^38:36 Who placed wisdom in the inward parts of man, or who gave understanding to the rooster?
^38:37 Who has recounted the reason of the heavens, and who will make the harmony of heaven sleep?
^38:38 When dust was being poured out upon the earth, and clods were being joined together.
^38:39 Will you capture prey for the lioness, and will you fill the soul of her cubs,
^38:40 when they lie down in dens and lie in wait in caves?
^38:41 Who prepares his food for the raven, when his young cry out to God, wandering because they have no food?

513. Who placed wisdom in the inward parts of man?, etc. After the Lord recalled the wonders of his effects with respect to the principal parts of the world, which are earth, sea, and heaven, and with respect to their dispositions, he now proceeds to recount the wonders of his works specifically with respect to the diverse properties of animals. Among these, knowledge excels, which indeed is found more perfectly in man than in the other animals; and therefore, beginning from man, he says: Who placed wisdom in the inward parts of man? By the inward parts of man are understood the inner powers of his soul, namely, intellect and reason, into which God has placed wisdom insofar as he gave man the light of reason: for he naturally placed certain seeds of wisdom and knowledge in his reason in the knowledge of first principles.

But in other animals many signs of a certain natural prudence appear, yet this is especially manifested in the rooster, as in an animal well known and domestic; whence he says: or who gave understanding to the rooster? Understanding here is taken for a certain natural estimation according to which it operates in the manner of one understanding, because its natural estimation itself is given to it by the divine intellect. Now in this the rooster seems to have a certain likeness of understanding, that at determined hours it breaks into song, as if it knew the proportions of the heavenly motions; whence he adds: Who has recounted, namely, to the rooster, the reason of the heavens, that is, the proportion of the heavenly motions, so that from this it can discern the determined hours for singing? But watchmen are accustomed, by a certain song or by the sound of some instrument, to declare the nearness of day and of certain hours of the night; yet it cannot be said that some sound of heaven is heard at determined times and is silent at other times, so that from this the rooster might discern when to sing; whence he adds: and who will make the harmony of heaven sleep? As though saying: the harmony of heaven is not silent like a sleeping watchman, so that from hearing it or from its silence the rooster could be instructed to sing. But it should be considered here that from the motion of the heavens the Pythagoreans held that a harmonious sound proceeds, because of the most fitting proportion of the heavenly motions; and because they held that the heavenly bodies were animated, therefore such a consonance of sounds could be called the harmony of heaven;

but Aristotle proves in the second book of On the Heavens that no sound proceeds from the motion of the heavenly bodies, and therefore here we can take harmony as used metaphorically for the mere fittingness of the heavenly motions, which never rest. But inspiration of this kind of wisdom or understanding, or even the harmony of heaven, existed from the beginning of the founding of the earth, whence he adds: when dust was being founded in the earth, which is referred to the position of the earth, which is placed at the lowest point as in a foundation, and clods were being joined together, which is referred to the moisture holding the parts of the earth together as one, namely, lest the earth, because of its dryness, be resolved into dust.

514. Then he proceeds to another property of animals, which is considered according to the acquisition of nourishment, concerning which something admirable appears in the lioness: for since the lion needs much food, it seems marvelous how in some region it can capture so much prey from animals that it suffices for itself and for its offspring; whence he adds: Will you capture prey for the lioness? That is, will you prepare for her such an abundance of prey that she may have enough for herself and for her offspring, whence he adds: and will you fill the soul of her cubs? But this does not seem very difficult when they run about through different places, but when they remain in the same place, either because of the need of nourishing their young, to which pertains what he says: when they lie down in dens, or because they lie in wait for other animals: and lie in wait in caves, namely, to capture animals.

515. Something admirable also appears among birds concerning the raven: for it is said that the raven does not feed the young hatched from its eggs until, recognizing them to be its own, it sees them grow black with feathers; hence for seven days it does not provide them food, but they are sustained by God through the natural power instilled in them, whence he adds: Who prepares his food for the raven, when his young cry out to God, wandering, that is, looking here and there, because they have no food, as though abandoned by their parents? But this is not to be understood as though the young ravens know God, but this is said because every natural thing, by its own desire, in the very fact that it seeks some good, intends, as it were, to acquire something from God, who is the author of good things.