“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "born of a woman" isn't just about human reproduction; it points to our inherent frailty, emphasizing that our very origin is tied to weakness. This sets the stage for understanding why life is so brief and fraught with difficulty – it's not an accident, but a fundamental condition of our existence.
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job, feeling overwhelmed by his own suffering, shifts his focus from his personal plight to the universal human condition. He reflects on the inherent frailty and brevity of life for all people, born of women, a stark contrast to his previous, more individualistic laments. This broader perspective sets the stage for his meditations on mortality and the desire for rest in the grave.
Have you ever felt like life is just… a lot? Job starts his lament by pointing to something fundamental about being human. It's not just you or me; it's the very nature of our existence.
The Echo of Frailty
Job opens with a profound statement: "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble." This isn't just a poetic observation; it's a foundational truth about our human condition. The phrase "born of a woman" highlights our inherent dependence and vulnerability from the very beginning. Unlike the first man, Adam, who was directly formed by God, all subsequent humanity comes into the world through the natural, and therefore fragile, process of birth.
This isn't to diminish women, but to emphasize the delicate and often difficult journey of human conception and birth. It points to a shared vulnerability that characterizes all of humanity. Our existence is immediately marked by limits – "few of days." Life, in the grand scheme of things, is a fleeting season. And within those short days, we are "full of trouble," implying not just occasional difficulties, but a pervasive state of unrest, anxiety, and sorrow.
Life throws curveballs, we all know that. But Job uses a powerful phrase to describe our existence. What does it truly mean to be 'full of trouble'?
More Than Just Bad Luck
The phrase "full of trouble" (or "full of tremor" in some translations) isn't just about experiencing hardship. It speaks to a deep-seated disquiet and inner turmoil. It suggests a life characterized by anxiety, fears, and a constant state of agitation, whether mental or physical.
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This fullness of trouble is intensified by the shortness of our days. We are fragile beings, quickly withering like grass. This brevity means that the troubles we face often feel disproportionately heavy, with little time to recover or find lasting peace. It's a life perpetually on the edge of distress, a wearisome pilgrimage, as some commentators noted, regardless of outward prosperity.
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 directly echoes Job's sentiment, stating that the typical human lifespan is seventy years, or eighty if one is strong, and that these years are often filled with toil and sorrow, underscoring the brevity and hardship of life.
Genesis 47:9Jacob's own words to Pharaoh exemplify this verse, as he describes his own long life as 'few and evil,' highlighting the universal experience of trouble throughout a human lifetime, no matter its length.
Ecclesiastes 1:2This verse, 'Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity,' sets a similar tone of existential weariness and the perceived futility of human endeavors in the face of life's brevity and troubles.
1 Peter 1:24Peter quotes Isaiah to emphasize human transience, stating that 'all flesh is like grass and its glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers; the flower falls,' powerfully illustrating the frailty and short-lived nature of humanity.
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 about human reproduction; it points to our inherent frailty, emphasizing that our very origin is tied to weakness. This sets the stage for understanding why life is so brief and fraught with difficulty – it's not an accident, but a fundamental condition of our existence.
Job, feeling overwhelmed by his own suffering, shifts his focus from his personal plight to the universal human condition. He reflects on the inherent frailty and brevity of life for all people, born of women, a stark contrast to his previous, more individualistic laments. This broader perspective sets the stage for his meditations on mortality and the desire for rest in the grave.
Job, feeling overwhelmed by his own suffering, shifts his focus from his personal plight to the universal human condition. He reflects on the inherent frailty and brevity of life for all people, born of women, a stark contrast to his previous, more individualistic laments. This broader perspective sets the stage for his meditations on mortality and the desire for rest in the grave.
"“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble." — The phrase "born of a woman" isn't just about human reproduction; it points to our inherent frailty, emphasizing that our very origin is tied to weakness. This sets the stage for understanding why li…
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Last reviewed October 2026