Job 14
Job 14 is part of “First Cycle of Dialogue” (4–14) in the outline of Job.
Job 14 summary
Job had turned from speaking to his friends, finding it to no purpose to reason with them, and here he goes on to speak to God and himself. He had reminded his friends of their frailty and mortality (Job 13:12); here he reminds himself of his own, and pleads it with God for some mitigation of his miseries. We have here an account, I. Of man's life, that it is, 1.
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Job had turned from speaking to his friends, finding it to no purpose to reason with them, and here he goes on to speak to God and himself. He had reminded his friends of their frailty and mortality (Job 13:12); here he reminds himself of his own, and pleads it with God for some mitigation of his miseries. We have here an account, I. Of man's life, that it is, 1. Short (Job 14:1). 2. Sorrowful (Job 14:1). 3. Sinful (Job 14:4). 4. Stinted (Job 14:5, Job 14:14). II. Of man's death, that it puts a final period to our present life, to which we shall not again return (Job 14:7-12), that it hides us from the calamities of life (Job 14:13), destroys the hopes of life (Job 14:18, Job 14:19), sends us away from the business of life (Job 14:20), and keeps us in the dark concerning our relations in this life, how much soever we have formerly been in care about them (Job 14:21, Job 14:22), III. The use Job makes of all this. 1. He pleads it with God, who, he thought, was too strict and severe with him (Job 14:16, Job 14:17), begging that, in consideration of his frailty, he would not contend with him (Job 14:3), but grant him some respite (Job 14:6). 2. He engages himself to prepare for death (Job 14:14), and encourages himself to hope that it would be comfortable to him (Job 14:15). This chapter is proper for funeral solemnities; and serious meditations on it will help us both to get good by the death of others and to get ready for our own.
Source: Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706–21; Romans–Revelation completed by Nonconformist ministers). Public domain. Digital text: Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org).
Job 14 (GNV)
Geneva Bible 1599 (public domain)
Job Continues: Man Born of Woman Has Few Days
1Man that is borne of woman, is of short continuance, and full of trouble. 2He shooteth foorth as a flowre, and is cut downe: he vanisheth also as a shadowe, and continueth not. 3And yet thou openest thine eyes vpon such one, and causest me to enter into iudgement with thee. 4Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse? there is not one. 5Are not his dayes determined? the nober of his moneths are with thee: thou hast appointed his boundes, which he can not passe. 6Turne from him that he may cease vntill his desired day, as an hyreling. 7For there is hope of a tree, if it bee cut downe, that it will yet sproute, and the branches thereof will not cease. 8Though the roote of it waxe olde in the earth, and the stocke thereof be dead in ye ground, 9Yet by the sent of water it will bud, and bring foorth boughes like a plant. 10But man is sicke, and dyeth, and man perisheth, and where is he? 11As the waters passe from the sea, and as the flood decayeth and dryeth vp, 12So man sleepeth and riseth not: for hee shall not wake againe, nor be raised from his sleepe till the heauen be no more. 13Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the graue, and keepe me secret, vntill thy wrath were past, and wouldest giue me terme, and remember me. 14If a man die, shall he liue againe? All the dayes of mine appointed time will I waite, till my changing shall come. 15Thou shalt call me, and I shall answere thee: thou louest the worke of thine own hands. 16But nowe thou nombrest my steppes, and doest not delay my sinnes. 17Mine iniquitie is sealed vp, as in a bagge, and thou addest vnto my wickednesse. 18And surely as the mountaine that falleth, commeth to nought, and the rocke that is remooued from his place: 19As the water breaketh the stones, when thou ouerflowest the things which growe in the dust of ye earth: so thou destroyest ye hope of man. 20Thou preuailest alway against him, so that he passeth away: he changeth his face when thou castest him away. 21And he knoweth not if his sonnes shall be honourable, neither shall he vnderstand concerning them, whether they shalbe of lowe degree, 22But while his flesh is vpon him, he shall be sorowfull, and while his soule is in him, it shall mourne.