Job 38:41

 Job 38:41

Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

a. ASV: Who provideth for the raven his prey, When his young ones cry unto God,

And wander for lack of food?  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT:  Who doth prepare for a raven his provision, When his young ones cry unto God? They wander without food. [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: Who provides for the raven its prey when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Job, Jewish Publication Society of America Text: Who provideth the raven his pray, When his young ones cry unto God, And wander for lack of food? [Soncino Books of the Bible, Job, 1946; Jewish Publication Society of America Text; Commentary, Rabbi Dr. Victor E. Reichert]

e. ESV: Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help,

and wander about for lack of food? [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. “Who provideth for the raven his food…”

a. Who [Strong: 4310 mîy, me; an interrogative pronoun of persons, as H4100 is of things, who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix:—any (man), × he, × him, O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), would to God.]

b. provideth [Strong: kûwn, koon; a primitive root; properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous):—certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-) stablish, stand, tarry, × very deed.]

c. [for the] raven [Strong: 6158 ʻôrêb, o-rabe'; or עוֹרֵב ʻôwrêb; from H6150; a raven (from its dusky hue):—raven.]

d. [his] food [Strong: 6718 tsayid, tsah'-yid; from a form of H6679 and meaning the same; the chase; also game (thus taken):—× catcheth, food, × hunter, (that which he took in) hunting, venison, victuals.]

1). Common ravens (Corvus corax) are omnivorous birds that use a variety of techniques to obtain food. They are known for being intelligent and opportunistic feeders, and can eat almost anything, including: Carrion. Ravens will scavenge from other predators and human landfills. They can also use their intelligence to find food, such as following people or cowbirds to locate nests. For example, ravens have been observed waiting in trees for ewes to give birth and then attacking the lambs. They can also use visual cues on the ground to locate food caches that other animals have hidden. Ravens can remember a cache for a few days, but usually no longer than three weeks. Ravens will raid seabird colonies, sometimes working in pairs to distract the adult while another grabs an egg or chick. Ravens will prey on small mammals, lizards, and frogs. They can use their strong beaks to strike prey or dig it out of the soil or snow. Ravens have also been known to break open mollusk shells by dropping them on rocks. Ravens eat berries, grains, and other fruits and seeds. https://www.google.com/search?q=how+ravens+get+their+food&oq=how+ravens+get+their+food 

2). ICR Days of Praise, 12/13/1992 Consider, first, “a certain rich man” who had such abundance of food bursting from his barns that he decided to pull them down and build greater barns. He planned to hoard his goods rather than share his abundance (vs.16–18).

Consider now the ravens: lacking barns, they depend from day to day totally upon God’s provision. “He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry” (Psalm 147:9). Do we cultivate this raven-like attitude, or are we self-sufficient like the rich man? These same ravens, when commanded by God, brought Elijah “bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening” (I Kings 17:6). Unlike the rich man, these ravens shared their goods, and not from their abundance. Do we respond as quickly as ravens and share with the needy that God sends our way? Ravens are unclean birds, according to Leviticus 11:15. They routinely scavenge carcasses for food. Noah used this characteristic to evaluate the state of the earth after the Flood. After forty days, he “opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth” (Genesis 8:6,7). The raven felt no horror at the condition of the world, no hesitation at partaking of its gruesome abundance. The dove which Noah sent forth was more fastidious: “But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark” (v.9). Two weeks passed before she “returned not again unto him any more” (v.12). Are we hardened and eager ravens, seeking all the world has to offer, or more discerning and scrupulous doves? BJC

3). Every part of God’s creation, no matter if it be a bird, an insect, a fish or land animal; whatever characteristic or ability that creature puts to use in hunting, 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 allowed the devil entrance into operating in  the earth (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; 3:14, 15). But the ability of the creation to survive is of God. 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 to give balance to the animal and plant kingdom even under the curse.

 

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.

 

4). How Robins Locate Worms: Robins and other birds use most all their senses when seeking worms, although different species—and perhaps even different birds within the same species—may lean more heavily on some senses than others. Several research studies have been conducted with different bird species to determine their ability to locate worms with different sensory detection methods.

a). Vision: Birds, including robins, find worms mostly through sight. Birds have exceptional vision, and their keen eyes can spot the tiny end of a worm as it pokes out of the soil. They can also see small changes in soil and grass as worms move about just below the surface, movements that indicate where a worm is located. Songbirds have monocular vision in which each eye can operate independently, so when they cock their heads to the side, they are actually turning one eye to look more closely at the soil. When they see a worm, they strike.

b). Hearing: As worms move about, they disrupt the soil and small particles of dirt rub together, making noises too faint for humans to hear. Birds have a very acute hearing, however, and this sensory data is one aspect of how robins pinpoint the location of worms and other prey in the soil. This is only one stimulus, however, and detailed studies have not proven that any birds can find worms by hearing alone.

c). Touch: Another possibility is that robins detect the subtle movements of worms in the soil beneath their feet. The upheaval of the soil or the gentle movements of grass blades disturbed by worm activity may alert a nearby bird, leading to a successful worm hunt. Like hearing, however, it is unlikely that touch alone is the key to a robin's successful hunt for worms. The remaining senses of smell and taste are not useful for robins hunting worms. Smell and taste are generally rather weak in most birds, including robins, and these senses probably play no part in finding worms. https://www.thespruce.com/how-robins-find-worms-4045426

2. “...when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.”

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. [his] young ones [Strong: 3206 yeled, yeh'-led; from H3205; something born, i.e. a lad or offspring:—boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).]

c. cry [Strong: 7768 shâvaʻ, shaw-vah'; a primitive root; properly, to be free; but used only causatively and reflexively, to halloo (for help, i.e. freedom from some trouble):—cry (aloud, out), shout.]

d. unto [Strong: 413 ʼêl, ale; (but used only in the shortened constructive form אֶל ʼel, el); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:—about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because (-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in (-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to (-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with (-in).]

e. God [Strong: 410 ʼêl, ale; shortened from H352; strength; as adjective, mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):—God (god), × goodly, × great, idol, might(-y one), power, strong. Compare names in '-el.']

f. [they] wander [Strong: 8582 tâʻâh, taw-aw'; a primitive root; to vacillate, i.e. reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both:—(cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make to) stagger, (cause to) wander, be out of the way.]

g. [for] lack [Strong: 1097 bᵉlîy, bel-ee'; from H1086; properly, failure, i.e. nothing or destruction; usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as long as, etc.:—corruption, ig(norantly), for lack of, where no...is, so that no, none, not, un(awares), without.]

h. [of] meat [Strong: 400 ʼôkel, o'-kel; from H398; food:—eating, food, meal(-time), meat, prey, victuals.]