In Biblical usage, stubble appears to refer to the remnants of grain stalks remaining in the field after the harvest. Stubble is what the Israelites had to gather when Egypt’s Pharaoh deprived them of the regular provision of straw for making bricks.​—Ex 5:10-12.

Stubble repeatedly figures in illustrative settings, allusions being made to the fact that it is light and frail (Job 13:25; 41:1, 28, 29), is easily blown away by the wind (Isa 40:24; 41:2; Jer 13:24), and burns readily and noisily (Isa 5:24; Joe 2:5; Ob 18; Na 1:10). The wicked, the enemies of Jehovah, as well as schemes that were bound to fail, are compared to stubble. (Ex 15:7; Ps 83:13; Mal 4:1; Isa 33:11) The apostle Paul, in discussing Christian building work, listed stubble as the least valuable material, one that would not withstand the fire test.​—1Co 3:12, 13.