Job 39:28

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 39:28 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home, Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home, Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.
Job 39:28 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 39

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
28On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home, Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.] Where she and her young are safe: so Pliny f1434 says, eagles make their nests in rocks, even in the precipices of them, as the philosopher quoted in the preceding verse; and here on the tooth, edge, or precipice of the rock, which is inaccessible, and so like a strong fortified place.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“abideth--securely (Psa 91:1); it occupies the same abode mostly for life. crag--literally, "tooth" (Sa1 14:5, Margin). strong place--citadel, fastness.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“She dwelleth and abideth on the rock - “He rarely quits the mountains to descend into the plains. Each pair live in an insulated state, establishing their quarters on some high and precipitous cliff, at a respectful distance from others of the same species.” “Edin. Ency.” They seem to occupy the same cliff, or place of abode, during their lives; and hence, it is that they are represented as having a permanent abode on the lofty rock. In Damir it is said that the blind poet Besar, son of Jazidi, being asked, if God would give him the choice to be an animal, what he would be, said that he would wish to be nothing else than an “alokab,” a species of the eagle, for they dwelt in places to which…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“upon: Sa1 14:4 Job 39:29”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification