Arthur Walker-Jones, «The So-called Ostrich in the God Speeches of the Book of Job (Job 39,13-18)», Vol. 86 (2005) 494-510
The so-called ostrich passage (39,13-18) has been much discussed by scholars
both because of the difficulties it presents and the importance of its position in the
book of Job. Discussions have focused on why an ostrich appears, rather than
whether the Mynnr is, in fact, an ostrich. Quite a number of Hebrew words and
expressions have to be emended or explained to make them fit an ostrich.
Moreover, H.-P. Müller has shown that Mynnr is not the name for ostrich in Hebrew
or any Semitic languages, is not translated "ostrich" in early Greek versions, the
Peshitta, or Targums, and the translation "ostrich" probably came from a false
identification in early Christian reflection on nature. This article uses contemporary
ornithological literature and the information the passage provides on the
nest, habitat, behaviours, and calls of the Mynnr to identify a more likely type of
bird. The identification of the Mynnr as a sand grouse helps resolve a number of
problems in the text and clarify the literary connections of the passage to the rest
of the animal discourse, God speeches, and book of Job.
The So-called Ostrich in the God Speeches 495
make sense of aspects of the passage that have puzzled scholars to
which the third section adds examples from verses 16 and 17. In the
fourth and final section, parting the veil of modern folk tales about the
ostrich helps clarify the relationship of the passage to the God
speeches and the book of Job, and recover often-overlooked aspects of
God’s reply to Job.
I.
Since translations of the pericope (Job 39,13-18) vary widely, I
begin with my own translation. A number of new or rare ways of
translating the Hebrew that arise from the research are explained in
footnotes or will be explained later in the article.
13. The sand grouse’s wing rejoices (2)
but is it a gracious pinion and plumage (3)?
14. For she lays on the earth her eggs,
upon dust she does her brooding.
15. She forgets that a foot might crush her,
a wild animal trample her.
16. She makes chicks that are hardy (4) without her (5).
That worthless is her labor she has no worry.
(2) Other pericopes in the animal discourse (38,41-30) begin with one or more
interrogatives. In a few cases µa can introduce a question (Gesenius’ Hebrew
Grammar [ed. E. Kautzsch][London, 1910] §150 f 2; 1 Kgs 1,27; Isa 29,16; Job
16,12; 39,13). Isa 29,16 is especially instructive because there the question
follows an exclamation. I have, therefore, not emended the text, and have
translated the first colon in the indicative and the second colon that begins with µa
in the interrogative.
(3) The translation “though its pinions lack plumage†(NRSV) requires
emendation and makes little sense because ostrich wings have feathers that
represented truth and justice in the ancient Near East. Others emend the text so
that pinion is in the construct and translate “the pinion and plumage of a stork†or
by repointing plumage translate “the pinion of the female stork and female
raptorâ€. Because hdysj could be either a feminine form of the adjective “kind†or
a “female stork†and hxn “plumage†can be repointed to read “raptorâ€, there is
certainly an allusion to stork and raptor, but there is no need for emendation. The
phrase is polysemous.
(4) Most modern commentators suggest emending or repointing the first word
of verse sixteen: “he treats harshlyâ€. Because the MT is more difficult than the
proposed emendation, this translation follows Hartley in repointing as an
infinitive absolute (J.E. HARTLEY, The Book of Job [NICOT; Grand Rapids, MI
1988] 509). The reasons for then translating “she makes chicks that are hardyâ€
will be given in the body of this article.
(5) R. GORDIS, The Book of Job. Commentary, New Translation and Special
Studies (New York 1978) 440, 460.
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