if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just facing death; he's embracing it with a profound sense of kinship, calling corruption his father and the worm his mother and sister. This isn't resignation; it's a desperate embrace of the only "family" that seems left to him in his suffering, highlighting the depth of his isolation and his grim acceptance of decay.
if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is in the depths of despair, feeling completely abandoned by God and misunderstood by his friends, who continue to accuse him of hidden sin. He's grappling with overwhelming physical suffering and the agonizing question of why this is happening. In his profound distress, he feels a chilling kinship with death and decay, seeing them as his only remaining "relatives."
Job is in deep despair, feeling utterly alone. He uses shocking language to describe his perceived connection to the grave.
In Job 17:14, Job declares the grave and the worms that inhabit it as his father, mother, and sister. This isn't just a morbid fascination; it's a profound expression of his psychological and physical suffering.
A Father's Welcome
He calls corruption (the pit, the grave) his father. This signifies a desire for the grave's embrace, seeing it as a place of rest and refuge from his pain. It's like a child longing for the security and acceptance of a father, but in this case, it's a welcome into dissolution.
A Mother's Nurture, A Sister's Bond
He calls the worm his mother and sister. This is an even more intimate and unsettling connection. It highlights how closely Job feels aligned with the process of decay and death. His body is so consumed by disease and suffering that he sees himself as part of this natural, albeit gruesome, cycle of decomposition. He feels an almost familial bond with the very things that consume the dead.
Job's words paint a picture of ultimate isolation, where the only 'family' left is the decaying matter of the earth.
Job's declaration isn't just about his physical state; it's about his profound sense of abandonment.
Belonging to the Pit
By calling corruption his 'father,' Job expresses a sense of destiny. He feels his origin and his end are inextricably linked to the grave. It's as if his entire existence is leading him back to this final resting place, and he feels an undeniable kinship with it. He's not just to the grave; he to it.
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Intimate Union with Decay
Calling the worm his 'mother' and 'sister' intensifies this. These are roles of nurture, intimacy, and close relationship. Job feels so consumed by decay that he sees himself as intimately united with the process of decomposition. He is, in his own estimation, one of them. This vivid, visceral language underscores his feeling that all human connection has failed him, leaving only the finality of the tomb as his true family.
Understand the original words
shachat · Hebrew Noun
A term often used metaphorically for the grave or the underworld, representing the depth of destruction, corruption, or the end of earthly existence.
rimmah · Hebrew Noun
Often used in the context of the grave or physical decay, symbolizing the corruption of the human body after death and the utter humiliation or mortality of man.
This Psalm echoes Job's sentiment of being forsaken and scorned, describing the speaker as 'a worm and not a man,' highlighting the profound humiliation and lowliness experienced.
Isaiah 14:11This passage vividly depicts the ultimate fate of the proud king, whose pomp is brought down to the grave, where 'maggots are spread over him and worms cover him,' reflecting the commonality of corruption and decay.
Matthew 27:51-53This passage describes the resurrection of saints accompanying Christ's, showing that the grave and its corruption are not the end of God's power, offering a powerful contrast to Job's despair.
Philippians 3:21Paul speaks of Christ transforming our 'lowly body' to be like his glorious body, pointing to a future redemption from corruption and decay, which offers hope beyond the grave that Job was struggling to see.
clarkeJob 17:14: "I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister."
I have said to corruption - I came from a corrupted stock, and I must go to corruption again. The Hebrew might be thus rendered: To the ditch I have called, Thou art my father. To the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister. I am in the nearest state of affinity to dissolution and corruption: I may well call them my nearest relations, as I shall soon be blended with them.
bensonJob 17:14: "I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister."
Job 17:14-15 . I have said to corruption — Hebrew, קראתי , karati, I have called to corruption; to the grave, where the body will be dissolved and become corrupt. Thou art my father — I am near akin to thee, being formed out of thee, and thou wilt receive and embrace me, and keep me in thy house as parents do their children. To the worm, Thou art my mother and my sister — A near relation,…
Job isn't just facing death; he's embracing it with a profound sense of kinship, calling corruption his father and the worm his mother and sister. This isn't resignation; it's a desperate embrace of the only "family" that seems left to him in his suffering, highlighting the depth of his isolation and his grim acceptance of decay.
Job is in the depths of despair, feeling completely abandoned by God and misunderstood by his friends, who continue to accuse him of hidden sin. He's grappling with overwhelming physical suffering and the agonizing question of why this is happening. In his profound distress, he feels a chilling kinship with death and decay, seeing them as his only remaining "relatives."
Job is in the depths of despair, feeling completely abandoned by God and misunderstood by his friends, who continue to accuse him of hidden sin. He's grappling with overwhelming physical suffering and the agonizing question of why this is happening. In his profound distress, he feels a chilling kinship with death and decay, seeing them as his only remaining "relatives."
"if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’" — Job isn't just facing death; he's embracing it with a profound sense of kinship, calling corruption his father and the worm his mother and sister. This isn't resignation; it's a desperate embrace of…
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Last reviewed October 2026