Job 38:40

 Job 38:40

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

a. ASV: When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait?  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: When they bow down in dens -- Abide in a thicket for a covert?  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: When they couch in their dens or lie in wait in their hiding place?  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Job, Jewish Publication Society of America Text: When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait?  [Soncino Books of the Bible, Job, 1946; Jewish Publication Society of America Text; Commentary, Rabbi Dr. Victor E. Reichert]

e. ESV: When they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? [Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

1. When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

a. When [Strong: 3588 kîy, kee; a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed:—and, (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), but, certainly, doubtless, else, even, except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, (al-) though, till, truly, until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.]

b. [they] couch [Strong: 7817 shâchach, shaw-khakh'; a primitive root; to sink or depress (reflexive or causative):—bend, bow (down), bring (cast) down, couch, humble self, be (bring) low, stoop.]

c. [in their] dens [Strong: 4585 mᵉʻôwnâh, meh-o-naw'; or מְעֹנָה mᵉʻônâh; feminine of H4583, and meaning the same:—den, habitation, (dwelling) place, refuge.]

d. [and] abide [Strong: 3427 yâshab, yaw-shab'; a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:—(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, × fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, × marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(-tle), (down-) sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.]

e. [in the] covert [Strong: 5521 çukkâh, sook-kaw'; feminine of H5520; a hut or lair:—booth, cottage, covert, pavilion, tabernacle, tent.]

f. to [Strong: 3927 lᵉmôw, lem-o'; a prolonged and separable form of the prepositional prefix; to or for:—at, for, to, upon.]

g. lie in wait [Strong: 695 ʼereb, eh'-reb; from H693; ambuscade:—den, lie in wait.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon [?]

1). Every part of God’s creation, no matter if it be a bird, an insect, a fish or land animal; even plants were affected by the fall of man. All of creation was forced into an inferior state, where carnivorous natures, sickness and disease, death and destruction and sin ruled. In Romans 3:13, death and the grave, and all the destruction wrought by our tongues is likened to the poison of asps. The carnivorous nature of the animal kingdom, the dog eat dog is of the devil. That's what he does, steal, kill and destroy. However whatever characteristic or ability that creature puts to use in caring for their young, housekeeping, eating or survival against predators, that ability was given to them by God. It appears the bondage of corruption is of the devil because man by his disobedience gave him the devil place, but the ability of the creation to survive is of God. God is a deliverer, a rescuer. 

 

a). Job 12:7-10 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

12:8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

12:9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?

12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

 

b). Job 39:13-17 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? Or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?

39:14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,

39:15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.

39:16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;

39:17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

 

(1) In Job 12:7-10 & Job 39:13-17 we see very clearly that God has given or deprived wisdom to all species in his creation.

(2) Big cats in evolutionary arms race with prey: study: Agence France Presse, 1/24/18  Lions and cheetah are faster, stronger and no less agile than their prey, but zebras and impalas compensate with a surprising tactic, researchers said Wednesday: slow down, and keep the big cats guessing. Indeed, fleeing at top speed is a fatal mistake, making it easier for the fearsome felines to close in for the kill, they reported in the journal Nature. "If the prey is running flat out, it cannot speed up and its movements become predictable," lead author Alan Wilson, a professor at the University of London's Royal Veterinary College, told AFP. "Lower-speed hunts favour prey survival, because it gives the animals the opportunity to manoeuvre." The proof is in the kill rate: lions (which hunt zebra) and cheetah (which target impalas) fail two out of three times when they give chase. Data for the study, collected in the savannah of northern Botswana, came from high-tech collars fitted onto nine lions, five cheetah, seven zebra and seven impalas, a kind of antelope. All the animals were wild and free-ranging. Over the course of more than 5,500 high-speed runs, the collars recorded location, speed, acceleration, number of steps, and ability to turn several times a second, yielding an unprecedented trove of information. In addition, the researchers did biopsies to measure muscle power, as one might for world-class athletes. Lions and cheetah, they found, were significantly more athletic than their prey: 38 percent faster, 37 percent better at accelerating, and 72 percent better at slowing down quickly. Their muscles were also 20 percent more powerful. Despite these apparent advantages, zebras and impala kept the upper hand when chased by moving unpredictably to evade outstretched claws while just a step or two ahead. "The prey define the hunt and know not to just run away but to turn at the last moment," explained Wilson. - Evolutionary pas-de-deux - Predator and prey on the African savannah have been locked in an evolutionary arms race for hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps millions. Over time, the big cats have become better killing machines, while their would-be meals have become more adept at evading capture. Lions fail two out of three times when they hunt zebras. But at the species level, the predator-prey relationship is monogamous: lions don't go after impalas, and cheetah generally leave zebras alone. "Lions are large and can take down a larger prey, but their very size limits speed," said co-author Emily Bennitt, a researcher at the University of Botswana's Okavango Research Institute. "Likewise, cheetah are agile and fast, but this requires them to be light, and thus unable to subdue larger prey." A zebra, in other words, can defend itself against a cheetah while an impala, unless sick, will always be able to out-run a lion. For prey species, avoiding the claws and maw of big cats is not the only survival skill required. "Prey need to be good enough at evading capture to escape from most hunting attempts, but they also need to be adapted to foraging," Bennitt said by email. From an evolutionary perspective, sometimes these needs come into conflict, she added. "Characteristics that enhance speed could reduce foraging and movement efficiency." As luck would have it, a collared predator never gave chase to a collared prey during the field research, but scientists were able to use computer models to simulate hunt scenarios with the wealth of data collected. https://www.afp.com/en/news/2265/big-cats-evolutionary-arms-race-prey-study-doc-xp57j1