Job 14:1
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job 14:1
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The phrase "born of a woman" isn't just a statement of human origin; it subtly points to inherent frailty, suggesting that our very beginning with a "weaker vessel" predisposes us to a life that's both brief and easily broken. This highlights that life's troubles aren't external accidents but are woven into the fabric of our existence from the start.
Having declared his intention to confront God, Job now shifts his focus from his personal suffering to the universal misery of humankind. He begins by lamenting the inherent frailty and brevity of human life, a condition he attributes to our birth from a woman. This declaration serves as an introduction to his musings on death and the possibility of rest in the grave, before he eventually turns back to a direct appeal to God.
Ever feel like you're just trying to keep it together? Job reminds us this isn't a personal failing, but a fundamental aspect of being human.
Job kicks off this chapter by painting a stark picture of human existence. He says, 'Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.' This isn't just a poetic lament; it's a foundational truth about our physical reality.
The Frailty of Origin
Life can feel like a constant uphill battle. Job’s words resonate with this feeling, but why does trouble seem so inescapable?
The second part of Job's declaration, 'full of trouble,' isn't an exaggeration; it's a profound observation about the human condition.
What 'Full of Trouble' Means
Understand the original words
adam · Hebrew Noun
General term for humanity, often emphasizing the frailty, mortality, and physical nature of humans as distinct from God.
rogez · Hebrew Noun
A state of distress, suffering, agitation, or toil; often used to describe the painful consequences of the fall or the inherent difficulties of life in a fallen world.
This Psalm echoes Job's sentiment directly, stating the typical lifespan is 'seventy years, or by reason of strength eighty,' highlighting the brevity of human existence. It reinforces the 'few of days' aspect of Job's complaint.
Genesis 47:9Jacob's own words to Pharaoh, 'few and evil have been the days of the years of my life,' perfectly capture the 'full of trouble' and 'few of days' reality that Job is expressing about the human condition.
Ecclesiastes 1:2The Preacher's declaration, 'Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity,' resonates with Job's profound sense of the futility and transient nature of human life, which is characterized by hardship.
Luke 12:25Jesus' question, 'And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his lifespan?' speaks to the inherent anxieties and troubles that plague human life, often without any real power to alter its course or duration.
jfbJob 14:1: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."
CHAPTER 14Job 14:1-22. Job Passes from His Own to the Common Misery of Mankind.1. woman—feeble, and in the East looked down upon (Ge 2:21). Man being born of one so frail must be frail himself (Mt 11:11).few days—(Ge 47:9; Ps 90:10). Literally, "short of days." Man is the reverse of full of days and short of trouble.
clarkeJob 14:1: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble."
Man - born of a woman - There is a delicacy in the original, not often observed: אדם ילוד אשה Adam yelud ishah, "Adam born of a woman, few of days, and full of tremor." Adam, who did not spring from woman, but was immediately formed by God, had many days, for he lived nine hundred and thirty years; during which time neither sin nor death had multiplied in the earth, as they were found in the days of Job. But the Adam…
The phrase "born of a woman" isn't just a statement of human origin; it subtly points to inherent frailty, suggesting that our very beginning with a "weaker vessel" predisposes us to a life that's both brief and easily broken. This highlights that life's troubles aren't external accidents but are woven into the fabric of our existence from the start.
Having declared his intention to confront God, Job now shifts his focus from his personal suffering to the universal misery of humankind. He begins by lamenting the inherent frailty and brevity of human life, a condition he attributes to our birth from a woman. This declaration serves as an introduction to his musings on death and the possibility of rest in the grave, before he eventually turns back to a direct appeal to God.
Having declared his intention to confront God, Job now shifts his focus from his personal suffering to the universal misery of humankind. He begins by lamenting the inherent frailty and brevity of human life, a condition he attributes to our birth from a woman. This declaration serves as an introduction to his musings on death and the possibility of rest in the grave, before he eventually turns back to a direct appeal to God.
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Given our fragile state, how should we approach God, and how should He approach us?
Job isn't just stating facts about humanity; he's laying the groundwork for an argument. His description of mankind’s frailty and constant struggle serves a vital purpose in his dialogue with God.
The Logic of Lament
"“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble." — The phrase "born of a woman" isn't just a statement of human origin; it subtly points to inherent frailty, suggesting that our very beginning with a "weaker vessel" predisposes us to a life that's bo…