Job 39:20 · Bible study
Job 39:20 Commentary: The Horse's Leap and Snorting
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does the horse leap like a locust or fear one? Explore the Hebrew verb, the comparison to locusts, and what this reveals about God's power in Job 39:20.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God gives the horse the agility of a locust and a terrifying snort; Job cannot create or control such power.
- Key words: ra'ash (Hiphil: cause to leap/shake), ar.beh (locust), hod (majesty/glory), 'ei.mah (terror).
- Main debate: Does the verb mean “make leap” (agility) or “make afraid” (fearlessness)? The Hebrew and context support “leap.”
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty displayed in created animals; human limitation and humility before the Creator.
- Best use: A vivid illustration of God's power and a reminder that we cannot command what He has made.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?
WEB World English Bible 2000
Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.
KJV King James Version 1769
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is terrible.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting is terrible.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Dost thou make him to leap as a locust? His majestic snorting is terrible.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Wilt thou lift him up like the locusts? the glory of his nostrils is terror.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque le privó Dios de sabiduría, y no le dió inteligencia.
Podes tu o espantar como a um gafanhoto? O sopro de suas narinas é terrível.
Car Dieu lui a refusé la sagesse,
Läßt du es aufspringen wie die Heuschrecken? Schrecklich ist sein prächtiges Schnauben.
Zult gij het beroeren als een sprinkhaan? De pracht van zijn gesnuif is een verschrikking.
Sei tu che lo fai saltar come la locusta? Il fiero suo nitrito incute spavento.
Bo mu nie dał Bóg mądrości, i nie udzielił mu wyrozumienia.
Можешь ли ты испугать его, как саранчу? Храпение ноздрей его — ужас;
是你叫牠跳躍 像蝗蟲嗎？牠噴氣 之威 使人驚惶。
Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 39:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The supplied commentaries agree that Job 39:20 belongs to God's climactic speech, a series of rhetorical questions meant to humble Job by displaying divine power in creation. The Hebrew verb ra'ash (Hiphil form) is the hinge. Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch, and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown argue it means “cause to leap” or “spring,” not “make afraid” (as the KJV has it). The horse, massive and powerful, is given the agility of a locust, a small insect that moves with startling speed and coordination. But the point is not zoology. As Cambridge Bible notes, the question is present tense: “Dost thou make him leap like the locust?” God alone does this. The second line, “the glory of his snorting is terrible,” drives home the horse's fearlessness in battle. Gill describes the horse's snorting, nostrils flaring, as a terrifying sight. Together the two lines paint a portrait of a creature that man cannot create, control, or fully understand.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Agility (leaping like a locust): Lexical analysis of <em>ra'ash</em> (Hiphil) meaning 'cause to spring'; supported by Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch, JFB. The locust comparison emphasizes quick, coordinated movement (cf. Joel 2:4).
- Fearlessness (make afraid like a grasshopper): KJV translation 'make afraid'; the horse cannot be frightened like a small insect. Gill notes horses are not afraid of locusts.
What is clear: God alone gives the horse its powerful movement and fearless spirit, and this stands as a rebuke to human pride and a call to humble awe.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Translation of the verb ra'ash | The Hiphil form means 'cause to shake/spring.' | Most modern translations and commentators (Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch) render it 'cause to leap,' emphasizing the horse's agility. The KJV reads 'make afraid,' focusing on the horse's fearlessness. Both interpretations highlight the horse's remarkable nature. |
| Comparison to the locust | The horse is compared to a locust, which is small but moves in swarms with devastating effect. | Some see the comparison as pure agility (the horse leaps like a locust); others see a terror-like parallel (the horse, like a locust swarm, inspires fear). Joel 2:4 and Revelation 9:7 also link locusts to warhorses. |
| The 'glory of his snorting' | The horse's snorting (nostrils flaring) is described as majestic and terrifying. | Gill and Barnes take it literally, the horse's breath and appearance in battle. Matthew Henry spiritualizes it as a symbol of strength. All agree it points to the horse's fierce spirit. |
| Role in God's speech to Job | This passage is part of God's response to Job, not giving reasons but displaying His power in creation. | Some (Calvin tradition) see it as direct rebuke; others (Lange) see it as both testimony for and against Job. Modern readers often emphasize the awe and mystery of God. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Job chapters 38, 41 form God's answer to Job's long demand for an audience. Job had questioned divine justice. God responds not with an explanation but with a tour of the cosmos, stars, sea, snow, wild animals. The horse arrives in Job 39:19, 25 after the ostrich (v.13, 18), a bird so foolish she abandons her eggs. The horse is the opposite: fierce, courageous, perfectly suited for war.
In the ancient Near East, horses were status symbols and military assets. Israel's kings were warned not to multiply horses (Deuteronomy 17:16), and horses were largely imported from Egypt and Anatolia. Job, likely an Edomite or Arabian chieftain, may have owned horses as part of his wealth, though they are absent from the inventory of Job 1:3. The warhorse described here is not a farm animal but a weapon. Its “leaping” evokes the cavalry charge; its snorting, the steam and noise of battle.
