Job 21:15What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What profit should we have, if we pray to him?'
The setting
Job continues quoting the prosperous wicked from his ash heap. He's showing his friends that people can prosper while having a completely transactional, mercenary view of God.
The emotion here: disgusted by mercenary religion while maintaining faith despite loss
The original word
bētsa' (בֶּצַע) — unjust gain, profit from exploitation, greedy advantage
Why it matters
Ancient religions were often purely transactional — sacrifice to gods for specific material benefits
Read with care
What most readers miss in Job 21:15
Job is exposing the 'prosperity gospel' mindset that existed 4,000 years ago — serving God only for material benefit
Common misconceptionPeople think this shows Job losing faith. He's actually criticizing people who only serve God for personal gain — the opposite of Job's character.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Job 21:15
Bible Genome reading
Job 21:15 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Job 21:15 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Job. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include rejection of God, materialism, rebellion. Notable phrases: What is the Almighty; what profit should we have.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Job 21:15 mean to you, today?
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