Job 14:17
My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.
Original Language Analysis
בִּצְר֣וֹר
in a bag
H6872
בִּצְר֣וֹר
in a bag
Strong's:
H6872
Word #:
2 of 6
a parcel (as packed up); also a kernel or particle (as if a package)
וַ֝תִּטְפֹּ֗ל
and thou sewest up
H2950
וַ֝תִּטְפֹּ֗ל
and thou sewest up
Strong's:
H2950
Word #:
4 of 6
properly, to stick on as a patch; figuratively, to impute falsely
Historical Context
Ancient people stored valuables in sealed bags. Job uses this commercial imagery to describe how carefully God seems to preserve his sins for accounting, reflecting ancient understanding of divine record-keeping.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Christ transform the terror of God carefully recording our sins?
- What comfort exists in knowing God is precisely aware of our every sin yet has chosen to cover them?
Analysis & Commentary
'My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.' Job describes God storing his 'transgression' (פִּשְׁעִי, pish'i) in a sealed bag (צְרוֹר, tseror) and sewing up his 'iniquity' (עֲוֹנִי, avoni). This imagery can be read two ways:
Context suggests the former—Job feels God meticulously records every fault. Yet this same imagery appears positively in Hosea 13:12 (sin stored for future reckoning) and negatively in Deuteronomy 32:34. The Gospel transforms this: Christ's blood covers our sins permanently (Hebrews 10:17, Micah 7:19—sins cast into the sea).