Job 30:21You have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of your hand you persecute me.
The setting
Ancient Uz (likely modern Jordan/Saudi Arabia border). Job sits in ash heap, body covered in boils, everything lost...
The emotion here: rage mixed with bewilderment at God's seeming betrayal
The original word
ʾakzārî (אַכְזָרִי) — merciless, cruel, used of desert winds that show no pity
Why it matters
Job's suffering lasted exactly long enough for his friends to hear and travel from distant lands
Read with care
What most readers miss in Job 30:21
Job uses the same word for God's cruelty that describes pitiless desert storms
Common misconceptionPeople think Job was always patient and never complained. Actually, Job spent 35 chapters accusing God of injustice and cruelty before God finally answered.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Job 30:21
Bible Genome reading
Job 30:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Job 30:21 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 30% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include God's sovereignty, divine justice. Notable phrases: turned to be cruel; might of your hand.
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 30:21 mean to you, today?
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