Job 14:1-22 King James Version (KJV)

¹ Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.

² He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

³ And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

⁵ Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

⁶ Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

⁷ For 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.

⁸ Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰ But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

¹¹ As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

¹² So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

¹³ O 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!

¹⁴ If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

¹⁵ Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

¹⁶ For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷ My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸ And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.

¹⁹ The 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.

²⁰ Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

²¹ His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

²² But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

Job 14:1-22 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

¹ Man ^H120 that is born ^H3205 of a woman ^H802 is of few ^H7116 days, ^H3117 and full ^H7649 of trouble. ^H7267

² He cometh forth ^H3318 like a flower, ^H6731 and is cut down: ^H5243 he fleeth ^H1272 also as a shadow, ^H6738 and continueth ^H5975 not.

³ And dost thou open ^H6491 thine eyes ^H5869 upon such an one, ^H2088 and bringest ^H935 me into judgment ^H4941 with thee?

⁴ Who can bring ^H5414 a clean ^H2889 thing out of an unclean? ^H2931 not one. ^H259

⁵ Seeing ^H518 his days ^H3117 are determined, ^H2782 the number ^H4557 of his months ^H2320 are with thee, thou hast appointed ^H6213 his bounds ^H2706 that he cannot pass; ^H5674

⁶ Turn ^H8159 from him, that he may rest, ^H2308 till he shall accomplish, ^H7521 as an hireling, ^H7916 his day. ^H3117

⁷ For there is ^H3426 hope ^H8615 of a tree, ^H6086 if it be cut down, ^H3772 that it will sprout again, ^H2498 and that the tender branch ^H3127 thereof will not cease. ^H2308

⁸ Though the root ^H8328 thereof wax old ^H2204 in the earth, ^H776 and the stock ^H1503 thereof die ^H4191 in the ground; ^H6083

⁹ Yet through the scent ^H7381 of water ^H4325 it will bud, ^H6524 and bring forth ^H6213 boughs ^H7105 like a plant. ^H5194

¹⁰ But man ^H1397 dieth, ^H4191 and wasteth away: ^H2522 yea, man ^H120 giveth up the ghost, ^H1478 and where is he?

¹¹ As the waters ^H4325 fail ^H235 from the sea, ^H3220 and the flood ^H5104 decayeth ^H2717 and drieth up: ^H3001

¹² So man ^H376 lieth down, ^H7901 and riseth ^H6965 not: till the heavens ^H8064 be no more, ^H1115 they shall not awake, ^H6974 nor be raised out ^H5782 of their sleep. ^H8142

¹³ O that ^H5414 thou wouldest hide ^H6845 me in the grave, ^H7585 that thou wouldest keep me secret, ^H5641 until thy wrath ^H639 be past, ^H7725 that thou wouldest appoint ^H7896 me a set time, ^H2706 and remember ^H2142 me!

¹⁴ If a man ^H1397 die, ^H4191 shall he live ^H2421 again? all the days ^H3117 of my appointed time ^H6635 will I wait, ^H3176 till my change ^H2487 come. ^H935

¹⁵ Thou shalt call, ^H7121 and I will answer ^H6030 thee: thou wilt have a desire ^H3700 to the work ^H4639 of thine hands. ^H3027

¹⁶ For now thou numberest ^H5608 my steps: ^H6806 dost thou not watch ^H8104 over my sin? ^H2403

¹⁷ My transgression ^H6588 is sealed up ^H2856 in a bag, ^H6872 and thou sewest up ^H2950 mine iniquity. ^H5771

¹⁸ And surely ^H199 the mountain ^H2022 falling ^H5307 cometh to nought, ^H5034 and the rock ^H6697 is removed ^H6275 out of his place. ^H4725

¹⁹ The waters ^H4325 wear ^H7833 the stones: ^H68 thou washest away ^H7857 the things which grow ^H5599 out of the dust ^H6083 of the earth; ^H776 and thou destroyest ^H6 the hope ^H8615 of man. ^H582

²⁰ Thou prevailest ^H8630 for ever ^H5331 against him, and he passeth: ^H1980 thou changest ^H8138 his countenance, ^H6440 and sendest him away. ^H7971

²¹ His sons ^H1121 come to honour, ^H3513 and he knoweth ^H3045 it not; and they are brought low, ^H6819 but he perceiveth ^H995 it not of them.

