Job 39:29

Job 39:29

From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

a. NASB 1995: “From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar. [New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.]

b. YLT:  From thence he hath sought food, To a far off place his eyes look attentively,  [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: From there he spies out the prey; and his eyes see it afar off.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Job, Jewish Publication Society of America Text: From thence she spieth out the prey; Her eyes behold it afar off. [Soncino Books of the Bible, Job, 1946; Jewish Publication Society of America Text; Commentary, Rabbi Dr. Victor E. Reichert]

e. ESV: From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away.  [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.]

f. Unless otherwise stated, all Greek and Hebrew definitions are from Blue Letter Bible

1. “From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.”

a. [From] thence [Strong: 8033 shâm, shawm; a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, H834); there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence:—in it, thence, there (-in, of, out), thither, whither.]

b. [she] seeketh [Strong: 2658  châphar, khaw-far'; a primitive root; properly, to pry into; by implication, to delve, to explore:—dig, paw, search out, seek.]

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

d. [and her] eyes [Strong: 5869 ʻayin, ah'-yin; probably a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape):—affliction, outward appearance, before, think best, colour, conceit, be content, countenance, displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), × him, humble, knowledge, look, (+ well), × me, open(-ly), + (not) please, presence, regard, resemblance, sight, × thee, × them, + think, × us, well, × you(-rselves).]

e. behold [Strong: 5027 nâbaṭ, naw-bat'; a primitive root; to scan, i.e. look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care:—(cause to) behold, consider, look (down), regard, have respect, see.]

f. afar off [Strong: 7350  râchôwq, raw-khoke'; or רָחֹק râchôq; from H7368; remote, literally or figuratively, of place or time; specifically, precious; often used adverbially (with preposition):—(a-) far (abroad, off), long ago, of old, space, great while to come.]

1). Hawks are said to have a vision that is about eight times more acute than humans with good eyesight (as good as 20/2). This is because of many photoreceptors in the retina (Up to 1,000,000 per square mm, against 200,000 for humans), a very high number of nerves connecting the receptors to the brain, a second set of eye muscles not found in other animals, and an indented fovea which magnifies the central part of the visual field. Their acute keen eyesight, muscular legs; powerful, sharp claws and sharply hooked bills are perfect adaptations for hunting, capturing their prey and tearing flesh to a manageable size for eating. These strong hunters catch their prey even during flight - typically using a swift, 'swooping' technique. Some of them attain speeds of over 150 mph particularly during dives. These powerful fliers can soar for long periods. http://www.beautyofbirds.com/ha wks.htm