Job 39:15

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 39:15 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them.
Job 39:15 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 39

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
15And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, etc.] The foot of the traveller, they being laid in the ground, where he may walk, or on the sand of the seashore, where he may tread and trample upon them unawares, and crush them to pieces; to prevent which this creature has no foresight; or that the wild beast may break them; supposing they may be, though not where men walk, yet where wild beasts frequent, they may be as easily broken by the one as the other; against which it guards not, having no instinct in nature, as some creatures have, to direct to the preservation of them.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And forgetteth that the foot may crush them - She lays her eggs in the sand, and not, as most birds do, in nests made on branches of trees, or on the crags of rocks, where they would be inaccessible, as if she was forgetful of the fact that the wild beast might pass along and crush them. She often wanders away from them, also, and does not stay near them to guard them, as most parent birds do, as if she were unmindful of the danger to which they might be exposed when she was absent. The object of all this seems to be, to call the attention to the uniqueness in the natural history of this bird, and to observe that there were laws and arrangements in regard to it which seemed to show that she…”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Sources and verification