Job — Chapter 14
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1Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
2He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
3And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?
4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
5Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
6Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
7For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
9Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
10But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
11As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
13Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
15Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
16For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?
17My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.
18And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.
19The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
20Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
21His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
22But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.
1Man, that is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.
2He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
3And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, And bringest me into judgment with thee?
4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
5Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
6Look away from him, that he may rest, Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.
7For there is hope of a tree, If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, And the stock thereof die in the ground;
9Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant.
10But man dieth, and is laid low: Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
11[As] the waters fail from the sea, And the river wasteth and drieth up;
12So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.
13Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14If a man die, shall he live [again]? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come.
15Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee: Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands.
16But now thou numberest my steps: Dost thou not watch over my sin?
17My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And thou fastenest up mine iniquity.
18But the mountain falling cometh to nought; And the rock is removed out of its place;
19The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man.
20Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
21His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
22But his flesh upon him hath pain, And his soul within him mourneth.
1“Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and they are full of trouble.
2He grows up like a flower and then withers away; he flees like a shadow and does not remain.
3Do you fix your eye on such a one? And do you bring me before you for judgment?
4Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean? No one!
5Since man’s days are determined, the number of his months is under your control; you have set his limit, and he cannot pass it.
6Look away from him and let him desist, until he fulfills his time like a hired man.
7“But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.
8Although its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump begins to die in the soil,
9at the scent of water it will flourish and put forth shoots like a new plant.
10But man dies and is powerless; he expires—and where is he?
11As water disappears from the sea, or a river drains away and dries up,
12so man lies down and does not rise; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor arise from their sleep.
13“O that you would hide me in Sheol, and conceal me till your anger has passed! O that you would set me a time and then remember me!
14If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait until my release comes.
15You will call and I—I will answer you; you will long for the creature you have made.
16“Surely now you count my steps; then you would not mark my sin.
17My offenses would be sealed up in a bag; you would cover over my sin.
18But as a mountain falls away and crumbles, and as a rock will be removed from its place,
19as water wears away stones, and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy man’s hope.
20You overpower him once for all, and he departs; you change his appearance and send him away.
21If his sons are honored, he does not know it; if they are brought low, he does not see it.
22His flesh only has pain for him, and he mourns for himself.”
1“Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.
2He grows up like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn’t continue.
3Do you open your eyes on such a one, and bring me into judgment with you?
4Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
5Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can’t pass;
6Look away from him, that he may rest, until he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.
7“For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch of it will not cease.
8Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground,
9yet through the scent of water it will bud, and sprout boughs like a plant.
10But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?
11As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up,
12so man lies down and doesn’t rise. Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.
13“Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would keep me secret, until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, until my release should come.
15You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire to the work of your hands.
16But now you count my steps. Don’t you watch over my sin?
17My disobedience is sealed up in a bag. You fasten up my iniquity.
18“But the mountain falling comes to nothing. The rock is removed out of its place;
19The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.
20You forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away.
21His sons come to honor, and he doesn’t know it. They are brought low, but he doesn’t perceive it of them.
22But his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns.”
Summary
Job's reply concluded — meditates on the frailty and brevity of human life, asking whether a man can live again after death, and longing for God to hide him in Sheol until His wrath passes.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights vv.13-15 as one of the most remarkable moments in the book: Job reaches toward resurrection hope centuries before it is clearly revealed. His vision is incomplete — it flickers and fades — but it is genuine. The idea that God would "hide" him in Sheol until wrath passes and then "remember" him anticipates the full biblical revelation of bodily resurrection. Guzik notes that Job's oscillation between hope and despair is realistic: even mature faith alternates between confidence and darkness.
- Charles Spurgeon: "'If a man die, shall he live again?' Job asked the question that every grave provokes. He could not answer it with certainty, but he answered it with longing — and longing in the direction of truth is the beginning of faith. 'Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee' — Job imagined a God who longs for His dead servants and calls them back. He was right. The resurrection was coming, and Christ would be its firstfruits. Job's hope was a seed; the empty tomb was its flower."
Reflection
- 1. Life is short — live with urgency (v.1). "Few days, and full of trouble." This is not despair but clarity. If life is brief, every day matters. Do not postpone what is important. Reconcile today. Love today. Worship today. The weaver's shuttle does not slow down.
- 2. A tree has hope — so do you (vv.7-9). Job thought trees were better off than humans. But the resurrection proves otherwise: you will sprout again. Death is not your final chapter. At the "scent of water" — at the voice of Christ — the dead will bud and put forth branches in resurrection glory.
- 3. "If a man die, shall he live again?" — YES (v.14). Job asked the question. Jesus answered it. "I am the resurrection and the life." Job's tentative hope is now our solid confidence. What was a wish in Job's mouth is a promise in Christ's.
- 4. God yearns for the work of His hands (v.15). This is one of the most tender images in all of Scripture: God MISSING the dead, LONGING for them, CALLING them back. You are not forgotten in death. The Creator yearns for His creation. He will call, and you will answer.
- 5. It is normal for hope to flicker (vv.13-15 vs. 18-22). Job reaches toward resurrection — then falls back into despair. Hope is not always steady. It flashes and dims. This is not failure of faith; it is the reality of faith in darkness. Hold on to the flashes. They are true even when the darkness returns.