The Bible Says
Job 39:13-18 Meaning

In Job 39:13-18, God continues His “zoo tour” with Job, now considering lessons to be learned from the ostrich; this bird’s ways do not line up with human sensibilities, yet the ostrich flourishes, showing that God’s wisdom is beyond our grasp. God introduces the next creature: “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously, With the pinion and plumage of love” (v. 13).

The Hebrew word translated love is rendered “stork” in the other verses where it occurs (Leviticus 11:19, Deuteronomy 14:18, Psalm 104:17, Jeremiah 8:7, Zechariah 5:9). The picture being painted seems to be of a flightless bird flapping wings that look like a bird of flight but do not lift it to the skies. The ostriches’ wings flap joyously because they are “flapping in the breeze” as it runs so to speak.

The natural human reaction to this is, “Her wings are useless.” But the point God seems to make by directing our attention to the ostrich is that our categories of “useful” and “waste” often miss God’s wise artistry (Romans 11:33-36). As we will see in verse 18, she laughs at the horse and his rider because of her superior speed. God works in ways we find unexpected, apparently to make a point. The Lord continues, citing another oddity: “For she abandons her eggs to the earth And warms them in the dust” (v. 14).

In scrubland and sandy flats, the ostrich scrapes a shallow pit and leaves her eggs on the ground, using the desert’s heat as an incubator. To human eyes, this looks careless. No nest up a tree, no brood tucked in a rock cleft—just dust and sun. But the Maker is showing that He can use the very conditions we would find useless and unremarkable to serve purposes not apparent to us. From the dust He brings life.

From the beginning, the Lord formed the man from dust and breathed life into him (Genesis 2:7). Jesus later used spit and dust to open a blind man’s eyes (John 9:6-7). God delights to make the things overlooked by humans into agents of His will. God adds, “And she forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may trample them. She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned Because God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding” (vs. 15-17).

The eggs are exposed to danger. From a human viewpoint, this seems reckless. But the Lord is pressing the larger lesson: Job does not manage outcomes in the wild, and yet life continues. Not because chance smiles, but because God governs. It is He who made the ostrich forget wisdom. It is He who has not given her a share of understanding. The ostrich does not act as we would. But God’s plan still works. Ostriches are not extinct; in fact, they thrive.

The ostrich treats her young cruelly from a human perspective. It is as though the young were not hers. And she is without worry. The labor of the mother ostrich that is in vain appears to refer to her burying the egg in the desert from verse 14. It is in vain because the egg is exposed to all manner of dangers. From our perspective, she lacks understanding. But this is God’s design. It is He who made her forget wisdom. Yet, ostriches thrive.

It is clear that God has an even greater understanding than our own wisdom. There is practicality here: the ostrich makes use of what the wilderness provides. She does not wait for shade that never comes; she uses heat to incubate. Faith learns a similar skill—trusting that God can make even a hard climate serve His good (Romans 8:28, James 1:2). Job is being invited to see resources where he only felt destruction.

This doesn’t deny risk; it reframes it. The Bible never pretends the world is safe on its own. Instead, it locates safety in God’s care (Psalm 121). Jesus told His disciples that not even a sparrow falls apart from the Father’s will (Matthew 10:29-31). The ostrich eggs are vulnerable, and still God’s purposes advance. In the same way, Job’s losses have not erased God’s wisdom or love.

God’s wisdom is beyond ours, which is the point. Job is asking about things that are beyond his understanding. To his credit, Job will understand this point completely. He will say explicitly, “I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:3).

So, the proper question for Job to ask is not, “Why doesn’t God design a safer world?” but rather, “Can I trust the God who rules this one?” We will see in Job 42:1-6 the result of this tribunal is that Job will adopt a completely different perspective. The shift comes primarily because he comes to recognize God as being much greater than he had imagined.

In chapters 3-25 of Job, Job’s friend Eliphaz, along with his two friends, falsely declared that God was punishing Job, and were sure that if Job repented that God would relent. This greatly displeased God, as we will see in Job 42:7; this assertion puts God in the same basic category as an idol that can be appeased or coerced into bringing blessing.

