Job 16:13 (KJV)

What does Job 16:13 mean?

Job 16:13 describes how Job feels under attack by God. Job portrays his suffering as a brutal assault in which he is surrounded, wounded deep inside, and shown no mercy.

Job is speaking to his friends, answering their accusations against him. After describing God as an enemy in verse 12, Job pictures archers closing around him and a wound so severe that his inner organs spill out.

The Hebrew behind Job 16:13

• “reins” — כִּלְיוֹת (kilyot): The word means “kidneys.” In Job’s picture, the blow reaches deep inside his body; “reins” is an older English word for those organs.
• “gall” — מְרֵרָה (mererah): The word refers to bile, the bitter fluid associated with the gallbladder. Its being poured on the ground makes the attack sound like a fatal wound.

Why Job 16:13 matters

• Job describes God as the attacker, not merely as a distant observer. The words “he cleaveth” and “he poureth” continue Job’s description of God’s actions from the preceding verse.
• The attack leaves Job no opening for escape or relief. The archers surround him, while the attacker “doth not spare.”
• Job’s claim of innocence makes the image especially striking. A few verses later, Job says that his hands are free from violence and that his prayer is pure (verse 17).