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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Job 21:18

Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm like chaff? Not at all!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Chaff;   Death;   Stubble;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Chaff;   Righteous-Wicked;   Stubble;   Wicked, the;   The Topic Concordance - Wickedness;   Wrath;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Wicked, the, Are Compared to;   Wind, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Agriculture;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Numbers, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Wealth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Chaff;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Agriculture;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Chaff;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Chaff;   Stubble;   Tempest;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Chaff;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Are they like straw before the wind,like chaff a storm sweeps away?
Hebrew Names Version
That they are as stubble before the wind, As chaff that the storm carries away?
King James Version
They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.
English Standard Version
That they are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?
New Century Version
How often are they like straw in the wind or like chaff that is blown away by a storm?
New English Translation
How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff swept away by a whirlwind?
Amplified Bible
"Are they like straw before the wind, And like chaff that the storm steals and carries away?
New American Standard Bible
"Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away?
World English Bible
That they are as stubble before the wind, As chaff that the storm carries away?
Geneva Bible (1587)
They shall be as stubble before the winde, and as chaffe that the storme carieth away.
Legacy Standard Bible
Are they as straw before the wind,And like chaff which the storm steals away?
Berean Standard Bible
Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?
Contemporary English Version
How often does he strike them like a windstorm that scatters straw?
Complete Jewish Bible
to make them like straw in the wind, like chaff carried off by a storm?
Darby Translation
Do they become as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away?
Easy-to-Read Version
Does God blow them away, as the wind blows straw or as strong winds blow the grain husks?
George Lamsa Translation
They are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away.
Good News Translation
and blow them away like straw in the wind, or like dust carried away in a storm?
Lexham English Bible
How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?
Literal Translation
they are as straw before the wind, and as chaff that the tempest steals away.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee they shal be euen as chaffe before the wynde, and as dust that the storme carieth awaye.
American Standard Version
That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?
Bible in Basic English
How frequently are they as dry stems before the wind, or as grass taken away by the storm-wind?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
That they are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm stealeth away?
King James Version (1611)
They are as stubble before the winde, and as chaffe that the storme carieth away.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yea, they shalbe euen as hay before the winde, and as chaffe that the storme carieth away.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they shall be as chaff before the wind, or as dust which the storm has taken up.
English Revised Version
That they are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei schulen be as chaffis bifor the face of the wynd; and as a deed sparcle, whiche the whirlewynd scaterith abrood.
Update Bible Version
That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carries away?
Webster's Bible Translation
They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.
New King James Version
They are like straw before the wind, And like chaff that a storm carries away.
New Life Bible
Are they like straw blown by the wind? Are they like straw that the storm carries away?
New Revised Standard
How often are they like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They become as straw before the wind, and as chaff, which the storm stealeth away.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They shall be as chaff before the face of the wind, and as ashes which the whirlwind scattereth.
Revised Standard Version
That they are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?
Young's Literal Translation
They are as straw before wind, And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Are they as straw before the wind, And like chaff which the storm carries away?

Contextual Overview

17 "Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger? 18 Are they driven before the wind like straw? Are they carried away by the storm like chaff? Not at all! 19 "‘Well,' you say, ‘at least God will punish their children!' But I say he should punish the ones who sin, so that they understand his judgment. 20 Let them see their destruction with their own eyes. Let them drink deeply of the anger of the Almighty. 21 For they will not care what happens to their family after they are dead. 22 "But who can teach a lesson to God, since he judges even the most powerful? 23 One person dies in prosperity, completely comfortable and secure, 24 the picture of good health, vigorous and fit. 25 Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life. 26 But both are buried in the same dust, both eaten by the same maggots.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as stubble: Job 13:25, Exodus 15:7, Psalms 1:4, Psalms 35:5, Psalms 83:13, Isaiah 5:24, Isaiah 17:13, Isaiah 29:5, Isaiah 40:24, Isaiah 41:15, Isaiah 41:16, Jeremiah 13:24, Hosea 13:3, Nahum 1:10, Matthew 3:12

carrieth: Heb. stealeth

Reciprocal: Job 27:20 - a tempest Job 30:22 - liftest me Ecclesiastes 8:10 - so Isaiah 57:13 - but the Zephaniah 2:2 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 16:10
Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count."
Genesis 17:20
As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
Genesis 21:12
But God told Abraham, "Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.
Genesis 21:13
But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar's son because he is your son, too."
Genesis 21:18
Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants."
Genesis 21:29
Abimelech asked, "Why have you set these seven apart from the others?"
Genesis 21:31
Then he named the place Beersheba (which means "well of the oath"), because that was where they had sworn the oath.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They are as stubble before the wind,.... Or how oft "are they as stubble?" c. or how oft does God do the above things, "so that they are", or "become, as stubble before the wind" u,

and as chaff that the storm carrieth, or "steals away" x? hastily, suddenly, at an unawares like a thief: wicked men are comparable to stubble and chaff for the vanity of their minds, their emptiness of all good things; for their lightness, the levity and inconstancy of their hearts, their principles and practices; for their uselessness and unprofitableness to God and men, to themselves and their fellow creatures; for their being fit fuel for everlasting burnings, their end like these being to be burned; and whose destruction is inevitable and irresistible, and can no more be withstood and prevented than stubble and chaff can stand before a strong wind and a stormy tempest: but is this their common case now? are they usually tossed to and fro with the wind of adversity, and the storms of desolating judgments? are they not, on the other hand, seen in great power, and spreading themselves like a green bay tree; taking root, increasing in outward prosperity, and bringing forth the fruit of it? see Psalms 37:35.

u יהיו כתבן "ut sint velut palea", Tigurine version; so Broughton, "quoties sunt", Junius Tremellius "quoties fiunt", Piscator, Michaelis. x גנבתו "furatus est eam", Montanus; "suffuratur", Vatablus; "furatur", Drusius, Cocceius, Schultens.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They are as stubble before the wind - According to the interpretation proposed of the previous verse, this may be read as a question, “How often is it that the wicked are made like stubble? You say that God deals with people exactly according to their characters, and that the wicked are certainly subjected to calamities; but how often does this, in fact, occur? Is it a uniform law? Do they not, in fact, live in prosperity, and arrive at a good old age?” It is not uncommon in the Scriptures to compare the wicked with stubble, and to affirm that they shall be driven away, as the chaff is driven by the wind; see the notes at Isaiah 17:13.

The storm carrieth away - Margin, “stealeth away.” This is a literal translation of the Hebrew. The idea is that of stealing away before one is aware, as a thief carries off spoil.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 21:18. They are as stubble before the wind — "His fan is in his hand; he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, but shall be like the chaff which the wind driveth away." Were not this a common thought, I should have supposed that the author of this book borrowed it from Psalms 1:4. The original signifies that they shall be carried away by a furious storm; and borne off as booty is by the swift-riding robbers of the desert, who make a sudden irruption, and then set off at full speed with their prey.


 
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