Job 21:18

They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

They are as stubble {H8401} before {H6440} the wind {H7307}, and as chaff {H4671} that the storm {H5492} carrieth away {H1589}.

to make them like straw in the wind, like chaff carried off by a storm?

Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?

That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?

Commentary on Job 21:18 (KJV)

Job 21:18 is part of Job's response to his friends, particularly challenging their rigid assertion that the wicked always suffer immediately and visibly in this life. Here, Job uses powerful, common agricultural imagery to describe the ultimate, though not always swift, fate of the ungodly.

Context

In Job chapter 21, Job argues against the simplistic theology of his friends. He observes that, contrary to their claims, the wicked often live long, prosperous lives, enjoying peace and security (see Job 21:7). However, in verses like 17 and 18, he shifts to speak of their eventual vulnerability. While they may seem strong now, their stability is fleeting and ultimately subject to forces beyond their control.

Key Themes

  • The Transience of Wicked Prosperity: The verse emphasizes that the seeming security and strength of the wicked are not permanent. Their foundation is weak.
  • Vulnerability to Divine Judgment: "Wind" and "storm" are often metaphors for powerful, uncontrollable forces, frequently representing God's judgment or overwhelming trouble that sweeps away the unstable.
  • Ultimate Instability: Stubble and chaff are the light, worthless residue left after threshing, easily blown away. This imagery highlights the ultimate lack of substance and stability in the lives built apart from God.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew words used, qash (stubble) and mots (chaff), are frequently employed in the Old Testament as symbols of worthlessness, things destined for destruction, or the ungodly who cannot withstand judgment. The "wind" (ruach) and "storm" (sufah) represent powerful, often destructive forces, underscoring the inevitability of being swept away.

Reflection and Application

This verse serves as a powerful reminder that worldly success or apparent security, especially when disconnected from righteousness, is ultimately built on a weak foundation. Like chaff, easily scattered by the wind, such stability cannot withstand the inevitable trials or the final judgment. It echoes themes found elsewhere in Scripture about the fate of the ungodly, such as the ungodly being likened to chaff driven away by the wind in Psalm 1:4. True, lasting security is found only in being rooted in God.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Psalms 1:4

    ¶ The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

  • Psalms 35:5

    Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase [them].

  • Job 13:25

    Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

  • Psalms 83:13

    O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

  • Isaiah 17:13

    The 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 29:5

    Moreover 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.

  • Isaiah 40:24

    Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

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