²² But his flesh ^H1320 upon him shall have pain, ^H3510 and his soul ^H5315 within him shall mourn. ^H56

Job 14:1-22 American Standard (ASV)

¹ Man, that is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.

² He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

³ And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, And bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

⁵ Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

⁶ Look away from him, that he may rest, Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

⁷ For 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.

⁸ Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, And the stock thereof die in the ground;

⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰ But 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;

¹² So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.

¹³ Oh 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!

¹⁴ If a man die, shall he live `again'? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come.

¹⁵ Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee: Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands.

¹⁶ But now thou numberest my steps: Dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷ My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And thou fastenest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸ But the mountain falling cometh to nought; And the rock is removed out of its place;

¹⁹ The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man.

²⁰ Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

²¹ His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

²² But his flesh upon him hath pain, And his soul within him mourneth.

Job 14:1-22 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

¹ Man, born of woman! Of few days, and full of trouble!

² As a flower he hath gone forth, and is cut off, And he fleeth as a shadow and standeth not.

³ Also -- on this Thou hast opened Thine eyes, And dost bring me into judgment with Thee.

⁴ Who giveth a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

⁵ If determined are his days, The number of his months `are' with Thee, His limit Thou hast made, And he passeth not over;

⁶ Look away from off him that he may cease, Till he enjoy as an hireling his day.

⁷ For there is of a tree hope, if it be cut down, That again it doth change, That its tender branch doth not cease.

⁸ If its root becometh old in the earth, And its stem doth die in the dust,

⁹ From the fragrance of water it doth flourish, And hath made a crop as a plant.

¹⁰ And a man dieth, and becometh weak, And man expireth, and where `is' he?

¹¹ Waters have gone away from a sea, And a river becometh waste and dry.

¹² And man hath lain down, and riseth not, Till the wearing out of the heavens they awake not, Nor are roused from their sleep.

¹³ O that in Sheol Thou wouldst conceal me, Hide me till the turning of Thine anger, Set for me a limit, and remember me.

¹⁴ If a man dieth -- doth he revive? All days of my warfare I wait, till my change come.

¹⁵ Thou dost call, and I -- I answer Thee; To the work of Thy hands Thou hast desire.

¹⁶ But now, my steps Thou numberest, Thou dost not watch over my sin.

¹⁷ Sealed up in a bag `is' my transgression, And Thou sewest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸ And yet, a falling mountain wasteth away, And a rock is removed from its place.

¹⁹ Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.

²⁰ Thou prevailest `over' him for ever, and he goeth, He is changing his countenance, And Thou sendest him away.

²¹ Honoured are his sons, and he knoweth not; And they are little, and he attendeth not to them.

²² Only -- his flesh for him is pained, And his soul for him doth mourn.'

Job 14:1-22 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

¹ Man, born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.

² He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; and he fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not.

³ Yet dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

⁴ Who can bring a clean [man] out of the unclean? Not one!

⁵ If his days are determined, if the number of his months is with thee, [and] thou hast appointed his bounds which he must not pass,

⁶ Look away from him; and let him rest, till he accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

⁷ For there is hope for a tree: if it be cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender branch will not cease;

⁸ Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stock die in the ground,

⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a young plant.

¹⁰ But a man dieth, and is prostrate; yea, man expireth, and where is he?

¹¹ The waters recede from the lake, and the river wasteth and drieth up:

¹² So man lieth down, and riseth not again; till the heavens be no more, they do not awake, nor are raised out of their sleep.

¹³ Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, that thou wouldest keep me secret until thine anger be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me, --

¹⁴ (If a man die, shall he live [again]?) all the days of my time of toil would I wait, till my change should come:

¹⁵ Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee; thou wouldest have a desire after the work of thy hands.

¹⁶ For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

¹⁷ My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou heapest up mine iniquity.

