15 | The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season. |
| Psalms 145:16 | You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that this verse marks the start of a new section about animals. It shows that humans lack the strength instinct and knowledge needed to hunt lions.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that God asks Job whether he could do what lions do by instinct, hunting and feeding themselves. The point is that man can neither originate nor explain the wise arrangement by which animals secure their own food, and this instinct demonstrates God's supreme wisdom and power.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the lion and raven among other animals each declare God’s name in different ways. It also says the poet watches these creatures with great wonder and love.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes God's direct provision for the lion, a creature no human dares to approach. He notes that God either sends jackals to hunt prey for the lion or stirs young lions to feed the old ones when they can no longer hunt. God alone fills the appetite of these fierce beasts.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that life itself is the desire that drives animals to hunt for food. This desire is the same force that gives them the instinct to pursue their prey.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights the precise Hebrew vocabulary for lions, noting the specific mention of the lioness who must hunt for her cubs, distinct from the older young lions left on their own. This careful naming underscores God’s provision for each stage of need, mirroring the ravens’ young crying out to Him.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that God's questions about lions and ravens begin a new phase in the discourse, moving from inanimate nature to the animal kingdom. This progression deepens Job's humiliation by showing divine providence over creatures utterly beyond human power, simultaneously confirming Job's own descriptions of God's greatness while dissolving his remaining pride.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Job’s inability to answer God’s questions proves his own limited knowledge. He believes this shows Job lacks the power to challenge God’s plans.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that even wild lions in barren deserts receive their food by God's direct care, not by human effort. This shows that God's providence extends to all creatures, even those living in the most desolate places, making it another wonderful work of God.