· Translation: KJV

Job 18:11Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall chase him at his heels.

The setting

Ancient Uz (likely Jordan/Saudi Arabia border), ~2000 BC. Bildad speaks harshly to his suffering friend Job...

The emotion here: frustrated anger disguised as wisdom

The original word

ballahah (בַּלָּהָה) — sudden terrors that cause trembling and panic

Why it matters

This is the second of three friends' speeches, each getting crueler

Read with care

What most readers miss in Job 18:11

Bildad is describing the wicked's fate while Job sits in ashes, covered in boils

Common misconceptionPeople think this describes what happens to evil people, but it's actually a friend being cruel to someone who's suffering innocently.

Bible Genome reading

Job 18:11 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerBildad
EraPatriarchal
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typepoetry
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability60%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone70%
Themes:fearjudgment

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Job 18

Job 18:11 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Bildad. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include fear, judgment. Notable phrases: terrors make him afraid; chase him at his heels. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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