What is the meaning of Job 39:28?

He dwells on a cliff

• God points Job to the eagle, a bird that literally makes its home hundreds of feet above the earth (Job 39:27).

• That lofty dwelling testifies to the Creator’s wisdom: the eagle is safe from most predators and has a sweeping view of the land below (Proverbs 30:19).

• Deuteronomy 32:11–13 pictures God’s care for Israel in similar terms, comparing Him to an eagle stirring up its nest high above danger. The Lord is illustrating how He provides vantage and protection for His creatures—and, by extension, for His people.

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and lodges there

• “Lodges” speaks of resting or spending the night. The eagle’s nightly confidence, perched on an exposed rock face, highlights its God-given security (Psalm 4:8).

• Psalm 91:1 reminds us, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty”. As surely as the eagle trusts the height, believers can rest in the Lord’s sovereign care.

• The untroubled lodging of the bird also contrasts with Job’s turmoil, underscoring that peace is found by trusting the One who designed both bird and man (Job 39:13–18).

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his stronghold is on a rocky crag

• A “stronghold” is a fortress—a place no enemy can easily reach. The eagle’s nest is literally built into the rock, much like a fortress wall (Obadiah 1:3–4).

• Scripture frequently calls God “my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 18:2; 2 Samuel 22:2). By choosing the eagle’s crag as an illustration, the Lord drives home His own unassailable strength.

• Habakkuk 3:19 declares, “The Lord GOD is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights”. The believer’s spiritual footing on the Rock is as sure as the eagle’s nest on the cliff.

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summary

Job 39:28 depicts the eagle nesting high on an unreachable cliff, sleeping securely, and relying on the rock itself as a fortress. God uses this vivid picture to reveal His unmatched wisdom, the safety He builds into His creation, and the security He offers to those who trust Him. As the eagle confidently rests on the crag, so the child of God can confidently rest in the Lord, our true and eternal stronghold.