¹⁸ And indeed a mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of its place;

¹⁹ The waters wear the stones, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

²⁰ Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth away; thou changest his countenance, and dismissest him.

²¹ His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, and he perceiveth it not.

²² But his flesh hath pain for himself alone, and his soul mourneth for himself.

Job 14:1-22 World English Bible (WEB)

¹ "Man, who is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble.

² He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn't continue.

³ Do you open your eyes on such a one, And bring me into judgment with you?

⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.

⁵ Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with you, And you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass;

⁶ Look 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.

⁸ Though the root of it grows old in the earth, And the stock of it dies in the ground;

⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant.

¹⁰ But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?

¹¹ As the waters fail from the sea, And the river wastes and dries up,

¹² So 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!

¹⁴ If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Until my release should come.

¹⁵ You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire to the work of your hands.

¹⁶ But now you number my steps. Don't you watch over my sin?

¹⁷ My 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;

¹⁹ The waters wear the stones; The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth: So you destroy the hope of man.

²⁰ You forever prevail against him, and he passes; You change his face, and send him away.

²¹ His sons come to honor, and he doesn't know it; They are brought low, but he doesn't perceive it of them.

²² But his flesh on him has pain; His soul within him mourns."

Job 14:1-22 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

¹ As for man, the son of woman, his days are short and full of trouble.

² He comes out like a flower, and is cut down: he goes in flight like a shade, and is never seen again.

³ Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him?

⁴ If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.

⁵ If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go;

⁶ Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment.

⁷ For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end.

⁸ Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust;

⁹ Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant.

¹⁰ But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he?

¹¹ The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry;

¹² So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.

¹³ If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again!

¹⁴ If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.

¹⁵ At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.

¹⁶ For now my steps are numbered by you, and my sin is not overlooked.

¹⁷ My wrongdoing is corded up in a bag, and my sin is shut up safe.

¹⁸ But truly a mountain falling comes to dust, and a rock is moved from its place;

¹⁹ The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

²⁰ You overcome him for ever, and he is gone; his face is changed in death, and you send him away.

²¹ His sons come to honour, and he has no knowledge of it; they are made low, but he is not conscious of it.

²² Only his flesh still has pain, and his soul is sad.

Commentary on Job 14 Matthew Henry Commentary

John Gill Keil & Delitzsch Robert Jamieson: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Chapter 14

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 (ch. 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 (v. 1).
- 2. Sorrowful (v. 1).
- 3. Sinful (v. 4).
- 4. Stinted (v. 5, 14).
II. Of man's death, that it puts a final period to our present life, to which we shall not again return (v. 7-12), that it hides us from the calamities of life (v. 13), destroys the hopes of life (v. 18, 19), sends us away from the business of life (v. 20), and keeps us in the dark concerning our relations in this life, how much soever we have formerly been in care about them (v. 21, 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 (v. 16, 17), begging that, in consideration of his frailty, he would not contend with him (v. 3), but grant him some respite (v. 6).
- 2. He engages himself to prepare for death (v. 14), and encourages himself to hope that it would be comfortable to him (v. 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.

