Job 14:22
He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job 14:22
He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse highlights the profound self-absorption of human suffering: when we are in pain, our attention is so consumed by our own body and grief that we are largely unaware of, or unable to engage with, anything outside ourselves. This isn't just about physical pain, but the soul's deep mourning, emphasizing how our personal anguish can create a complete inward focus.
Job has been lamenting the general misery of human life and the inevitability of death, questioning God's justice. This verse concludes his reflections on the brevity and suffering of existence, emphasizing that when a person dies, they are completely consumed by their own physical pain and inner grief, unaware of anything beyond their personal suffering.
Job's words paint a stark picture of the dying process. What does this verse reveal about the ultimate focus of human experience in suffering?
Job 14:22 powerfully asserts that in the face of death and extreme suffering, a person's attention becomes intensely self-focused.
The Singular Sufferer
The verse states, 'his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.' This isn't just about physical pain; it encompasses the entirety of human experience – body and spirit.
This intense inward focus means that even surrounding joys or sorrows of loved ones fade into the background. The suffering individual is largely consumed by their own experience.
How can flesh and soul 'mourn' or 'feel pain' when a person is dead? Explore the poetic language Job uses.
Job employs a literary device called personification, giving human qualities to non-human things. The 'flesh' and 'soul' are described as actively experiencing pain and mourning.
A Poetic Description of Death's Reality
While the literal understanding of a dead body feeling pain is impossible, Job's language powerfully conveys the experience of death from a human perspective.
Understand the original words
ke'eb · Hebrew Noun
Physical or mental anguish, suffering, or toil; it often refers to the sorrow or trouble associated with the effects of the Fall and human limitation.
basar · Hebrew Noun
A physical form or the totality of a person's existence; often used to describe the mortal nature of humans, subject to frailty, corruption, and mortality.
abal · Hebrew Verb
To lament, wail, or express profound sorrow; it characterizes the act of grieving over loss, death, or judgment, often signaling a state of despair or repentance.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment by describing all of creation groaning and experiencing pain, drawing a parallel to the inherent suffering present in the physical world.
Ecclesiastes 1:2The somber realization that 'all is vanity' in Ecclesiastes resonates with Job's conclusion about the self-absorbed misery of human existence, emphasizing the futility of earthly concerns when facing mortality.
Philippians 3:19Paul speaks of those whose 'minds are set on earthly things,' which contrasts sharply with Job's intense self-focus, highlighting the destructive nature of a life consumed by personal pain and sorrow rather than divine hope.
Luke 16:23The parable of the rich man and Lazarus depicts a state of conscious suffering in the afterlife, which aligns with the idea in Job of an individual's persistent mourning and pain, even in a separated existence.
clarkeJob 14:22: "But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn."
But his flesh upon him shall have pain - The sum of the life of man is this, pain of body and distress of soul; and he is seldom without the one or the other, and often oppressed by both. Thus ends Job's discourse on the miserable state and condition of man. The last verse of the preceding chapter has been differently translated and explained. Mr. Good's version is the following, which he vindicates in a l…
pooleJob 14:22: "But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn."
This is man’s condition; he is miserable both when he dies, because he dies without hope of returning to life, as he had discoursed before; and (as he now adds) whilst he lives, whilst his flesh is upon him, and his soul within him ; whilst the soul is clothed with or united to the body, he feels sharp pain in his body, and bitter grief in his soul. Seeing therefore the state of man upon earth is so vain a…
The verse highlights the profound self-absorption of human suffering: when we are in pain, our attention is so consumed by our own body and grief that we are largely unaware of, or unable to engage with, anything outside ourselves. This isn't just about physical pain, but the soul's deep mourning, emphasizing how our personal anguish can create a complete inward focus.
Job has been lamenting the general misery of human life and the inevitability of death, questioning God's justice. This verse concludes his reflections on the brevity and suffering of existence, emphasizing that when a person dies, they are completely consumed by their own physical pain and inner grief, unaware of anything beyond their personal suffering.
Job has been lamenting the general misery of human life and the inevitability of death, questioning God's justice. This verse concludes his reflections on the brevity and suffering of existence, emphasizing that when a person dies, they are completely consumed by their own physical pain and inner grief, unaware of anything beyond their personal suffering.
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This personification makes the abstract concept of death intensely real and relatable, emphasizing the complete absorption of the dying individual in their own final moments.
"He feels only the pain of his own body, and he mourns only for himself.”" — The verse highlights the profound self-absorption of human suffering: when we are in pain, our attention is so consumed by our own body and grief that we are largely unaware of, or unable to engage w…