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Commentary on Job 14 verses 16–22
Job here returns to his complaints; and, though he is not without hope of future bliss, he finds it very hard to get over his present grievances.
I. He complains of the particular hardships he apprehended himself under from the strictness of God's justice, Job 14:16, Job 14:17. Therefore he longed to go hence to that world where God's wrath will be past, because now he was under the continual tokens of it, as a child, under the severe discipline of the rod, longs to be of age. "When shall my change come? For now thou seemest to me to number my steps, and watch over my sin, and seal it up in a bag, as bills of indictment are kept safely, to be produced against the prisoner." See Deu 32:34. "Thou takest all advantages against me; old scores are called over, every infirmity is animadverted upon, and no sooner is a false step taken than I am beaten for it." Now, 1. Job does right to the divine justice in owning that he smarted for his sins and transgressions, that he had done enough to deserve all that was laid upon him; for there was sin in all his steps, and he was guilty of transgression enough to bring all this ruin upon him, if it were strictly enquired into: he is far from saying that he perishes being innocent. But, 2. He does wrong to the divine goodness in suggesting that God was extreme to mark what he did amiss, and made the worst of every thing. He spoke to this purport, Job 13:27. It was unadvisedly said, and therefore we will not dwell too much upon it. God does indeed see all our sins; he sees sin in his own people; but he is not severe in reckoning with us, nor is the law ever stretched against us, but we are punished less than our iniquities deserve. God does indeed seal and sew up, against the day of wrath, the transgression of the impenitent, but the sins of his people he blots out as a cloud.
II. He complains of the wasting condition of mankind in general. We live in a dying world. Who knows the power of God's anger, by which we are consumed and troubled, and in which all our days are passed away? See Psa 90:7-9, Psa 90:11. And who can bear up against his rebukes? Psa 39:11.
1.We see the decays of the earth itself. (1.) Of the strongest parts of it, Job 14:18. Nothing will last always, for we see even mountains moulder and come to nought; they wither and fall as a leaf; rocks wax old and pass away by the continual beating of the sea against them. The waters wear the stones with constant dropping, non vi, sed saepe cadendo - not by the violence, but by the constancy with which they fall. On this earth every thing is the worse for the wearing. Tempus edax rerum - Time devours all things. It is not so with the heavenly bodies. (2.) Of the natural products of it. The things which grow out of the earth, and seem to be firmly rooted in it, are sometimes by an excess of rain washed away, Job 14:19. Some think he pleads this for relief: "Lord, my patience will not hold out always; even rocks and mountains will fail at last; therefore cease the controversy."
2.No marvel then if we see the decays of man upon the earth, for he is of the earth, earthy. Job begins to think his case is not singular, and therefore he ought to reconcile himself to the common lot. We perceive by many instances, (1.) How vain it is to expect much from the enjoyments of life: "Thou destroyest the hope of man," that is, "puttest an end to all the projects he had framed and all the prospects of satisfaction he had flattered himself with." Death will be the destruction of all those hopes which are built upon worldly confidences and confined to worldly comforts. Hope in Christ, and hope in heaven, death will consummate and not destroy. (2.) How vain it is to struggle against the assaults of death (Job 14:20): Thou prevailest for ever against him. Note, Man is an unequal match for God. Whom God contends with he will certainly prevail against, prevail for ever against so that they shall never be able to make head again. Note further, The stroke of death is irresistible; it is to no purpose to dispute its summons. God prevails against man and he passes away, and lo he is not. Look upon a dying man, and see, [1.] How his looks are altered: Thou changest his countenance, and this in two ways: - First, By the disease of his body. When a man has been a few days sick what a change is there in his countenance! How much more when he has been a few minutes dead! The countenance which was majestic and awful becomes mean and despicable - that was lovely and amiable becomes ghastly and frightful. Bury my dead out of my sight. Where then is the admired beauty? Death changes the countenance, and then sends us away out of this world, gives us one dismission hence, never to return. Secondly, By the discomposure of his mind. Note, The approach of death will make the strongest and stoutest to change countenance; it will make the most merry smiling countenance to look grave and serious, and the most bold daring countenance to look pale and timorous. [2.] How little he is concerned in the affairs of his family, which once lay so near his heart. When he is in the hands of the harbingers of death, suppose struck with a palsy or apoplexy, or delirious in a fever, or in conflict with death, tell him then the most agreeable news, or the most painful, concerning his children, it is all alike, he knows it not, he perceives it not, Job 14:21. He is going to that world where he will be a perfect stranger to all those things which here filled and affected him. The consideration of this should moderate our cares concerning our children and families. God will know what comes of them when we are gone. To him therefore let us commit them, with him let us leave them, and not burden ourselves with needless fruitless cares concerning them. [3.] How dreadful the agonies of death are (Job 14:22): While his flesh is upon him (so it may be read), that is, the body he is so loth to lay down,: it shall have pain; and while his soul is within him, that is, the spirit he is so loth to resign, it shall mourn. Note, Dying work is hard work; dying pangs are, commonly, sore pangs. It is folly therefore for men to defer their repentance to a death-bed, and to have that to do which is the one thing needful when they are really unfit to do any thing: but it is true wisdom by making our peace with God in Christ and keeping a good conscience, to treasure up comforts which will support and relieve us against the pains and sorrows of a dying hour.
“A person is punished,” Job says, “and, even if he has many descendents, he does not know them. In fact, after his death, he is often deprived of the pleasures that he was accustomed to enjoy while alive. What is the pleasure of leaving children after one who has departed?” You see, everywhere Job emphasizes the ephemeral character of life. It is impossible to come back and to return down here. Even if he leaves children after him, he does not know how they will prosper. He does not know at all whether his descendants will be numerous or scarce. What is more painful than to ignore one’s successes and to go away alone by only knowing one’s afflictions? Even if something good happens to him after his death, he does not know, nor will he ever know it [in this life]; but what he surely knows now is that “his flesh is in pain and his soul mourns.”
