Job 14:2
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Original Language Analysis
כְּצִ֣יץ
like a flower
H6731
כְּצִ֣יץ
like a flower
Strong's:
H6731
Word #:
1 of 7
properly, glistening, i.e., a burnished plate; a wing (as gleaming in the air)
יָ֭צָא
He cometh forth
H3318
יָ֭צָא
He cometh forth
Strong's:
H3318
Word #:
2 of 7
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim
וַיִּמָּ֑ל
and is cut down
H5243
וַיִּמָּ֑ל
and is cut down
Strong's:
H5243
Word #:
3 of 7
to become clipped or (specifically) circumcised
Cross References
Job 8:9(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)1 Peter 1:24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:1 Chronicles 29:15For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.James 4:14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.Psalms 144:4Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.Psalms 102:11My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.Psalms 92:7When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:Psalms 92:12The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.Ecclesiastes 8:13But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern poetry frequently used flower imagery for transience (Psalm 103:15-16, Isaiah 40:6-8). Job's observation reflects universal human awareness of mortality.
Questions for Reflection
- How does life's brevity change your priorities?
- What hope exists beyond the shadow and flower of mortal existence?
Analysis & Commentary
Job describes humanity: 'He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.' The double metaphor (flower/shadow) emphasizes life's brevity and insubstantiality. This melancholic wisdom anticipates New Testament teaching on life's fragility (James 4:14).