Job 14:1
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
Original Language Analysis
אָ֭דָם
Man
H120
אָ֭דָם
Man
Strong's:
H120
Word #:
1 of 7
ruddy i.e., a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
יְל֣וּד
that is born
H3205
יְל֣וּד
that is born
Strong's:
H3205
Word #:
2 of 7
to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
קְצַ֥ר
is of few
H7116
קְצַ֥ר
is of few
Strong's:
H7116
Word #:
4 of 7
short (whether in size, number, life, strength or temper)
יָ֝מִ֗ים
days
H3117
יָ֝מִ֗ים
days
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
5 of 7
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
Cross References
Job 5:7Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.Job 25:4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?Ecclesiastes 2:23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.Job 7:1Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?Psalms 51:5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.Job 7:6My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.Job 15:14What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?Job 9:25Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.Genesis 47:9And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.Psalms 39:5Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
Historical Context
The patriarchal period saw lifespans of 100-200 years (Job likely lived 200+), yet Job still considers life brief compared to eternity. Ancient Near Eastern literature frequently lamented mortality's brevity and suffering's prevalence. The Epic of Gilgamesh explores similar themes. Job's lament is both universal (all humans face death and trouble) and personal (his suffering intensifies awareness of human frailty).
Questions for Reflection
- How does recognizing life's brevity and trouble affect our priorities and perspective?
- What comfort does Christ's identification as 'Son of Man' bring to our experience of human frailty?
Analysis & Commentary
Job laments: 'Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.' The phrase 'born of a woman' (yelud ishah, יְלוּד אִשָּׁה) emphasizes human frailty and mortality. 'Few days' (qetsar yamim, קְצַר יָמִים) stresses life's brevity. 'Full of trouble' (seva rogez, שְׂבַע־רֹגֶז) uses rogez (רֹגֶז), meaning turmoil, agitation, or distress. Job's description of human existence as brief and troubled reflects the curse's effects (Genesis 3:16-19). Christ echoes this phrase when calling Himself 'the Son of Man' (bar enash, בַּר אֱנָשׁ), identifying with human frailty.