27. Concerning the married Paul saith, Nevertheless, such shall have trouble in the flesh. [1 Cor. 7, 28] But they may ‘have trouble in the flesh here,’ who are even now leading spiritual lives. Wherefore then is it said as it were in a special sense, that there is ‘trouble of the flesh’ to married persons, seeing that it is not far removed even from the life of the spiritual; excepting that those commonly meet with worse troubles from the flesh, who delight themselves with the pleasures of the flesh? And it is well said, And his soul within him shall mourn over himself; in that whosoever desires to rejoice in himself, by this alone is henceforth in woe, viz. that he has gone far from the true joy. For the true joy of the soul is the Creator. Therefore it is meet that man should ever find in himself sorrow, who, forsaking His Creator, sought joy in himself.
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SUMMARY
Job 14:22 serves as the poignant conclusion to Job's third discourse, articulating a profoundly bleak vision of human mortality. In this verse, Job asserts that even as a person's memory fades from the earth, their physical body will continue to experience pain, and their inner being will be consumed by mourning. It is a powerful, albeit despairing, statement that encapsulates Job's deep sense of hopelessness regarding the comprehensive and persistent nature of suffering, extending even into the final moments of life and the immediate aftermath of death.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 14:22 powerfully employs Parallelism to convey the comprehensive nature of human suffering. Specifically, it uses Synonymous Parallelism, where the second half of the verse ("and his soul within him shall mourn") reiterates and intensifies the idea presented in the first half ("But his flesh upon him shall have pain"). This structure emphasizes that suffering is not limited to one dimension but encompasses both the physical ("flesh" and "pain") and the inner, emotional, or spiritual ("soul" and "mourn") aspects of a person. The verse also utilizes a form of Personification, attributing the active experience of "pain" to the "flesh" and "mourning" to the "soul," thereby vividly portraying these abstract concepts as active agents in the individual's final moments. This rhetorical choice underscores the inescapable and pervasive nature of the anguish Job describes.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 14:22 offers a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the human experience of suffering and mortality from a perspective devoid of the full revelation of God's redemptive plan. Job's lament highlights humanity's profound vulnerability and the seemingly unyielding grip of pain and death. While his words reflect a common ancient Near Eastern understanding of death as a bleak, final state, they also implicitly underscore the deep human yearning for release from suffering and for a hope beyond the grave. The verse, therefore, serves as a powerful backdrop against which the later, more complete biblical revelation of resurrection and eternal life can be understood and appreciated. It reminds us of the desperate human need for divine intervention to overcome the ultimate enemies: sin, suffering, and death.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 14:22 confronts us with the stark reality of human suffering and mortality, refusing to sugarcoat the pain and despair that can accompany the end of life. While Job's perspective here is one of profound hopelessness, his honest lament invites us to acknowledge the pervasive nature of physical and emotional pain in this fallen world. This verse calls us to cultivate deep empathy for those who are suffering, particularly those facing terminal illness or the loss of loved ones, recognizing that their anguish may be comprehensive, affecting both body and soul. It challenges us to consider how we, as individuals and communities, can offer holistic care that addresses not only physical discomfort but also the profound emotional and spiritual distress that often accompanies the dying process. Ultimately, Job's raw honesty, though bleak, prepares our hearts to receive the radiant hope found in later biblical revelation, which transforms our understanding of death and suffering.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse mean that suffering continues in the afterlife, or that the dead are conscious of pain?
Answer: Job 14:22 primarily reflects Job's immediate, despairing perception of the human condition and the finality of death from his limited perspective. It should not be interpreted as a definitive theological statement on the conscious experience of pain in the afterlife. In the context of Job's lament in Job 14, he is emphasizing the irreversible nature of human death and the comprehensive suffering—both physical and emotional—that he believes accompanies the process of dying and the immediate aftermath, as the individual fades from memory. His words are a poetic expression of profound anguish and a lack of hope for any cessation of suffering, even in death. Later biblical revelation, particularly in the New Testament, provides a much clearer and more hopeful picture of the afterlife, emphasizing that for believers, death is a transition to a state of peace and presence with God, where "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" as promised in Revelation 21:4. Therefore, Job's words here are a powerful articulation of human despair without the full revelation of God's redemptive plan.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 14:22, with its stark portrayal of comprehensive human suffering extending even to the point of death, powerfully underscores humanity's desperate need for a Savior who can conquer both pain and mortality. Job's lament, "his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn," finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. The Son of God willingly entered into the full scope of human suffering, experiencing both physical agony and soul-deep anguish. In Gethsemane, His "soul" was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" as recorded in Matthew 26:38, and on the cross, His "flesh" endured unimaginable pain, culminating in His cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" in Matthew 27:46. Jesus, the Suffering Servant described in Isaiah 53:3-5, fully identified with the human condition Job describes, becoming "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Yet, unlike Job, Christ's suffering was redemptive. His death was not a final, despairing end but a victorious act that swallowed up death in victory, as proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 15:54. Through His resurrection, Jesus transformed the grim outlook of Job 14:22, offering the promise that "because I live, ye shall live also" from John 14:19. He is the "resurrection, and the life" as He declared in John 11:25, ensuring that for those who believe in Him, the pain of the flesh and the mourning of the soul will ultimately give way to eternal joy in His presence, where there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, as promised in Revelation 21:4.