· Translation: KJV

Job 10:16If my head is held high, you hunt me like a lion. Again you show yourself powerful to me.

The setting

Same ash heap in Uz. Job's metaphor shifts to being hunted — like a lion stalking prey, he feels God tracking his every move with hostile intent.

The emotion here: cornered animal panic mixed with theological confusion

The original word

tsūd (צוּד) — to hunt, lie in wait for, pursue relentlessly like a predator

Why it matters

Lions were common in the ancient Near East and often used in royal hunt imagery

Read with care

What most readers miss in Job 10:16

The verb tense suggests repeated, ongoing hunting — not a single attack

Common misconceptionMany read this as Job being dramatic, but ancient people took divine pursuit very seriously — this was genuine terror.

Bible Genome reading

Job 10:16 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJob
EraPatriarchal
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typepoetry
MarkPrayer

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability70%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance90%
Standalone80%
Themes:divine pursuitoverwhelming power

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Job 10

Job 10:16 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Job. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine pursuit, overwhelming power. Notable phrases: hunt me like a lion; show yourself powerful. This verse is a prayer.

Your reflection

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