Job 14:12 Meaning and Explanation
“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Job says the dead lie down and do not rise until the heavens themselves pass away.
What Does Job 14:12 Mean?
Completing the image of failing waters, Job describes death as a sleep from which there is no rising within the ordinary course of life. He marks the limit with a vast phrase, "till the heavens be no more," pointing past the present age to some final boundary of the world as we know it.
Job's words sound like despair, yet they hold a hidden seam of hope. By tying the sleep of death to the end of the heavens, he hints that there is a horizon beyond which God may yet act. Scripture later fills that horizon with promise: a day when the dead in Christ will be raised and the sleepers will awake. Job's sleep is real, but it is not the end of the story.
Job 14:12 in the Original Language
shenah (שֵׁנָה), 'sleep' -- rest in death, a tender word Scripture uses for those who await awakening.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 14:12
What does Job 14:12 mean?
Job says the dead lie down and do not rise until the heavens themselves pass away.