وَحُشِرَ لِسُلَيْمَٰنَ جُنُودُهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ وَٱلطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ
38:19-20.
Important Words:
یوزعون (formed into separate groups) is derived from وزع. They say وزع فلانا او بفلان i.e. he hindered or led or drove such a one and restrained him, and he incited or urged him with such a one. وزع الجیش means, he stopped the first part of the army so that their last part may join them. They say رأیته یزع الجیش i.e. I saw that he was arranging the soldiers in proper order and placing them in rows. وزع المال بینھم (wazza’a) means, he distributed the property among them. أوزع اللّٰه فلانا means, God inspired such a one. الاوزاع means, parties; companies (Aqrab). Thus according to the different significations of the root word, the Quranic expression فھم یوزعون would mean, they were formed into separate groups or classes; (2) they were hindered from cruel and tyrannous acts; (3) they marched like an ordered and disciplined army; and (4) their first part was stopped so that their last part might join them. These words show that Solomon had a well-trained and disciplined army which had several separate and distinct departments.
طیر (birds) is the plural of طائر which is active participle from طار which means, it flew or moved in the air by means of wings. طیر besides meaning "birds" may also apply to swift animals such as horses, etc. طیار (tayyar) which is an intensive form of طائر signifies a sharp-spirited and quick-footed horse that runs so fast that it seems to be flying (Lane). See also 3:50; 7:132 & 17:14.
جن (jinn) is derived from جن (janna). جنه means, it concealed, veiled, covered or protected him. جن means, the darkness of night or its intense darkness; such beings as keep aloof from the people as if remaining concealed, i.e. big people (Lane). Jinn in the present verse may represent mountain or wild people who had not till then been subjugated.
Commentary:
The verse under comment should be read along with 21:83; 34:13 & 38:38. It seems to refer to the military personnel of Solomon’s army. The three words جن (jinn), انس (men) and طیر (birds) may represent three departments of his army. In the present verse and in 34:13, the word جن (jinn) has been used to represent a particular section of the army while in 21:83 & 38:38, the word شیاطین has been used to represent the same class. It seems that Solomon had subdued and subjugated some wild tribes, this approximately being the sense of both the words جن and شیاطین who formed an integral part of his army and did sundry other difficult tasks for him.
The word طیر denoting swift-footed horses may represent Solomon’s cavalry. This meaning of the word finds corroboration in 38:32-34 where Solomon has been stated to possess great love for horses. Thus whereas جن (jinn) and انس(men) represented two sections of Solomon’s infantry, طیر (birds) stood for his cavalry. But if طیر may be taken to mean 'birds' then it would signify birds which Solomon employed for carrying messages. Thus they also formed a very useful and necessary adjunct to his army.
But these three words may also have been used in a metaphorical sense signifying respectively "big men," "ordinary men" and "highly spiritual men." In this sense of the words the verse would mean that while on military expeditions Solomon had all these three classes of men with him because they all had their usefulness.
38:19, 20.
'Jinn' here may signify mountain or wild tribes. The verse under comment should be read along with vv. 21:83; 34:13 and 38:38. It seems to refer to the military personnel of Solomon’s army. The three words—Jinn, Ins (men) and Tair (birds)—may represent three departments of his army. In the present verse and in 34:13, the word Jinn has been used to represent a particular section of the army while in 21:83 and 38:38, the word Shayatin has been used to represent the same class. It seems that Solomon had subdued and subjugated some wild tribes, this approximately being the sense of both the words, Jinn and Shayatin, who formed an integral part of his army and did sundry, other hard tasks for him. The word Tair denoting swift-footed horses may represent Solomon’s cavalry. This meaning of the word finds corroboration in 38:32-34 where Solomon has been stated to possess great love for horses. Thus whereas Jinn and Ins (men) represented
Tair, besides meaning 'birds,' may also apply to swift-footed animals such as horses, etc. Tayyar which is an intensive form of Ta’ir signifies a sharp-spirited and quick-footed horse which runs so fast that it seems to be flying (Lane & Lisan).
Waza‘a means, he stopped the first part of the army so that their last part may join them. Huwa Yada‘ul-Jaisha means, he was arranging the soldiers in proper order and placing them in rows (Aqrab). The Quranic expression means: (1) They were formed into separate groups. (2) They marched like an ordered and disciplined army. (3) Their first part was stopped so that their last part might join them. These words show that Solomon had a well-trained and disciplined army which had several separate and distinct departments.