Job 39:20 — Word Study
WLCהְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ כָּאַרְבֶּ֑ה ה֖וֹד נַחְר֣וֹ אֵימָֽה׃
BSADo you make him leaprâʻash▸ like a locustʼarbeh [like a grasshopper, rapidly multiplying] [striking] terrorʼêymâh [inspiring, causing, fear, dread] with his proudhôwd [majestic, glorious] snortingnachar [loud-sounding breath, a sound of strength]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ | ¿ do you make leap it | Particle, verb hiphil imperfect second person masculine singular, suffix |
| כָּאַרְבֶּ֑ה | like locust | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| ה֖וֹד | [the] majesty of | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| נַחְר֣וֹ | snorting its | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| אֵימָֽה׃ | [is] terror | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? |
| KJV | Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. |
| ASV | Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is terrible. |
| YLT | Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting [is] terrible. |
| WEB | Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome. |
| BBE | Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath? |
The translations agree on the rendering of הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ as 'make him leap.'
The sentence has a main clause with two subordinate phrases, creating a vivid image of the horse's action.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 39:20
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Job's Reflection on Creationgenerated
Job 39:20 is part of a larger discourse where Job reflects on the majesty of God's creation, particularly focusing on the horse and its strength. Job questions God's role in the horse's powerful movements, comparing it to the leaping of a locust, which symbolizes rapidity and fear. This section emphasizes the awe-inspiring aspects of God's creatures and His control over them, as seen in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 41:20–21 | Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds. |
| 2 | Jeremiah 8:16 | The snorting of enemy horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who dwell in it. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 2 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ, He.tar.'i.she.nugenerated
The verb הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ (*He.tar.'i.she.nu*) is a Hiphil imperfect form meaning 'to make leap' or 'to cause to shake.' It derives from the root רָעַשׁ (*ra`ash*), which conveys the idea of shaking or quaking, often associated with fear or power.
In this verse, the use of this verb illustrates Job's inquiry about whether God instills such vigor in the horse, making it leap with the same intensity as a locust. The imagery suggests not just physical movement but also the evocation of fear, as locusts are known for their swarming and overwhelming presence.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree on the rendering of הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ as 'make him leap.'
The BSB uses 'Do you make him leap like a locust,' which is echoed in the KJV and ASV. Other versions like YLT and WEB maintain similar phrasing, emphasizing the action of leaping.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ governs the clause, asking if God causes the horse to leap. The structure is straightforward, with the subject implied as God and the object being the horse.
The sentence structure emphasizes Job's direct question to God, using a comparative phrase 'like a locust' to draw a vivid image of the horse's movement, enhancing the rhetorical effect of the inquiry.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ with αὐτῷ (*autō*), indicating 'to him.' This choice simplifies the action, focusing on God's relationship to the horse rather than the dynamic of the action itself.
This translation reflects a narrowing of the original Hebrew's vivid imagery, emphasizing God's authority rather than the specific action of causing the horse to leap.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 39:20 asks if God makes the horse leap like a locust, using this comparison to highlight the horse's power and the fear it can inspire. The verse reflects on God's control over creation, particularly the strength and majesty of animals.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This phrase emphasizes the horse's power and agility, comparing it to the sudden and overwhelming movement of a locust swarm.
Locusts are known for their rapid movement and ability to instill fear, making them a fitting comparison for the horse's strength.
It shows that God has the power to instill strength and fear in His creatures, highlighting His sovereignty over nature.
Job's questions reveal a deep awareness of God's creative power and control, as he contemplates the majesty of the horse and its movements.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What aspects of God's creation inspire awe in me, similar to how Job reflects on the horse?
- How can I recognize and appreciate the power of God in the natural world around me?
- In what ways do I see God's control over the creatures He has made?
- How can I apply the imagery of strength and fear from this verse in my own life?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers interpreted this verse to reflect on God's power and the nature of creation, using it to illustrate moral and spiritual lessons.
Wilt thou rouse him as the locusts? 45. By the name 'locusts' is sometimes signified the Jewish people, sometimes the converted Gentiles, sometimes the tongue of flatterers, but sometimes, by comparison, the Resurrection of the Lord,Early Church Fathers on Job 39 →
Wilt thou rouse him as the locusts? [MORAL INTERPRETATION] 75. Every one, who follows God, is, at his beginning, roused as a locust, because, though in some of his doings he clings to the earth, like the locusts, with bended knees,Early Church Fathers on Job 39 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 39:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleCanst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?.... Which is frightened at every noise, and at any approach of men; but not so the horse; or canst thou move him, or cause him to skip and jump, or rather leap like a grasshopper?
