Ostrich: (Lam. 4:3), the rendering of Hebrew pl. enim; so called from its
greediness and gluttony. The allusion here is to the habit of
the ostrich with reference to its eggs, which is thus described:
"The outer layer of eggs is generally so ill covered that they
are destroyed in quantities by jackals, wild-cats, etc., and
that the natives carry them away, only taking care not to leave
the marks of their footsteps, since, when the ostrich comes and
finds that her nest is discovered, she crushes the whole brood,
and builds a nest elsewhere." In Job 39:13 this word in the
Authorized Version is the rendering of a Hebrew word (notsah)
which means "feathers," as in the Revised Version. In the same
verse the word "peacocks" of the Authorized Version is the
rendering of the Hebrew pl. renanim, properly meaning
"ostriches," as in the Revised Version. (See OWL T0002815 [1].)