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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Job 14:7–15. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
We have seen what Job has to say concerning life; let us now see what he has to say concerning death, which his thoughts were very much conversant with, now that he was sick and sore. It is not unseasonable, when we are in health, to think of dying; but it is an inexcusable incogitancy if, when we are already taken into the custody of death's messengers, we look upon it as a thing at a distance. Job had already shown that death will come, and that its hour is already fixed. Now here he shows,
I.That death is a removal for ever out of this world.
This he had spoken of before (Job 7:9, Job 7:10), and now he mentions it again; for, though it be a truth that needs not be proved, yet it needs to be much considered, that it may be duly improved.
1.A man cut down by death will not revive again, as a tree cut down will. What hope there is of a tree he shows very elegantly, Job 14:7-9. If the body of the tree be cut down, and only the stem or stump left in the ground, though it seem dead and dry, yet it will shoot out young boughs again, as if it were but newly planted. The moisture of the earth and the rain of heaven are, as it were, scented and perceived by the stump of a tree, and they have an influence upon it to revive it; but the dead body of a man would not perceive them, nor be in the least affected by them. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, when his being deprived of the use of his reason was signified by the cutting down of a tree, his return to it again was signified by the leaving of the stump in the earth with a band of iron and brass to be wet with the dew of heaven, Dan 4:15. But man has no such prospect of a return to life. The vegetable life is a cheap and easy thing: the scent of water will recover it. The animal life, in some insects and fowls, is so: the heat of the sun retrieves it. But the rational soul, when once retired, is too great, too noble, a thing to be recalled by any of the powers of nature; it is out of the reach of sun or rain, and cannot be restored but by the immediate operations of Omnipotence itself; for (Job 14:10) man dieth and wasteth, away, yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? Two words are here used for man: - Geber, a mighty man, though mighty, dies; Adam, a man of the earth, because earthy, gives up the ghost. Note, Man is a dying creature. He is here described by what occurs,
(1.)Before death: he wastes away; he is continually wasting, dying daily, spending upon the quick stock of life. Sickness and old age are wasting things to the flesh, the strength, the beauty.
(2.)In death: he gives up the ghost; the soul leaves the body, and returns to God who gave it, the Father of spirits.
(3.)After death: Where is he? He is not where he was; his place knows him no more; but is he nowhere? So some read it. Yes, he is somewhere; and it is a very awful consideration to think where those are that have given up the ghost, and where we shall be when we give it up. It has gone to the world of spirits, gone into eternity, gone to return no more to this world.
2.A man laid down in the grave will not rise up again, Job 14:11, Job 14:12. Every night we lie down to sleep, and in the morning we awake and rise again; but at death we must lie down in the grave, not to awake or rise again to such a world, such a state, as we are now in, never to awake or arise until the heavens, the faithful measures of time, shall be no more, and consequently time itself shall come to an end and be swallowed up in eternity; so that the life of man may fitly be compared to the waters of a land-flood, which spread far and make a great show, but they are shallow, and when they are cut off from the sea or river, the swelling and overflowing of which was the cause of them, they soon decay and dry up, and their place knows them no more. The waters of life are soon exhaled and disappear. The body, like some of those waters, sinks and soaks into the earth, and is buried there; the soul, like others of them, is drawn upwards, to mingle with the waters above the firmament. The learned Sir Richard Blackmore makes this also to be a dissimilitude. If the waters decay and be dried up in the summer, yet they will return again in the winter; but it is not so with the life of man. Take part of his paraphrase in his own words: -
A flowing river, or a standing lake,
May their dry banks and naked shores forsake;
Their waters may exhale and upward move,
Their channel leave to roll in clouds above;
But the returning water will restore
What in the summer they had lost before:
But if, O man! thy vital streams desert
Their purple channels and defraud the heart,
With fresh recruits they ne'er will be supplied,
Nor feel their leaping life's returning tide.
II.That yet there will be a return of man to life again in another world, at the end of time, when the heavens are no more.
