Job 39:26
New International Version
“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?

New Living Translation
“Is it your wisdom that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?

English Standard Version
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south?

Berean Standard Bible
Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread his wings toward the south?

King James Bible
Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

New King James Version
“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south?

New American Standard Bible
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?

NASB 1995
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?

NASB 1977
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?

Legacy Standard Bible
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south?

Amplified Bible
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south [as winter approaches]?

Christian Standard Bible
Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread its wings to the south?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread its wings to the south?

American Standard Version
Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth, And stretcheth her wings toward the south?

Contemporary English Version
Did you teach hawks to fly south for the winter? *

English Revised Version
Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Does your understanding make a bird of prey fly and spread its wings toward the south?

Good News Translation
Does a hawk learn from you how to fly when it spreads its wings toward the south?

International Standard Version
"Is it by your understanding that the hawk flies, spreading its wings toward the south?

Majority Standard Bible
Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread his wings toward the south?

NET Bible
"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, and spreads its wings toward the south?

New Heart English Bible
"Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?

Webster's Bible Translation
Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings towards the south?

World English Bible
“Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and stretches her wings toward the south?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
By your understanding does a hawk fly? Does he spread his wings to the south?

Young's Literal Translation
By thine understanding flieth a hawk? Spreadeth he his wings to the south?

Smith's Literal Translation
From thy understanding will the hawk mount upwards? will it stretch its wings to the south?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Doth the hawk wax feathered by thy wisdom, spreading her wings to the south?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Does the hawk grow feathers by means of your wisdom, spreading her wings towards the south?

New American Bible
Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, that he spreads his wings toward the south?

New Revised Standard Version
“Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and spreads its wings toward the south?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Is it by your wisdom that the hawk was created and wings his way toward the south?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Does the hawk exist from your wisdom and spread his wings to the south?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, And stretch her wings toward the south?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And does the hawk remain steady by thy wisdom, having spread out her wings unmoved, looking toward the region of the south?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Speaks of His Creation
25At the blast of the horn, he snorts with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar—the shouts of captains and the cry of war. 26Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread his wings toward the south? 27Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high?…

Cross References
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Proverbs 30:18-19
There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand: / the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a maiden.

Jeremiah 4:13
Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!

Psalm 103:5
who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Deuteronomy 32:11
As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carried them on His pinions.

Isaiah 31:5
Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and deliver it; He will pass over it and preserve it.”

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!

Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. / And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. / So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Isaiah 46:11
I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.

Ezekiel 17:3
and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.

Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.

Psalm 104:12
The birds of the air nest beside the springs; they sing among the branches.

Psalm 50:11
I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine.

Genesis 1:20-21
And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” / So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.


Treasury of Scripture

Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

Leviticus 16:11
And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:

Deuteronomy 14:15
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

Song of Solomon 2:12
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Jeremiah 8:7
Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

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Flieth Flight Fly Hawk Intelligence Soar South Spread Spreadeth Spreads Stretch Stretches Stretcheth Stretching Towards Understanding Wings Wisdom
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Job 39
1. Of the wild goats and hinds
5. Of the wild donkey
9. The unicorn
13. The peacock, stork, and ostrich
19. The horse
26. The hawk
27. The eagle














Does the hawk take flight
The word "hawk" in Hebrew is "נֵץ" (netz), which refers to a bird of prey known for its keen vision and swift flight. In the ancient Near Eastern context, hawks were admired for their ability to soar high and navigate the skies with precision. This phrase challenges human understanding and control over the natural world, emphasizing God's sovereignty. The hawk's flight is a testament to divine wisdom and design, reminding us that such intricate and majestic creatures operate beyond human comprehension and intervention.

by your understanding
The Hebrew word for "understanding" is "תְּבוּנָה" (tevunah), which implies insight, intelligence, or discernment. This rhetorical question underscores the limitations of human wisdom compared to God's omniscience. In the broader scriptural context, it serves as a humbling reminder that while humans may possess knowledge, it is God who orchestrates the complexities of creation. The verse invites believers to trust in God's superior wisdom and to acknowledge that His understanding governs the natural order.

and spread his wings
The imagery of spreading wings signifies freedom, strength, and the ability to rise above earthly constraints. In biblical literature, wings often symbolize protection and divine care, as seen in passages like Psalm 91:4. The hawk's wings, designed for powerful flight, reflect God's creative power and attention to detail. This phrase encourages believers to marvel at the Creator's handiwork and to find inspiration in the beauty and functionality of His creations.

toward the south
The south, or "תֵּימָן" (teiman) in Hebrew, often represents warmth and migration in biblical texts. Birds like the hawk instinctively migrate southward, guided by an innate sense that God has instilled in them. This natural phenomenon highlights God's provision and the order He has established in the world. For the believer, it serves as a metaphor for spiritual journeying and reliance on God's guidance. Just as the hawk trusts its God-given instincts, so should believers trust in God's direction for their lives.

(26) Doth the hawk fly?--The more symmetrical order of these descriptions would be for the ostrich to have come after the war-horse and before the hawk; in that case there would have been a gradual transition from the fleetest of quadrupeds to the fleetest of birds by means of the ostrich, which, though winged like a bird, cannot use its wings as birds do, but only run on the ground like a quadruped.

Verse 26. - Doth the hawk fly (or, soar) by thy wisdom? The hawk's strength of wing is extraordinary, and one of the greatest of natural marvels. Can Job claim to have contrived it? Many as have been the attempts made, human ingenuity has not yet devised anything that can fly. And stretch her wings toward the south? Migrate, i.e., when winter approaches, to the warmer southern regions. Few things in nature are more remarkable than the instinct of migratory birds.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Does the hawk
נֵ֑ץ (nêṣ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5322: A flower, a hawk

take flight
יַֽאֲבֶר־ (ya·’ă·ḇer-)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 82: To soar

by your understanding
הֲ‍ֽ֭מִבִּינָ֣תְךָ (hămib·bî·nā·ṯə·ḵā)
Article, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 998: An understanding

and spread
יִפְרֹ֖שׂ (yip̄·rōś)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6566: To break apart, disperse

his wings
כְּנָפָ֣יו (kə·nā·p̄āw)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3671: An edge, extremity, a wing, a flap, a quarter, a pinnacle

toward the south?
לְתֵימָֽן׃ (lə·ṯê·mān)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8486: South, south wind


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OT Poetry: Job 39:26 Is it by your wisdom that (Jb)
Job 39:25
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