The locust comparison (also at Joel 2:4 and Revelation 9:7) would resonate with Job's audience. Locusts appear in swarms that devour crops, but individual locusts are small. That God can make a horse, huge and powerful, move with the agility of a locust shows His mastery over both the great and the small. The horse's “proud snorting” (BSB) or “terrible glory” (KJV) points to the raw energy and terror of war. God presents this animal as a witness to His design: Job did not make the horse, cannot command it, and cannot fathom its spirit.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and translations note no significant textual variants for Job 39:20. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The differences among English translations arise from translational choices regarding the verb ra'ash and the interpretation of 'ei.mah (“terror” or “terrible”).
Reception History
Job 39:19, 25 has been treasured as one of the Bible's most vivid portraits of the warhorse. Early Christian readers (Gregory the Great in his Moralia) saw in the horse a type of the believer, courageous in spiritual battle. Medieval commentators often allegorized the horse's snorting as the preacher's bold proclamation. The passage has been used in public worship during the season of creation (e.g., Rogation days) to celebrate God's wisdom. In the Reformed tradition, Matthew Henry drew from it a lesson on trusting God rather than military might. Modern readers, across denominations, value it as a poetic masterpiece that points to the Creator's extravagant design.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The horse's leap, God gives the horse the agility of a locust, a small creature, showing His power over scale and movement (Job 39:20a).
- The horse's snorting, The horse's breath is full of terror; it is fearless in battle, a gift from its Creator (Job 39:20b).
- The horse's purpose, This animal serves God's purposes, not human pride; it humbles Job and points to a Creator who delights in strength and courage.
Five-point outline
- Origin, “Have you given the horse might?” (v.19). Strength belongs to God.
- Motion, “Dost thou make him leap like the locust?” (v.20a). Agility is from the Lord.
- Demeanor, “The glory of his snorting is terrible” (v.20b). The horse's spirit is God's handiwork.
- Response to danger, He “mocks at fear” (v.22) and “swallows the ground” (v.24). The horse runs into battle eagerly.
- Dependence, Without God's design, the horse would be nothing. So too Job must depend on God.
Illustration hooks
- Watching a horse at a racetrack: the explosive start, the long stride, the power that no amount of training can produce, only God gives that.
- A locust swarm: millions of insects moving together, covering fields, stripping them bare. Now imagine a warhorse that moves with that same swift, unstoppable energy.
- A horse snorting on a cold morning: the steam from its nostrils, the sound of power and life, a picture of the horse's “glory” and “terror.”
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God talk about animals instead of answering Job's questions about suffering?
- What does the horse's fearlessness teach us about trusting God in danger?
- How can this passage help me when I feel small or powerless?
Leading a Discussion
Job has asked God for an explanation. Instead, God asks Job questions, about the foundations of the earth, the sea, the stars, and now about a warhorse. This horse cannot be tamed by human wisdom; it is a sign of God's unsearchable power.
Discussion questions
- Read Job 39:19, 25. What words describe the horse's appearance and actions?
- The Hebrew verb ra'ash can mean “make leap” or “make afraid.” How does each translation change your understanding of the horse?
- Why does God compare a powerful horse to a locust, a small insect?
- How does the horse's response to danger (vv. 21, 25) contrast with Job's own situation?
- What does this passage reveal about God's character, especially His creativity and power?
- How does it feel to hear God's questions? Are they harsh, or do they inspire awe?
- This horse is fearless in battle. Where in your life do you need the courage that only God can give?
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 41:20 | Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. |
| Job 41:21 | His breath kindles coals. A flame goes out of his mouth. |
| Jeremiah 8:16 | The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan. The whole land trembles at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they have come, and have devoured the land and all that is in it, the city and those who dwell therein.” |
| Joel 2:5 | Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains, they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes corrects the common translation, arguing the comparison is not fear but agility: God can make the war-horse leap like a locust advancing in squadrons. He also notes that the horse's wide, fiery nostrils are described as "terrors," fitting for inspiring awe in battle.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that trembling here describes the quivering of the horse’s neck when it is stirred up rather than the mane alone. This view shows how the commentator focuses on specific physical actions in the text.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that God himself directly withheld wisdom and understanding from this creature. It was not a natural deficiency or accident, but a deliberate act of divine deprivation that left the animal without its proper share of intelligence.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights a dual meaning: either the horse’s own terror when startled, or its power to leap like a grasshopper. He then focuses on the horse’s snorting nostrils in battle, with breath like smoke, as the truly terrifying feature.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes the speaker asks if anyone can make the monster leap like a locust. He also explains that locusts and war horses have similar heads which is why Italians call them little horse.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch see the war-horse as a display of divine wisdom in its heroic beauty and fearless battle fury. They argue that the Hebrew details, such as the mane's trembling motion and the horse swallowing the ground, depict a creature whose courage and speed inspire awe of its Creator.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that this vision of God in the storm is not a physical appearance but a symbolic way of showing God’s power. It proves Job’s long desire for God’s presence while also bringing on deep humility that makes him stop criticizing God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the horse possesses great strength from God yet does not delight in it. You may trust this creature to serve you faithfully.