Job 14
In this chapter, Job continues to lament the brevity and suffering of human life. He reflects on human frailty, the inevitability of death, and the seeming hopelessness of man's fate. Job expresses the anguish of living in a world where life is short, filled with sorrow, and ultimately ends in death, leaving no chance for renewal.
Job 14:1-5 (NKJV)
1 “Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and full of trouble.
2 He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
3 And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
5 Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
Job reflects on the brevity and fragility of human life. He compares man to a fading flower and a fleeing shadow, emphasizing how short and troubled life is. Job then questions why God would focus attention on someone so fleeting, given humanity's inherent sinfulness and frailty. He acknowledges that human life is predetermined by God, with fixed limits that cannot be surpassed, highlighting the inevitability of death and the limits of human existence.
Job 14:6 (NKJV)
6 Look away from him that he may rest,
Till like a hired man he finishes his day.
Job pleads with God to give man relief from constant scrutiny so that he may live out his days in peace. He compares man to a laborer who seeks rest at the end of a long day, indicating that human life is already filled with enough toil and suffering, and man desires a brief respite before death.
Job 14:7-9 (NKJV)
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
Job contrasts human life with that of a tree, which, even when cut down, has the hope of regeneration. He describes how a tree, though its stump may seem dead, can sprout again when it senses water. This imagery emphasizes that unlike trees, humans do not have the same hope of revival after death, deepening Job’s sense of despair over the finality of human life.
Job 14:10-12 (NKJV)
10 But man dies and is laid away;
Indeed he breathes his last
And where is he?
11 As water disappears from the sea,
And a river becomes parched and dries up,
12 So man lies down and does not rise.
Till the heavens are no more,
They will not awake
Nor be roused from their sleep.
Job continues his lament by stating that when man dies, he is gone, unlike the tree that may regenerate. Just as water evaporates and rivers dry up, man’s death is final. He views death as a long, unbroken sleep from which humans do not awake, at least not until the end of time when the heavens themselves will cease.
Job 14:13 (NKJV)
13 Oh, that You would hide me in the grave,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past,
That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
Job wishes that God would hide him in the grave until His anger passes. He yearns for relief from his suffering and desires that after a set time, God might remember him again. This shows Job’s deep yearning for restoration, but also his uncertainty about what lies beyond death.
Job 14:14-15 (NKJV)
14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait,
Till my change comes.
15 You shall call, and I will answer You;
You shall desire the work of Your hands.
Job contemplates the possibility of life after death. He expresses a glimmer of hope, imagining that if there were a resurrection, he would wait for God’s call, knowing that God would once again desire him, His creation. This is a rare moment of hope in an otherwise bleak chapter.
Job 14:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For now You number my steps,
But do not watch over my sin.
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You cover my iniquity.
Job acknowledges that God watches every step he takes and is aware of his sin. Yet, he wishes for his sins to be sealed away and forgotten. Job desires forgiveness and longs for the burden of his transgressions to be covered and removed from God’s sight.
Job 14:18-19 (NKJV)
18 “But as a mountain falls and crumbles away,
And as a rock is moved from its place;
19 As water wears away stones,
And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
So You destroy the hope of man.
Job compares human life to the inevitability of erosion and destruction in nature. Just as mountains crumble, rocks move, and water wears away stones, so too does God erode human hope. This illustrates Job’s belief that life, like nature, is subject to forces that ultimately lead to its destruction.
Job 14:20-22 (NKJV)
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes on;
You change his countenance and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and he does not know it;
They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
22 But his flesh will be in pain over it,
And his soul will mourn over it.”
Job concludes by lamenting the powerlessness of man before God’s will. Man's life ends, and he is forgotten by those who come after him. His family may experience honor or humiliation, but he will be unaware of it. Even in death, Job imagines that man’s soul mourns and his body suffers, emphasizing the profound sorrow and pain he feels about the human condition.