Then they shall awake and be raised out of their sleep. The resurrection of the dead was doubtless an article of Job's creed, as appears, Job 19:26, and to that, it should seem, he has an eye here, where, in the belief of that, we have three things: -
1.A humble petition for a hiding-place in the grave, Job 14:13. It was not only a passionate weariness of this life that he wished to die, but in a pious assurance of a better life, to which at length he should arise. O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave! The grave is not only a resting-place, but a hiding-place, to the people of God. God has the key of the grave, to let in now and to let out at the resurrection. He hides men in the grave, as we hide our treasure in a place of secresy and safety; and he who hides will find, and nothing shall be lost. "O that thou wouldst hide me, not only from the storms and troubles of this life, but for the bliss and glory of a better life! Let me lie in the grave, reserved for immortality, in secret from all the world, but not from thee, not from those eyes which saw my substance when first curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth," Psa 139:15, Psa 139:16. There let me lie,
(1.)Until thy wrath be past. As long as the bodies of the saints lie in the grave, so long there are some remains of that wrath which they were by nature children of, so long they are under some of the effects of sin; but, when the body is raised, it is wholly past - death, the last enemy, will then be totally destroyed.
(2.)Until the set time comes for my being remembered, as Noah was remembered in the ark (Gen 8:1), where God not only hid him from the destruction of the old world, but reserved him for the reparation of a new world. The bodies of the saints shall not be forgotten in the grave. There is a time appointed, a time set, for their being enquired after. We cannot be sure that we shall look through the darkness of our present troubles and see good days after them in this world; but, if we can but get well to the grave, we may with an eye of faith look through the darkness of that, as Job here, and see better days on the other side of it, in a better world.
2.A holy resolution patiently to attend the will of God both in his death and his resurrection (Job 14:14): If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait until my change come. Job's friends proving miserable comforters, he set himself to be the more his own comforter. His case was now bad, but he pleases himself with the expectation of a change. I think it cannot be meant of his return to a prosperous condition in this world. His friends indeed flattered him with the hopes of that, but he himself all along despaired of it. Comforts founded upon uncertainties at best must needs be uncertain comforts; and therefore, no doubt, it is something more sure than that which he here bears up himself with the expectation of. The change he waits for must therefore be understood either,
(1.)Of the change of the resurrection, when the vile body shall be changed (Phi 3:21), and a great and glorious change it will be; and then that question, If a man die, shall he live again? must be taken by way of admiration. "Strange! Shall these dry bones live! If so, all the time appointed for the continuance of the separation between soul and body my separate soul shall wait until that change comes, when it shall be united again to the body, and my flesh also shall rest in hope." Psa 16:9. Or,
(2.)Of the change at death. "If a man die, shall he live again? No, not such a life as he now lives; and therefore I will patiently wait until that change comes which will put a period to my calamities, and not impatiently wish for the anticipation of it, as I have done." Observe here,
[1.]That it is a serious thing to die; it is a work by itself. It is a change; there is a visible change in the body, its appearance altered, its actions brought to an end, but a greater change with the soul, which quits the body, and removes to the world of spirits, finishes its state of probation and enters upon that of retribution. This change will come, and it will be a final change, not like the transmutations of the elements, which return to their former state. No, we must die, not thus to live again. It is but once to die, and that had need be well done that is to be done but once. An error here is fatal, conclusive, and not again to be rectified.
[2.]That therefore it is the duty of every one of us to wait for that change, and to continue waiting all the days of our appointed time. The time of life is an appointed time; that time is to be reckoned by days; and those days are to be spent in waiting for our change. That is, First, We must expect that it will come, and think much of it. Secondly, We must desire that it would come, as those that long to be with Christ. Thirdly, We must be willing to tarry until it does come, as those that believe God's time to be the best. Fourthly, We must give diligence to get ready against it comes, that it may be a blessed change to us.