Job 14:1-6

We are here led to think,

I. Of the original of human life. God is indeed its great original, for he breathed into man the breath of life and in him we live; but we date it from our birth, and thence we must date both its frailty and its pollution.
- 1. Its frailty: Man, that is born of a woman, is therefore of few days, v. 1. This may refer to the first woman, who was called Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Of her, who being deceived by the tempter was first in the transgression, we are all born, and consequently derive from her that sin and corruption which both shorten our days and sadden them. Or it may refer to every man's immediate mother. The woman is the weaker vessel, and we know that partus sequitur ventrem-the child takes after the mother. Let not the strong man therefore glory in his strength, or in the strength of his father, but remember that he is born of a woman, and that, when God pleases, the mighty men become as women, Jer. 51:30.
- 2. Its pollution (v. 4): Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? If man be born of a woman that is a sinner, how can it be otherwise than that he should be a sinner? See ch. 25:4. How can he be clean that is born of a woman? Clean children cannot come from unclean parents any more than pure streams from an impure spring or grapes from thorns. Our habitual corruption is derived with our nature from our parents, and is therefore bred in the bone. Our blood is not only attainted by a legal conviction, but tainted with an hereditary disease. Our Lord Jesus, being made sin for us, is said to be made of a woman, Gal. 4:4.
II. Of the nature of human life: it is a flower, it is a shadow, v. 2. The flower is fading, and all its beauty soon withers and is gone. The shadow is fleeting, and its very being will soon be lost and drowned in the shadows of the night. Of neither do we make any account; in neither do we put any confidence.
III. Of the shortness and uncertainty of human life: Man is of few days. Life is here computed, not by months or years, but by days, for we cannot be sure of any day but that it may be our last. These days are few, fewer than we think of, few at the most, in comparison with the days of the first patriarchs, much more in comparison with the days of eternity, but much fewer to most, who come short of what we call the age of man. Man sometimes no sooner comes forth than he is cut down-comes forth out of the womb than he dies in the cradle-comes forth into the world and enters into the business of it than he is hurried away as soon as he has laid his hand to the plough. If not cut down immediately, yet he flees as a shadow, and never continues in one stay, in one shape, but the fashion of it passes away; so does this world, and our life in it, 1 Co. 7:31.
IV. Of the calamitous state of human life. Man, as he is short-lived, so he is sad-lived. Though he had but a few days to spend here, yet, if he might rejoice in those few, it were well (a short life and a merry one is the boast of some); but it is not so. During these few days he is full of trouble, not only troubled, but full of trouble, either toiling or fretting, grieving or fearing. No day passes without some vexation, some hurry, some disorder or other. Those that are fond of the world shall have enough of it. He is satur tremore-full of commotion. The fewness of his days creates him a continual trouble and uneasiness in expectation of the period of them, and he always hangs in doubt of his life. Yet, since man's days are so full of trouble, it is well that they are few, that the soul's imprisonment in the body, and banishment from the Lord, are not perpetual, are not long. When we come to heaven our days will be many, and perfectly free from trouble, and in the mean time faith, hope, and love, balance the present grievances.
V. Of the sinfulness of human life, arising from the sinfulness of the human nature. So some understand that question (v. 4), Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?-a clean performance from an unclean principle? Note, Actual transgressions are the natural product of habitual corruption, which is therefore called original sin, because it is the original of all our sins. This holy Job here laments, as all that are sanctified do, running up the streams to the fountain (Ps. 51:5); and some think he intends it as a plea with God for compassion: "Lord, be not extreme to mark my sins of human frailty and infirmity, for thou knowest my weakness. O remember that I am flesh!' The Chaldee paraphrase has an observable reading of this verse: Who can make a man clean that is polluted with sin? Cannot one? that is, God. Or who but God, who is one, and will spare him? God, by his almighty grace, can change the skin of the Ethiopian, the skin of Job, though clothed with worms.
VI. Of the settled period of human life, v. 5.
- 1. Three things we are here assured of:-
  - (1.) That our life will come to an end; our days upon earth are not numberless, are not endless, no, they are numbered, and will soon be finished, Dan. 5:26.
  - (2.) That it is determined, in the counsel and decree of God, how long we shall live and when we shall die. The number of our months is with God, at the disposal of his power, which cannot be controlled, and under the view of his omniscience, which cannot be deceived. It is certain that God's providence has the ordering of the period of our lives; our times are in his hand. The powers of nature depend upon him, and act under him. In him we live and move. Diseases are his servants; he kills and makes alive. Nothing comes to pass by chance, no, not the execution done by a bow drawn at a venture. It is therefore certain that God's prescience has determined it before; for known unto God are all his works. Whatever he does he determined, yet with a regard partly to the settled course of nature (the end and the means are determined together) and to the settled rules of moral government, punishing evil and rewarding good in this life. We are no more governed by the Stoic's blind fate than by the Epicurean's blind fortune.
  - (3.) That the bounds God has fixed we cannot pass; for his counsels are unalterable, his foresight being infallible.
- 2. These considerations Job here urges as reasons,
  - (1.) Why God should not be so strict in taking cognizance of him and of his slips and failings (v. 3): "Since I have such a corrupt nature within, and am liable to so much trouble, which is a constant temptation from without, dost thou open thy eyes and fasten them upon such a one, extremely to mark what I do amiss? ch. 13:27. And dost thou bring me, such a worthless worm as I am, into judgment with thee who art so quick sighted to discover the least failing, so holy to hate it, so just to condemn it, and so mighty to punish it?' The consideration of our own inability to contend with God, of our own sinfulness and weakness, should engage us to pray, Lord, enter not into judgment with thy servant.
  - (2.) Why he should not be so severe in his dealings with him: "Lord, I have but a little time to live. I must certainly and shortly go hence, and the few days I have to spend here are, at the best, full of trouble. O let me have a little respite! v. 6. Turn from afflicting a poor creature thus, and let him rest awhile; allow him some breathing time, until he shall accomplish as a hireling his day. It is appointed to me once to die; let that one day suffice me, and let me not thus be continually dying, dying a thousand deaths. Let it suffice that my life, at best, is as the day of a hireling, a day of toil and labour. I am content to accomplish that, and will make the best of the common hardships of human life, the burden and heat of the day; but let me not feel those uncommon tortures, let not my life be as the day of a malefactor, all execution-day.' Thus may we find some relief under great troubles by recommending ourselves to the compassion of that God who knows our frame and will consider it, and our being out of frame too.

Job 14:7-15

We have seen what Job has to say concerning life; let us now see what he has to say concerning death, which his thoughts were very much conversant with, now that he was sick and sore. It is not unseasonable, when we are in health, to think of dying; but it is an inexcusable incogitancy if, when we are already taken into the custody of death's messengers, we look upon it as a thing at a distance. Job had already shown that death will come, and that its hour is already fixed. Now here he shows,

I. That death is a removal for ever out of this world. This he had spoken of before (ch. 7:9, 10), and now he mentions it again; for, though it be a truth that needs not be proved, yet it needs to be much considered, that it may be duly improved.
- 1. A man cut down by death will not revive again, as a tree cut down will. What hope there is of a tree he shows very elegantly, v. 7-9. If the body of the tree be cut down, and only the stem or stump left in the ground, though it seem dead and dry, yet it will shoot out young boughs again, as if it were but newly planted. The moisture of the earth and the rain of heaven are, as it were, scented and perceived by the stump of a tree, and they have an influence upon it to revive it; but the dead body of a man would not perceive them, nor be in the least affected by them. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, when his being deprived of the use of his reason was signified by the cutting down of a tree, his return to it again was signified by the leaving of the stump in the earth with a band of iron and brass to be wet with the dew of heaven, Dan. 4:15. But man has no such prospect of a return to life. The vegetable life is a cheap and easy thing: the scent of water will recover it. The animal life, in some insects and fowls, is so: the heat of the sun retrieves it. But the rational soul, when once retired, is too great, too noble, a thing to be recalled by any of the powers of nature; it is out of the reach of sun or rain, and cannot be restored but by the immediate operations of Omnipotence itself; for (v. 10) man dieth and wasteth, away, yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? Two words are here used for man:-Geber, a mighty man, though mighty, dies; Adam, a man of the earth, because earthy, gives up the ghost. Note, Man is a dying creature. He is here described by what occurs,
  - (1.) Before death: he wastes away; he is continually wasting, dying daily, spending upon the quick stock of life. Sickness and old age are wasting things to the flesh, the strength, the beauty.
  - (2.) In death: he gives up the ghost; the soul leaves the body, and returns to God who gave it, the Father of spirits.
  - (3.) After death: Where is he? He is not where he was; his place knows him no more; but is he nowhere? So some read it. Yes, he is somewhere; and it is a very awful consideration to think where those are that have given up the ghost, and where we shall be when we give it up. It has gone to the world of spirits, gone into eternity, gone to return no more to this world.
- 2. A man laid down in the grave will not rise up again, v. 11, 12. Every night we lie down to sleep, and in the morning we awake and rise again; but at death we must lie down in the grave, not to awake or rise again to such a world, such a state, as we are now in, never to awake or arise until the heavens, the faithful measures of time, shall be no more, and consequently time itself shall come to an end and be swallowed up in eternity; so that the life of man may fitly be compared to the waters of a land-flood, which spread far and make a great show, but they are shallow, and when they are cut off from the sea or river, the swelling and overflowing of which was the cause of them, they soon decay and dry up, and their place knows them no more. The waters of life are soon exhaled and disappear. The body, like some of those waters, sinks and soaks into the earth, and is buried there; the soul, like others of them, is drawn upwards, to mingle with the waters above the firmament. The learned Sir Richard Blackmore makes this also to be a dissimilitude. If the waters decay and be dried up in the summer, yet they will return again in the winter; but it is not so with the life of man. Take part of his paraphrase in his own words:-
  - A flowing river, or a standing lake,
  - May their dry banks and naked shores forsake;
  - Their waters may exhale and upward move,
  - Their channel leave to roll in clouds above;
  - But the returning water will restore
  - What in the summer they had lost before:
  - But if, O man! thy vital streams desert
  - Their purple channels and defraud the heart,
  - With fresh recruits they ne'er will be supplied,
  - Nor feel their leaping life's returning tide.
II. That yet there will be a return of man to life again in another world, at the end of time, when the heavens are no more. Then they shall awake and be raised out of their sleep. The resurrection of the dead was doubtless an article of Job's creed, as appears, ch. 19:26, and to that, it should seem, he has an eye here, where, in the belief of that, we have three things:-
- 1. A humble petition for a hiding-place in the grave, v. 13. It was not only a passionate weariness of this life that he wished to die, but in a pious assurance of a better life, to which at length he should arise. O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave! The grave is not only a resting-place, but a hiding-place, to the people of God. God has the key of the grave, to let in now and to let out at the resurrection. He hides men in the grave, as we hide our treasure in a place of secresy and safety; and he who hides will find, and nothing shall be lost. "O that thou wouldst hide me, not only from the storms and troubles of this life, but for the bliss and glory of a better life! Let me lie in the grave, reserved for immortality, in secret from all the world, but not from thee, not from those eyes which saw my substance when first curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth,' Ps. 139:15, 16. There let me lie,
  - (1.) Until thy wrath be past. As long as the bodies of the saints lie in the grave, so long there are some remains of that wrath which they were by nature children of, so long they are under some of the effects of sin; but, when the body is raised, it is wholly past-death, the last enemy, will then be totally destroyed.
  - (2.) Until the set time comes for my being remembered, as Noah was remembered in the ark (Gen. 8:1), where God not only hid him from the destruction of the old world, but reserved him for the reparation of a new world. The bodies of the saints shall not be forgotten in the grave. There is a time appointed, a time set, for their being enquired after. We cannot be sure that we shall look through the darkness of our present troubles and see good days after them in this world; but, if we can but get well to the grave, we may with an eye of faith look through the darkness of that, as Job here, and see better days on the other side of it, in a better world.
- 2. A holy resolution patiently to attend the will of God both in his death and his resurrection (v. 14): If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait until my change come. Job's friends proving miserable comforters, he set himself to be the more his own comforter. His case was now bad, but he pleases himself with the expectation of a change. I think it cannot be meant of his return to a prosperous condition in this world. His friends indeed flattered him with the hopes of that, but he himself all along despaired of it. Comforts founded upon uncertainties at best must needs be uncertain comforts; and therefore, no doubt, it is something more sure than that which he here bears up himself with the expectation of. The change he waits for must therefore be understood either,
  - (1.) Of the change of the resurrection, when the vile body shall be changed (Phil. 3:21), and a great and glorious change it will be; and then that question, If a man die, shall he live again? must be taken by way of admiration. "Strange! Shall these dry bones live! If so, all the time appointed for the continuance of the separation between soul and body my separate soul shall wait until that change comes, when it shall be united again to the body, and my flesh also shall rest in hope.' Ps. 16:9. Or,
  - (2.) Of the change at death. "If a man die, shall he live again? No, not such a life as he now lives; and therefore I will patiently wait until that change comes which will put a period to my calamities, and not impatiently wish for the anticipation of it, as I have done.' Observe here,
    - [1.] That it is a serious thing to die; it is a work by itself. It is a change; there is a visible change in the body, its appearance altered, its actions brought to an end, but a greater change with the soul, which quits the body, and removes to the world of spirits, finishes its state of probation and enters upon that of retribution. This change will come, and it will be a final change, not like the transmutations of the elements, which return to their former state. No, we must die, not thus to live again. It is but once to die, and that had need be well done that is to be done but once. An error here is fatal, conclusive, and not again to be rectified.
    - [2.] That therefore it is the duty of every one of us to wait for that change, and to continue waiting all the days of our appointed time. The time of life is an appointed time; that time is to be reckoned by days; and those days are to be spent in waiting for our change. That is,
      - First, We must expect that it will come, and think much of it.
      - Secondly, We must desire that it would come, as those that long to be with Christ.
      - Thirdly, We must be willing to tarry until it does come, as those that believe God's time to be the best.
      - Fourthly, We must give diligence to get ready against it comes, that it may be a blessed change to us.
- 3. A joyful expectation of bliss and satisfaction in this (v. 15): Then thou shalt call, and I will answer thee. Now, he was under such a cloud that he could not, he durst not, answer (ch. 9:15, 35; 13:22); but he comforted himself with this, that there would come a time when God would call and he should answer. Then, that is,
  - (1.) At the resurrection, "Thou shalt call me out of the grave, by the voice of the archangel, and I will answer and come at the call.' The body is the work of God's hands, and he will have a desire to that, having prepared a glory for it. Or,
  - (2.) At death: "Thou shalt call my body to the grave, and my soul to thyself, and I will answer, Ready, Lord, ready-Coming, coming; here I am.' Gracious souls can cheerfully answer death's summons, and appear to his writ. Their spirits are not forcibly required from them (as Lu. 12:20), but willingly resigned by them, and the earthly tabernacle not violently pulled down, but voluntarily laid down, with this assurance, "Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thy hands. Thou hast mercy in store for me, not only as made by thy providence, but new-made by thy grace;' otherwise he that made them will not save them. Note, Grace in the soul is the work of God's own hands, and therefore he will not forsake it in this world (Ps. 138:8), but will have a desire to it, to perfect it in the other, and to crown it with endless glory.

