What is the meaning of Job 39:7? He scorns the tumult of the city • “He” points back to the wild donkey God highlights in Job 39:5–8, a creature released from human ownership and given an instinct for open country. • To “scorn” the city’s tumult means the animal has no attraction to, or dependence on, human civilization. Crowded streets, market cries, and daily bustle offer it nothing (cf. Job 24:5; Psalm 104:11; Isaiah 32:14). • The Lord uses this picture to remind Job that He designs beings able to flourish entirely outside mankind’s systems. The wild donkey’s very disdain for urban life showcases God’s wisdom and creative variety. and never hears the shouts of a driver • Unlike a domesticated donkey that responds to a teamster’s commands, the wild donkey “never hears” (does not submit to) the cracking whip or shouted orders of a driver. Its freedom is God-given and cannot be overridden by human effort (cf. Hosea 8:9; Genesis 16:12). • The image underlines God’s point: He alone grants liberty or places beings under yokes (Job 38:36; Psalm 147:9). Job is confronted with a creature that answers to no master except its Creator, underscoring the limits of human control and knowledge. summary Job 39:7 portrays the wild donkey’s contempt for city noise and refusal to heed human commands as a vivid reminder that some parts of God’s creation lie entirely beyond mankind’s reach. The verse teaches that God ordains both freedom and restraint, sovereignty and submission, according to His perfect wisdom—calling Job (and every reader) to trust the Creator’s greater purposes even when they cannot be tamed or explained. |
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