Read John Gill on Job 39 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryCanst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 39 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleAs a grasshopper; which is easily affrighted, and chased away by the least noise of a man. Or, as divers others render the place, Didst thou make him to move like a grasshopper, skipping and leaping as he goes? So he describes the posture of a gallant and generous horse, who curvets, and pranceth, and as it were danceth as he walks. The glory of his nostrils; that snorting, or sound, and smoke which cometh out of his nostrils, especially when he is enraged and engaged in battle, which is another note of a generous horse, and strikes a terror into his adversary. Or, the vehemency, or majesty, or magnificence of his snorting, or snoring, as this word is rendered, .
Read Matthew Poole on Job 39 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils [is] terrible.Ver. 20. Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?] Which soon flincheth and flieth with the least noise. But the horse is more like that formidable army of locusts described Joe 2:1-32, that bare down all before them, and shook all places wherever they came. The glory of his nostrils is terrible] Heb. Terrors; his snorting and sneezing strikes terror into people. The more wonderful is God’ s goodness in subduing to weak man so lusty a creature, to be ridden and ruled at his pleasure. He trains him to the great saddle, and teacheth him to obey his hand and spur, to bound in the air, to observe…
Read John Trapp on Job 39 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(20) Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?—Rather, Hast thou made him to leap as a locust?
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 39 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges20. The comparison of the horse to the locust is not uncommon, Joe 2:4, Revelation 9:7. The picture of the horse is taken at the moment immediately preceding the onset, and thus his “bounding” and “snorting” are brought into connexion.
Read Cambridge on Job 39 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleCanst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? - Or, rather, “as a locust” - כארבה kā'arbeh.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 39 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible20. Make him afraid — Make him bound or spring, like the locust. Comp. Joe 2:4. It is a common saying among the Arabs, that “the horse acts the locust,” i.e., he leaps from place to place like the locust.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 39 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?
Have you made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is awesome.
Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?
Do you make it leap like a locust? Its proud neighing is terrifying!
Tyndale line
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is terrible.
Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? the glory of his snorting is terrible.
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
For God had depriued him of wisedom, and hath giuen him no part of vnderstanding.
Strictly literal
Dost thou make him to leap as a locust? His majestic snorting is terrible.
Dost thou cause him to rush as a locust? The majesty of his snorting [is] terrible.
Do you cause him to rush as a locust? The splendor of his snorting [is] terrible.
Canst thou make him jump like a locust? his majestic snort is terrible.
Have you ever made him jump like a locust? The majesty of his snorting is fearsome.
From the Latin
Wilt thou lift him up like the locusts? the glory of his nostrils is terror.
Simplified
Did you make it able to jump like a locust? Its loud snorting is terrifying!
Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in the wording of הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ and the surrounding phrases, maintaining the same essential meaning across both texts.
הְֽ֭תַרְעִישֶׁנּוּ כָּאַרְבֶּ֑ה ה֖וֹד נַחְר֣וֹ אֵימָֽה׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 39:20
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רָעַשׁ (ra`ash) is a Hebrew verb meaning to quake or shake. It describes actions such as trembling or moving, often due to fear, and can also refer to the springing of a horse. The verb appears in different forms, including Qal (to shake), Niphal (to be made to quake), and Hiphil (to cause to quake or leap).
[רָעַשׁ] vb. quake, shake
Qal quake, shake
Niph. is made to quake
Hiph.
cause to quake
cause (horse) to spring, leap (like locust)
base
H7493 [רָעַשׁ] quake, shake
7493 ra`ash raw-ash
a primitive root; to undulate (as the earth, the sky, etc.;
also a field of grain), partic. through fear; specifically, to
spring (as a locust):--make afraid, (re-)move, quake, (make
to) shake, (make to) tremble.
רָעַשׁ (ra.ash) — to shake.
1) to quake, shake
1a) (Qal) to quake, shake
1b) (Niphal) to be made to quake
1c)(Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to quake
1c2) to cause to spring or leap (of horse)
Part | V-Hiphil-Imperf-2ms | Suff — Particle · verb hiphil imperfect second person masculine singular · suffixHTi/Vhi2ms/Sp3ms
אַרְבֶּה (arbeh) refers to a kind of locust, specifically noted for its rapid increase. The term can also imply a locust swarm and has figurative meanings related to sudden disappearance, insignificance, and activity. It is derived from a root meaning to increase, as noted in Strong's entries.
אַרְבֶּה a kind of locust
base
H697 אַרְבֶּה a kind of locust
697 'arbeh ar-beh'
from 7235; a locust (from its rapid increase):--
grasshopper, locust.
see HEBREW for 07235
אַרְבֶּה (ar.beh) — locust.
1) a kind of locust, locust swarm (coll)
2) (CLBL)
2a) sudden disappearance (fig.)
2b) insignificance (fig.)