But God is not manipulated. Job spoke rightly about God, and when Job questioned God he was actually rewarded with a greatly advanced knowledge of Himself. It is clear this did not feel to Job like a reward during the trial; but God’s ways are higher than our ways, and God’s sovereign hand is moving to not only benefit Job but also all who read this book in generations to come.

It is the knowledge of God that brings the greatest riches and fulfillment in life, so this is a great blessing God is granting to Job. The line though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned contrasts Job’s grief. But just as God cares for the oblivious ostrich, He is caring for Job, whose perspective about God is mostly correct, but is still lacking.

Even though God has made her forget wisdom, And has not given her a share of understanding, the ostrich still thrives. How much more will Job, who is the apple of God’s eye (Job 1:8). She is strong and fast, but not discerning like, say, the stork or the eagle. And that is part of God’s wise variety. He gives different creatures different measures—of speed, instinct, care—so that creation displays His breadth. Similarly, Job sees God correctly in that he understands that God is above being manipulated. What he is now being led to understand is God’s sovereign view and infinite care of all things.

And this speaks directly to Job’s complaint (Job 23:3-7). Job felt God needed his perspective in order to make decisions that were proper and benevolent toward him. But Job’s view is severely limited. God’s ways are beyond our comprehension (Romans 11:33). This “zoo tour” is showing this principle to Job using evidence that is right in front of him yet not visible to his eyes.

We can make an application from this insight; there is a deep relief in this for us. We do not have to bear the burden of knowing and convincing God for Him to do good. God does this perfectly, without leaning on us. Jesus invites the weary to take His yoke (Matthew 11:28-30). He asks us to follow Him and do His will. He does not put upon us a burden we cannot bear, such as ordering the universe. One of the great rewards He holds out for His people is for them to possess the reward of His inheritance and reign with Him (Matthew 25:21, Revelation 3:21). But even then, this will be done under His sovereign authority.

Finally, the Lord declares the ostrich’s glory: “When she lifts herself on high, She laughs at the horse and his rider” (v. 18). The bird that seems foolish in motherhood is unmatched on the plain. She may seem clueless, but that does not affect her as she leaves the horse in the dust in a footrace. In modern times, the ostrich has been clocked at speeds up to 43 miles per hour (70 km/hr). A well trained racehorse can approach that speed for short bursts, but a typical gallop speed for a typical horse is about half that speed.

God highlights the reversal: the creature we thought weak excels when we observe it run. And although her ways seem foolish, there are plenty of ostriches around. This underscores the point that God does things in ways that are mysterious to us, yet they work. We know in hindsight that God is doing something incredible through Job. Job is doing the job for which humans were created; he is silencing Satan (Psalm 8:2). He is silencing Satan through his righteous living (Job 1:8). And although God allowed Satan to ruin Job, Job has continued to maintain his integrity, thus silencing Satan all the more (Job 2:3).

Although God’s work in Job’s life is misinterpreted by Job’s wife, as well as Eliphaz and his two friends, that does not affect the reality of God’s plan. God will make that clear to all in Job 42, when He openly chastises Eliphaz and his two friends for speaking wrongly of Him, then lets them off the hook when Job intercedes for them; just the opposite of their claims regarding God being transactional (Job 42:7-9).

The example of the ostrich is an illustration designed into creation that God uses foolish things to create glory. The ostrich has wings that seem useless and does things that seem foolish relative to her understanding, but displays tremendous glory when running.  The cross of Christ is a great example of God using things that seem foolish or shameful to the world in order to bring about great glory; in the case of the cross, the redemption of the world (1 Corinthians 1:23-25).

For Job, the message is to not judge God’s ways by assuming His ways will fit within the boundaries of your own perspective; they will not. The ostrich appears foolish and yet excels. Job’s suffering looked to him as though it was useless and foolish, but God was using it to give him a deeper life with Him (Job 42:2-6, 10). Our call is the same: trust the Creator whose view toward us is always benevolent, who will bring us immense reward if we will trust Him even when we cannot understand how His actions could ever come to good.