· Translation: KJV

Job 13:25Will you harass a driven leaf? Will you pursue the dry stubble?

The setting

Ancient Uz. Job uses two images: a dead leaf blown by wind, and dry stubble pursued by fire. Both are already dead...

The emotion here: exhausted and feeling hunted by an overwhelming force

The original word

aleh (עָלֶה) — a withered leaf that has fallen and is blown helplessly by every wind

Why it matters

Dry stubble was gathered and burned as fuel — Job feels like God is hunting down something already worthless

Read with care

What most readers miss in Job 13:25

Job isn't just weak — he feels DEAD already, like God is pursuing a corpse

Common misconceptionPeople think this shows Job's self-pity, but it's actually brilliant theology — he's questioning why an almighty God would waste energy pursuing someone already broken.

Bible Genome reading

Job 13:25 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJob
EraPatriarchal
Primary emotiongrieving
Literary typepoetry
MarkPrayer

Emotional genome

Comfort power60%
Quotability80%
Memorability90%
Crisis relevance90%
Standalone90%
Themes:fragilitydivine power

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Job 13

Job 13:25 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Job. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include fragility, divine power. Notable phrases: harass a driven leaf; pursue dry stubble. This verse is a prayer.

Your reflection

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