2c) activity (fig.)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
lo'-kust: The translation of a large number of Hebrew and Greek words:
1. Names:
(1) 'arbeh from the root rabhah, "to increase" (compare Arabic raba', "to increase").
(2) sal`am, from obsolete [?] cal`am, "to swallow down," "to consume."
(3) chargol (compare Arabic charjal, "to run to the right or left," charjalat, "a company of horses" or "a swarm of locusts," charjawan, a kind of locust).
(4) chaghabh (compare Arabic chajab, "to hide," "to cover").
(5) gazam (compare Arabic jazum, " to cut off")
(6) yeleq, from the root laqaq "to lick" (compare Arabic laqlaq, "to dart out the tongue" (used of a serpent)).
(7) chacil, from the root chacal, "to devour" (compare Arabic chaucal, "crop" (of a bird)).
(8) gobh, from the obsolete root gabhah (compare Arabic jabi, "locust," from the root jaba', "to come out of a hole").
(9) gebh, from same root.
Locust
There are ten Hebrew words used in Scripture to signify locust. In the New Testament locusts are mentioned as forming part of the food of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6). By the Mosaic law they were reckoned “clean,” so that he could lawfully eat them. The name also occurs in Rev. 9:3, 7, in allusion to this Oriental devastating insect.
Locusts belong to the class of Orthoptera, i.e., straight-winged. They are of many species. The ordinary Syrian locust resembles the grasshopper, but is larger and more destructive. “The legs and thighs of these insects are so powerful that they can leap to a height of two hundred times the length of their bodies. When so raised they spread their wings and fly so close together as…
a well-known insect, of the grasshopper family, which commits terrible ravages on vegetation in the countries which it visits. "The common brown locust is about three inches in length, and the general form is that of a grasshopper." The most destructive of the locust tribe that occur in the Bible lands are the (Edipoda migratoria and the Acridium peregrinum ; and as both these species occur in Syria and Arabia, etc., it is most probable that one or other is denoted in those passages which speak of the dreadful devastations committed by these insects. Locusts occur in great numbers, and sometimes obscure the sun. (Exodus 10:15; Judges 6:5; Jeremiah 46:23) Their voracity is alluded to in (
A voracious winged insect, belonging to the genus known among naturalists as the Grylli, closely resembling the grasshopper, and a great scourge in oriental countries in both ancient and modern times. There are ten different names in the Hebrew Bible for insects of this kind; but some of these probably designate different forms or stages in life of the same species. The Bible represents their countless swarms as directed in their flight and march by God, and used in the chastisement of guilty nations, De 28:38-42 1Ki 8:37 2Ch 6:28. A swarm of locusts was among the plagues of Egypt; they covered the whole land, so that the earth was darkened, and devoured every green herb of the earth, and the fruit of every tree which the hail…
The Hebrew word הוֹד (*hod*) encompasses meanings related to splendour, majesty, and vigour, primarily in a poetic context. It is derived from an unused root and conveys concepts of grandeur and beauty, as noted in various lexicons.
הוֹד n.m. splendour, majesty, vigour (chiefly poet.)
base
H1935 הוֹד splendour, majesty, vigour (chiefly poet.)
1935 howd hode
from an unused root; grandeur (i.e. an imposing form and
appearance):--beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory,
goodly, honour, majesty.
הוֹד (hod) — splendor.
splendour, majesty, vigour
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
נַ֫חַר (nachar) refers to a snorting sound, particularly associated with nostrils or horses. It has a feminine form, נַחֲרָה (nacharah), which carries the same meaning. Both forms are noted in the context of Job 39:20 and Jeremiah 8:16, highlighting their use in biblical texts.
H5170a נַ֫חַר a snorting H5170b נַחֲרָה id. [5170a]
5170 nachar nakh'-ar
and (feminine) nacharah {nakh-ar-aw'}; from an unused root
meaning to snort or snore; a snorting:--nostrils, snorting.
נַ֫חַר (na.char) — snorting.
snorting
Also means: na.cha.rah (נַחֲרָה "snorting" H5170B)
נַחֲרָה (na.cha.rah) — snorting.
snorting
Another spelling of na.char (נַ֫חַר "snorting" H5170A)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp3ms
The Hebrew word אֵימָה (*'eymah*) means terror or dread. It is derived from a root related to fear and can also refer to an idol in a figurative sense. The entries consistently emphasize its meanings of fright and horror.
אֵימָה 17 n.f. terror, dread
base
H367 אֵימָה terror, dread
367 'eymah ay-maw'
or (shortened) remah {ay-maw'}; from the same as 366; fright;
concrete, an idol (as a bugbear):--dread, fear, horror, idol,
terrible, terror.
see HEBREW for 0366
אֵימָה (e.mah) — terror.
terror, dread
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa