Chapter 14
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Man 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.
13O 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.
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
Overview
Job meditates on the brevity and frailty of human life, comparing man to a flower that is cut down and a shadow that flees away. He observes that a tree has hope when cut down because it may sprout again, but when man dies, he lies down and rises not until the heavens pass away. He expresses a fragile hope that God might hide him in the grave and remember him after His wrath has passed.
Key Themes
The Brevity of Life
Human life is short, troubled, and fleeting like a flower or a shadow, making every day precious and the question of meaning urgent.
The Longing for Life After Death
Job's question 'If a man die, shall he live again?' (v. 14) is one of the most profound questions in all of Scripture, reaching toward the hope of resurrection.
The Limits of Human Existence
Unlike a tree that can sprout again, human death appears final from Job's perspective, heightening the tragedy of mortality.
Study Questions
How does Job's question 'If a man die, shall he live again?' (v. 14) express the deepest human longing?
What does the comparison between a tree and a man (vv. 7-12) teach about death?
How does Job's glimmer of hope for life beyond the grave (vv. 13-15) anticipate resurrection faith?
How should the brevity of life shape how we spend our days?
What does this chapter teach about the honesty of struggling with mortality?
Connection to Christ
Job's aching question 'If a man die, shall he live again?' receives its definitive answer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Christ rose from the dead, the believer's hope is not a fragile wish but a certain promise: 'Because I live, ye shall live also' (John 14:19).
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Job 14. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?