Job Chapter 13 · Verse 14
Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
Original Language Analysis
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
1 of 8
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
מָ֤ה׀
H4100
מָ֤ה׀
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
2 of 8
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
אֶשָּׂ֣א
Wherefore do I take
H5375
אֶשָּׂ֣א
Wherefore do I take
Strong's:
H5375
Word #:
3 of 8
to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relative
בְשָׂרִ֣י
my flesh
H1320
בְשָׂרִ֣י
my flesh
Strong's:
H1320
Word #:
4 of 8
flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man
בְשִׁנָּ֑י
in my teeth
H8127
בְשִׁנָּ֑י
in my teeth
Strong's:
H8127
Word #:
5 of 8
a tooth (as sharp); specifically ivory; figuratively, a cliff
וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י
my life
H5315
וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י
my life
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
6 of 8
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
Cross References
Judges 12:3And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?Psalms 119:109My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.Job 18:4He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?Ecclesiastes 4:5The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.1 Samuel 28:21And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.1 Samuel 19:5For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
Historical Context
Ancient wisdom literature typically counseled caution and acceptance before divine decrees. Job's defiant questioning represents a radical departure—he risks divine annihilation to demand justice. This theological audacity prefigures Israel's wrestling tradition (Genesis 32:22-32, Habakkuk 1-2).
Questions for Reflection
- What would it look like for you to 'put your life in your hand' in radical trust of God's justice?
- How does Job's willingness to risk everything contrast with comfortable, risk-free faith?
- When have you had to choose between safe silence and dangerous honesty before God?
Analysis & Commentary
Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? (עַל־מָה אֶשָּׂא בְשָׂרִי בְשִׁנָּי, al-mah essa besari veshinai)—This vivid idiom pictures a wild animal carrying prey in its teeth—absolute vulnerability and risk. Job asks rhetorically why he would stake everything (his very 'flesh') on confronting God, yet verse 15 answers: 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.'
And put my life in mine hand (וְנַפְשִׁי אָשִׂים בְּכַפִּי, ve-nafshi asim be-khapi)—Nefesh (soul/life/being) 'in my hand' means holding one's life as a fragile, expendable thing. This phrase appears in Judges 12:3 and 1 Samuel 19:5 of warriors risking death in battle. Job's lawsuit against God is spiritual warfare requiring ultimate courage—he wages his soul itself.