They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.
They are like dry stubble blown away by the wind, and like chaff that a storm carries off.
This verse describes how the wicked are swept away like worthless debris in a storm - they have no substance or stability when judgment comes.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Job, which is set in the ancient Near East during the patriarchal era, Job is responding to his friends who argue that suffering comes from personal sin, while he questions why the wicked often seem to prosper. He uses the metaphor of stubble and chaff, light, worthless remnants from grain harvesting, to describe how the wicked will ultimately be swept away, drawing from the everyday agricultural life of that culture. This imagery highlights the transient nature of evil in the face of God's justice, as farming was a central part of ancient society.
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