Job 21:18
They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.
Original Language Analysis
יִהְי֗וּ
H1961
יִהְי֗וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 7
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כְּתֶ֥בֶן
They are as stubble
H8401
כְּתֶ֥בֶן
They are as stubble
Strong's:
H8401
Word #:
2 of 7
properly, material, i.e., (specifically) refuse haum or stalks of grain (as chopped in threshing and used for fodder)
לִפְנֵי
before
H6440
לִפְנֵי
before
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
3 of 7
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
ר֑וּחַ
the wind
H7307
ר֑וּחַ
the wind
Strong's:
H7307
Word #:
4 of 7
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the
וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ
and as chaff
H4671
וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ
and as chaff
Strong's:
H4671
Word #:
5 of 7
chaff (as pressed out, i.e., winnowed or (rather) threshed loose)
Cross References
Psalms 1:4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.Psalms 83:13O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.Psalms 35:5Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.Job 13:25Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?Isaiah 17:13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.Isaiah 29:5Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
Historical Context
Chaff and stubble were proverbial images for the wicked's fate (Psalm 1:4, Isaiah 40:24). Winnowing separated grain from chaff, with wind carrying away the worthless husks. Job questions whether this prophetic-poetic language describes immediate temporal reality or eschatological judgment.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we interpret prophetic and poetic descriptions of judgment as both true and not always immediate?
- What is the difference between denying divine justice and questioning its timing?
- How does eschatological judgment resolve apparent temporal injustice?
Analysis & Commentary
Do the wicked suffer like chaff: 'God distributeth sorrows in his anger.' Job continues questioning—does God actually distribute sorrows to the wicked as frequently as claimed? The imagery of chaff blown by wind and stubble carried by storm suggests how the wicked should be swept away. Job asks: does this actually happen consistently? His honest questioning doesn't deny God's justice but challenges mechanical application of retribution theology.