Job 14:16-22

Job here returns to his complaints; and, though he is not without hope of future bliss, he finds it very hard to get over his present grievances.

I. He complains of the particular hardships he apprehended himself under from the strictness of God's justice, v. 16, 17. Therefore he longed to go hence to that world where God's wrath will be past, because now he was under the continual tokens of it, as a child, under the severe discipline of the rod, longs to be of age. "When shall my change come? For now thou seemest to me to number my steps, and watch over my sin, and seal it up in a bag, as bills of indictment are kept safely, to be produced against the prisoner.' See Deu. 32:34. "Thou takest all advantages against me; old scores are called over, every infirmity is animadverted upon, and no sooner is a false step taken than I am beaten for it.' Now,
- 1. Job does right to the divine justice in owning that he smarted for his sins and transgressions, that he had done enough to deserve all that was laid upon him; for there was sin in all his steps, and he was guilty of transgression enough to bring all this ruin upon him, if it were strictly enquired into: he is far from saying that he perishes being innocent. But,
- 2. He does wrong to the divine goodness in suggesting that God was extreme to mark what he did amiss, and made the worst of every thing. He spoke to this purport, ch. 13:27. It was unadvisedly said, and therefore we will not dwell too much upon it. God does indeed see all our sins; he sees sin in his own people; but he is not severe in reckoning with us, nor is the law ever stretched against us, but we are punished less than our iniquities deserve. God does indeed seal and sew up, against the day of wrath, the transgression of the impenitent, but the sins of his people he blots out as a cloud.
II. He complains of the wasting condition of mankind in general. We live in a dying world. Who knows the power of God's anger, by which we are consumed and troubled, and in which all our days are passed away? See Ps. 90:7-9, 11. And who can bear up against his rebukes? Ps. 39:11.
- 1. We see the decays of the earth itself.
  - (1.) Of the strongest parts of it, v. 18. Nothing will last always, for we see even mountains moulder and come to nought; they wither and fall as a leaf; rocks wax old and pass away by the continual beating of the sea against them. The waters wear the stones with constant dropping, non vi, sed saepe cadendo-not by the violence, but by the constancy with which they fall. On this earth every thing is the worse for the wearing. Tempus edax rerum-Time devours all things. It is not so with the heavenly bodies.
  - (2.) Of the natural products of it. The things which grow out of the earth, and seem to be firmly rooted in it, are sometimes by an excess of rain washed away, v. 19. Some think he pleads this for relief: "Lord, my patience will not hold out always; even rocks and mountains will fail at last; therefore cease the controversy.'
- 2. No marvel then if we see the decays of man upon the earth, for he is of the earth, earthy. Job begins to think his case is not singular, and therefore he ought to reconcile himself to the common lot. We perceive by many instances,
  - (1.) How vain it is to expect much from the enjoyments of life: "Thou destroyest the hope of man,' that is, "puttest an end to all the projects he had framed and all the prospects of satisfaction he had flattered himself with.' Death will be the destruction of all those hopes which are built upon worldly confidences and confined to worldly comforts. Hope in Christ, and hope in heaven, death will consummate and not destroy.
  - (2.) How vain it is to struggle against the assaults of death (v. 20): Thou prevailest for ever against him. Note, Man is an unequal match for God. Whom God contends with he will certainly prevail against, prevail for ever against so that they shall never be able to make head again. Note further, The stroke of death is irresistible; it is to no purpose to dispute its summons. God prevails against man and he passes away, and lo he is not. Look upon a dying man, and see,
    - [1.] How his looks are altered: Thou changest his countenance, and this in two ways:-
      - First, By the disease of his body. When a man has been a few days sick what a change is there in his countenance! How much more when he has been a few minutes dead! The countenance which was majestic and awful becomes mean and despicable-that was lovely and amiable becomes ghastly and frightful. Bury my dead out of my sight. Where then is the admired beauty? Death changes the countenance, and then sends us away out of this world, gives us one dismission hence, never to return.
      - Secondly, By the discomposure of his mind. Note, The approach of death will make the strongest and stoutest to change countenance; it will make the most merry smiling countenance to look grave and serious, and the most bold daring countenance to look pale and timorous.
    - [2.] How little he is concerned in the affairs of his family, which once lay so near his heart. When he is in the hands of the harbingers of death, suppose struck with a palsy or apoplexy, or delirious in a fever, or in conflict with death, tell him then the most agreeable news, or the most painful, concerning his children, it is all alike, he knows it not, he perceives it not, v. 21. He is going to that world where he will be a perfect stranger to all those things which here filled and affected him. The consideration of this should moderate our cares concerning our children and families. God will know what comes of them when we are gone. To him therefore let us commit them, with him let us leave them, and not burden ourselves with needless fruitless cares concerning them.
    - [3.] How dreadful the agonies of death are (v. 22): While his flesh is upon him (so it may be read), that is, the body he is so loth to lay down,: it shall have pain; and while his soul is within him, that is, the spirit he is so loth to resign, it shall mourn. Note, Dying work is hard work; dying pangs are, commonly, sore pangs. It is folly therefore for men to defer their repentance to a death-bed, and to have that to do which is the one thing needful when they are really unfit to do any thing: but it is true wisdom by making our peace with God in Christ and keeping a good conscience, to treasure up comforts which will support and relieve us against the pains and sorrows of a dying hour.

Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Job » Chapter 14