Job’s lament emphasizes how intense suffering can obscure divine purposes.
“His arrows surround me. Without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground.” (Job 16:13) This anguished statement comes from Job, a man who is believed to have lived during the Patriarchal era (around 2100-1900 BC). Although the precise geographical location of Uz—Job’s homeland—is not definitively identified in Scripture, many scholars suggest it was located east of the Jordan River. Job laments what he perceives as God’s unrelenting barrage of hardship, likening it to arrows striking him from every side. The vivid language of kidneys and gall conveys how deeply his sufferings have affected him, both physically and emotionally, and underscores a feeling of utter vulnerability.
By describing “arrows” and pointing out how God “splits [his] kidneys open,” Job expresses the depth of his distress (v.13). Kidneys in ancient Semitic thought were often viewed as the seat of emotion and moral character, so this depiction highlights not only mental anguish but also a sense of divine disapproval. The striking image of having his gall “poured out on the ground” resonates with the idea that his innermost self—his most closely guarded feelings—are exposed and overwhelmed. Despite his feelings that God is against him, Job’s repeated dialogues with his friends and with the Lord reveal an unwavering desire to remain faithful, even in the darkest seasons of life.
Throughout the wider testimony of Scripture, one sees how such feelings of abandonment resonate to some degree in other servants of God. Jesus Himself experienced profound sorrow and suffering, crying out from the cross in a display of genuine anguish (Mark 15:34). Job’s plea also reminds believers that although suffering can feel isolating and all-encompassing, there is comfort in trusting the ultimate wisdom and sovereignty of God. His story further points ahead to the redemptive power of faith, highlighted in the New Testament, where Christ’s sufferings and resurrection frame a hope that transcends earthly trials (Romans 8:18).
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Job 16:13 meaning
“His arrows surround me. Without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground.” (Job 16:13) This anguished statement comes from Job, a man who is believed to have lived during the Patriarchal era (around 2100-1900 BC). Although the precise geographical location of Uz—Job’s homeland—is not definitively identified in Scripture, many scholars suggest it was located east of the Jordan River. Job laments what he perceives as God’s unrelenting barrage of hardship, likening it to arrows striking him from every side. The vivid language of kidneys and gall conveys how deeply his sufferings have affected him, both physically and emotionally, and underscores a feeling of utter vulnerability.
By describing “arrows” and pointing out how God “splits [his] kidneys open,” Job expresses the depth of his distress (v.13). Kidneys in ancient Semitic thought were often viewed as the seat of emotion and moral character, so this depiction highlights not only mental anguish but also a sense of divine disapproval. The striking image of having his gall “poured out on the ground” resonates with the idea that his innermost self—his most closely guarded feelings—are exposed and overwhelmed. Despite his feelings that God is against him, Job’s repeated dialogues with his friends and with the Lord reveal an unwavering desire to remain faithful, even in the darkest seasons of life.
Throughout the wider testimony of Scripture, one sees how such feelings of abandonment resonate to some degree in other servants of God. Jesus Himself experienced profound sorrow and suffering, crying out from the cross in a display of genuine anguish (Mark 15:34). Job’s plea also reminds believers that although suffering can feel isolating and all-encompassing, there is comfort in trusting the ultimate wisdom and sovereignty of God. His story further points ahead to the redemptive power of faith, highlighted in the New Testament, where Christ’s sufferings and resurrection frame a hope that transcends earthly trials (Romans 8:18).