ANIMAL IMAGERY IN BOOK OF JOB

The Book of Job attempts to answers the question - why do good people have to go through
bad things. In the story, Job is a wealthy man who abides by God’s will and is living a
prosperous life. Satan tells God that Job is only following him because of his prosperity and
if he were to take it away, Job’s faith from God would perish. To prove Satan wrong, God
inflicts disease and devastation on Job and his family. Job is unable to understand the
reason for his suffering and calls upon God to explain why this had happened.

Instead of answering his question directly, God uses powerful animal imagery to make the
point that the vastness and complexity of the world was beyond human comprehension.

“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness

and satisfy the hunger of the lions

when they crouch in their dens

or lie in wait in a thicket?

Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God?

and wander about for lack of food?” (Job 38: 39-41)

Here, God uses animal imagery to explain the ignorance of Job and exemplifies how God
must factor in his considerations all the creatures on earth including the animals of which
Job has no knowledge of.

In Chapter 39 of Book of Job, God highlights the essence of many different animals and their
value in God’s sight. God talks about a range of animals, including mountain goats, deer,
the wild donkey, the wild ox, the ostrich, the horse, the hawk, and the eagle

“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?

Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?

Do you count the months till they bear?

Do you know the time they give birth?

They crouch down and bring forth their young.

their labor pains are ended.

Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds.

they leave and do not return.” (Job 39: 1-4)

Mountain goats and deer are out in the wild, carrying their young on their own timetable.
The deer youngsters mature and leave their moms, never to be seen again.

In (Job 39: 5-8), God talks about freeing the wild donkey from its service to man and has
made a home for him in the wilderness, where he can pursue his natural drive to search for
green food. Here again, God highlights that all animals have a purpose according to God’s
plan, which are beyond human comprehension.

Through verse 13 to 18, God talks about the ostrich who proudly waves her wings but
cannot fly and lays her eggs on the ground where they can get stepped on and broken by
other beasts, showing little motherly care towards her young. “She treats her young harshly,
as if they were not hers.” God states that He did not give her wisdom or endow her with
understanding. But again, God does not explain his rationale for doing so.

Overall, animal imagery leaves a powerful impact on Job and the readers. Job feels
humbled and understands that he cannot comprehend everything in the world and that
God’s reasons for doing anything are incomprehensible by him. He accepts his fate as it was
and returns to living his life and following the word of God. Job lives a long and happy life
and eventually God returns to Job double of everything that had been taken from him.
ANIMAL IMAGERY IN GOSPELS OF MATTHEW

Animal Imagery served a very different purpose in the Gospels of Matthew, with parallels
being drawn between animals and human to describe human traits.

“In sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

Both "sheep" and "wolves" are used as metaphors for human attributes in this context. In
this sense, "sheep" alludes to attributes such as purity and innocence, i.e., individuals who
dutifully follow God and his teachings and are "his own people." In this sense, "wolves"
refers to any sort of evil, whether it takes the shape of violence, greed, or anything else. In
the Gospels, these are also referred to as Satan's disciples.

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves, corresponding to the Hebrew noun” (Matthew 10:16)

"Serpents" are shown as an animal with a great deal of cunning and knowledge, i.e.,
judicious in taking definite action that has beneficial effects. "Doves," on the other hand,
represent innocence — no one fears a dove attack.

There is also a similar theme of representing the complexity of the world and of God’s love
(as seen in The Book of Job), in the Gospels through the imagery of sparrows.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside
your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be
afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

Sparrows are such ostensibly "regular" birds that the majority of them flutter and fly
around, undetected and underappreciated. Here, God is trying to highlight his love for even
such a small creature and that he is aware of everything going on in the world.

Overall animal imagery is used to talk about the entire gamut of human traits from innocent
sheep to dangerous wolves. We shown both positive and negative aspects of humans and
contrasted with that of animals. They act as a way of conveying God’s will and simplifying
the way he wants his people to be through animal imagery. They also act as a way of
highlighting the complexity of the universe, God’s wisdom and love for subjects.