Job 14:17 Meaning and Explanation
“My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Job pictures his sins gathered, sealed in a bag, and carefully kept as if for the day of reckoning.
What Does Job 14:17 Mean?
Job extends the image of being watched. He imagines his transgressions counted like coins, sealed in a bag, and his iniquity stitched up for safekeeping, nothing lost, nothing overlooked. It is the picture of a record kept against him, every fault preserved.
Job feels the dread of sin that will not simply go away. Yet the very longing of this chapter cries out for a different ending, where the sealed bag is opened not for condemnation but for pardon. What Job fears is stored up, the gospel proclaims is taken away. In Christ, transgression sealed against us is instead blotted out, and the record once kept is nailed to the cross and canceled forever.
Job 14:17 in the Original Language
pesha (פֶּשַׁע), 'transgression' -- rebellion, a deliberate breaking of trust or covenant.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 14:17
What does Job 14:17 mean?
Job pictures his sins gathered, sealed in a bag, and carefully kept as if for the day of reckoning.