Job 14:7 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Job observes that even a felled tree holds hope: it can sprout again and send out new branches.
What Does Job 14:7 Mean?
Job now reaches for a hopeful image before turning it against himself. A tree, though cut to the stump, is not finished; given time it can sprout once more and put forth tender shoots. The picture would have been familiar to anyone who watched olive or terebinth stumps spring back to life.
Job lifts up this resilience deliberately, for he is about to ask whether a human being has the same hope. The very fact that he reaches for the image shows a heart straining toward life beyond loss. Scripture itself takes the cut-down stump and turns it into a promise, for from the stump of Jesse a Branch would grow, and in Him the hope Job longs for is secured.
Job 14:7 in the Original Language
tiqvah (תִּקְוָה), 'hope' -- expectation that looks forward, the same root as a cord stretched toward something.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 14:7
What does Job 14:7 mean?
Job observes that even a felled tree holds hope: it can sprout again and send out new branches.