39:26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, 1
and spreads its wings toward the south?
39:27 Is it at your command 2 that the eagle soars,
and builds its nest on high?
39:28 It lives on a rock and spends the night there,
on a rocky crag 3 and a fortress. 4
39:29 From there it spots 5 its prey, 6
its eyes gaze intently from a distance.
39:30 And its young ones devour the blood,
and where the dead carcasses 7 are,
there it is.”
1 tn This word occurs only here. It is connected to “pinions” in v. 13. Dhorme suggests “clad with feathers,” but the line suggests more the use of the wings.
2 tn Heb “your mouth.”
3 tn Heb “upon the tooth of a rock.”
4 tn The word could be taken as the predicate, but because of the conjunction it seems to be adding another description of the place of its nest.
5 tn The word means “search,” but can be used for a wide range of matters, including spying.
6 tn Heb “food.”
7 tn The word חֲלָלִים (khalalim) designates someone who is fatally wounded, literally the “pierced one,” meaning anyone or thing that dies a violent death.