Job 14:2

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

He cometh forth {H3318} like a flower {H6731}, and is cut down {H5243}: he fleeth {H1272} also as a shadow {H6738}, and continueth {H5975} not.

He comes up like a flower and withers away, flees like a shadow, doesn't last.

Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.

Commentary

Context

Job 14:2 is part of a profound lament by Job, expressing his deep despair and reflections on the brevity and fragility of human life in the face of immense suffering. Following the assertion in Job 14:1 that "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble," this verse uses vivid imagery to emphasize the fleeting nature of human existence. Job, stripped of his wealth, family, and health, grapples with the seeming injustice of his plight and the inevitable end awaiting all humanity, regardless of their righteousness.

Key Themes

  • Brevity of Life: The primary message is the extreme shortness of human life. It appears, flourishes for a moment, and then is gone.
  • Fragility and Vulnerability: The metaphor of a "flower" highlights how delicate and easily destroyed human life is. It can be "cut down" unexpectedly, symbolizing sudden death or the abrupt end of vitality.
  • Transience and Insignificance: Being compared to a "shadow" underscores the insubstantial and fleeting nature of human presence. A shadow has no real substance and quickly disappears, reflecting how quickly one's earthly existence passes and is forgotten.
  • Universal Mortality: Job's lament is not just about his personal suffering but a universal truth about the human condition: all people, regardless of their status or piety, face an inevitable end.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew text employs powerful parallelism and common biblical metaphors:

  • The word for "flower" (Hebrew: tsits, Χ¦Φ΄Χ™Χ₯) often refers to a blossom or bloom, emphasizing its beauty but also its rapid wilting or fading. This imagery is echoed in other biblical passages, such as Psalm 90:5-6, which compares human life to grass that flourishes in the morning and withers by evening, and 1 Peter 1:24.
  • "Shadow" (Hebrew: tsel, צ֡ל) is a frequent biblical metaphor for something insubstantial, transient, or without lasting presence. It signifies the lack of permanence in human affairs and life itself, as also seen in Psalm 102:11.

Practical Application

Job's stark observation, though born of suffering, offers profound insights for all:

  • Acknowledge Mortality: This verse serves as a powerful reminder of our finite time on earth. It encourages a realistic view of human existence and the certainty of death.
  • Live Purposefully: Because life is brief and uncertain, it compels us to consider how we are spending our days. It prompts reflection on our priorities and encourages living with intention and purpose, making the most of the time we are given.
  • Seek Lasting Value: If earthly life is so fleeting, what truly endures? This verse implicitly points towards seeking things of eternal value rather than purely temporal pursuits. While Job's understanding of the afterlife was limited, the New Testament offers the hope of eternal life through faith in Christ, which transcends the limitations of our earthly shadow-like existence.
  • Cultivate Humility: The fragility of life reminds us of our dependence on God and the limits of our control. It fosters humility before the Creator who holds all life in His hands.
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Cross-References

  • Isaiah 40:6 (46 votes)

    The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh [is] grass, and all the goodliness thereof [is] as the flower of the field:

  • Isaiah 40:8 (46 votes)

    The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

  • Job 8:9 (40 votes)

    (For we [are but of] yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth [are] a shadow:)

  • 1 Peter 1:24 (40 votes)

    ΒΆ For 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:

  • Psalms 103:15 (39 votes)

    [As for] man, his days [are] as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

  • Psalms 103:16 (39 votes)

    For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

  • 1 Chronicles 29:15 (34 votes)

    For 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.