Job 39:15 Meaning: When Forgetfulness Shows Wisdom
and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild animal may trample them.
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them.
And she forgetteth that a foot may press it, And a beast of the field tread it down.
And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the beast of the field may trample them.
Meaning in one sentence
God describes the ostrich leaving her eggs in the sand. What seems like foolish neglect actually points to a wisdom we don't have.
Context
God is speaking to Job out of the whirlwind, asking questions Job cannot answer. In chapter 39, He describes wild animals one by one: the mountain goat, the wild donkey, the wild ox, the ostrich. Each creature lives by instincts God put in place, not by human reasoning. The ostrich catches the eye because she seems careless. She lays her eggs in the dust and walks away, as if she has forgotten they could be crushed. But God is not mocking her. He is showing Job that creation runs on a wisdom deeper than our plans.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb for forgets here is shakach. It carries the sense of leaving something out of mind, not out of malice but simply not holding onto it. The ostrich is not cruel. She is wired to move on. Then the verse uses two different verbs for what could happen to the eggs: zur (to press or crush) and dush (to trample, the same word used for threshing grain). The foot of a traveler or the hoof of a wild animal could do the job without even noticing. The point is not that the ostrich is a bad mother. It is that God made a bird whose survival strategy does not depend on watching every detail. And somehow her young still hatch. That is the wonder.
How Christians Read This Verse
Many Protestant commentators, like Matthew Henry and Barnes, see the ostrich as an example of how God’s creatures follow laws that do not match human logic. She seems deprived of wisdom, and yet she thrives. Keil and Delitzsch point out the wordplay: the stork is called hasidah (pious), while the ostrich leaves her eggs in the dust. Gill emphasizes her lack of foresight, but all agree the passage is not about bird behavior alone. It is about a God who orchestrates life through means we would never choose. No tradition reads this as a mistake in creation. They read it as a window into a wisdom higher than ours.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers take this verse as proof that the ostrich is stupid or that God is exposing a flaw in His own creation. In fact, the passage does not say the ostrich fails. She lays her eggs, and many do survive. The point is that God’s methods do not look like ours. Her apparent forgetfulness is part of a design we cannot fully see, not a mistake for Him to correct.
Living This Out
You might have a situation this week that looks neglected or wasted. A project falls through. A relationship seems abandoned. You wonder why God is not protecting the eggs in the sand. The ostrich teaches you to hold your plans lightly. You do not have to see how everything works out. The same God who hatches chicks from dust-covered eggs can bring life from what looks like carelessness. Your job is not to watch every detail as if survival depends on you. Your job is to trust the One who made the bird.
Main takeaway: God’s wisdom often looks like foolishness to us, but He holds every creature, and every moment, in hands we cannot measure.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God made an ostrich that lays her eggs in the sand and walks away. That seems silly to us. But God knows how to keep the eggs safe in His own way. We can trust Him even when we do not understand.
For ages 9, 12
The ostrich does not build a nest or guard her eggs like other birds. She lays them in the dirt and leaves. A careless person would think she has abandoned them. But God made her this way on purpose. Sometimes we think God has forgotten something we care about, just because we do not see Him working. The ostrich reminds us that God’s plan is bigger than our eyes can see. He is faithful even when we cannot figure out what He is doing.
Questions People Ask
Why does God point out the ostrich's forgetfulness if He made her that way?
God is not criticizing the ostrich. He is showing Job that even creatures who seem foolish are part of a wise design. Her forgetfulness is not a flaw; it is a feature of how God created her to survive.
Does this verse mean the ostrich is a bad parent?
No. Modern ornithology shows that ostriches do not actually abandon their eggs completely. The verse describes what looks like neglect from a human perspective, but God’s point is that His ways of caring for creation go beyond our expectations.
How does the ostrich fit into God's argument to Job?
God is asking Job a series of questions about wild animals to show that human wisdom cannot explain or control creation. The ostrich stands out because her behavior seems irrational, yet she still lives and reproduces under God’s care.
What does the Hebrew word for 'forget' mean in this context?
The word shakach means to forget or to cease to care for. Here it describes the ostrich acting as if the eggs are not on her mind. It is a poetic way of saying she does not guard them the way we expect.
Does this passage teach that animals have no instincts?
No. It teaches that the instincts they have come from God, not from their own wisdom. The ostrich's instincts look like foolishness to us, but God calls attention to them as evidence of His creative power and mystery.
For pastors & researchers
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