3.A joyful expectation of bliss and satisfaction in this (Job 14:15): Then thou shalt call, and I will answer thee. Now, he was under such a cloud that he could not, he durst not, answer (Job 9:15, Job 9:35; Job 13:22); but he comforted himself with this, that there would come a time when God would call and he should answer. Then, that is,
(1.)At the resurrection, "Thou shalt call me out of the grave, by the voice of the archangel, and I will answer and come at the call." The body is the work of God's hands, and he will have a desire to that, having prepared a glory for it. Or,
(2.)At death: "Thou shalt call my body to the grave, and my soul to thyself, and I will answer, Ready, Lord, ready - Coming, coming; here I am." Gracious souls can cheerfully answer death's summons, and appear to his writ. Their spirits are not forcibly required from them (as Luk 12:20), but willingly resigned by them, and the earthly tabernacle not violently pulled down, but voluntarily laid down, with this assurance, "Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thy hands. Thou hast mercy in store for me, not only as made by thy providence, but new-made by thy grace;" otherwise he that made them will not save them. Note, Grace in the soul is the work of God's own hands, and therefore he will not forsake it in this world (Psa 138:8), but will have a desire to it, to perfect it in the other, and to crown it with endless glory.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Here the blessed Job assumes the role of teacher and prophet, and through the symbol of the tree coming to life again, he predicts his return to his former state. At the same time, Job prophesies that human nature in its entirety will be renewed. Giving vigorous thanks to the perfume of the baptismal waters, the human race will sprout again. Endowed with a new growing foliage, human nature will regain the dignity of its former beauty. After, it will be planted again through the death of the Lord.
Now because Job’s words are clear according to the letter, we must refer the sense to the inward things and search how they are to be understood spiritually. Thus, in holy Scripture by the name of “tree” we have represented sometimes the cross, sometimes the righteous person or even the unrighteous person, and sometimes the Wisdom of God incarnate. Therefore, the cross is denoted by the “tree” when it is said, “Let us put the tree into his bread,” for to “put the tree into the bread” is to apply the cross to the body of our Lord. Again by the title of the “tree” we also have the just person, or even the unjust person, set forth, as the Lord says by the prophet, “I the Lord have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree.” According to the word of the self-same Truth, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” Solomon also says, “If the tree falls towards the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree fell, there it shall be.” For in the day of their death the just person does “fall to the south,” and the unjust “to the north,” as both the just person favored by the Spirit is brought to joy, and the sinner, together with the apostate angel, who said, “I will sit also upon the mount of the testimony, in the sides of the north,” is cast away in his frozen heart. Again, the “tree” represents the Wisdom of God incarnate. As it is written, “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her.” And as she herself says, “If they do these things when the tree is green, what shall be done when it is dry?” And so in this text, whereas a tree is preferred above a man, what is man understood as but every carnal person? And what is denoted by the title of the tree but the life of the righteous? “There is the hope that a tree, if it is cut down, will be green again.” For when in a death of painful endurance the just person is hard pressed for the truth, in the greenness of everlasting life he is recovered again; and he who here proved green by faith, there becomes green in actual sight. “And his branches shoot,” in that it is most often the case that by the sufferings of the just person, all faithful persons are redoubled in the love of the heavenly country. They receive the greenness of the spiritual life, while they are glad for what he courageously did here in God’s behalf.
5. Now because this is self-evident according to the letter, we must refer the sense to the things of the interior, and search how they are to be made out after the spiritual signification. Thus in Holy Scripture by the name of ‘tree’ we have represented sometimes the Cross, sometimes the righteous man, or even the unrighteous man, and sometimes the Wisdom of God Incarnate. Thus the Cross is denoted by ‘the tree,’ when it is said, Let us put the tree into his bread [Jer. 11, 19, V.]; for to ‘put the tree into the bread’ is to apply the Cross to the Body of our Lord. Again by the title of ‘the tree’ we have the just man, or even the unjust man, set forth, as the Lord saith by the Prophet, I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree. [Ez. 17, 24] Forasmuch as according to the word of the self-same Truth, Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted [Luke 14, 11]: Solomon also saith, If the tree fall towards the South, or toward the North, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. [Ecc. 11, 3] For in the day of their death the just man does ‘fall to the South,’ and the unjust ‘to the North,’ in that both the just man in favour of the Spirit is brought to joy, and the sinner, together with the apostate Angel, who said, I will sit also upon the mount of the testimony, in the sides of the North [Is. 14, 13], is cast away in his frozen heart. Again, the Wisdom of God Incarnate is represented by ‘the Tree,’ as where it is written thereon, She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on Her. [Prov. 3, 18] And as She Herself says, If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? [Luke 23, 31] And so in this place whereas a tree is preferred before man, what is man taken for but every carnal person? and what is denoted by the title of ‘the tree,’ but the life of the righteous? For there is a hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will be green again. For when in a death of painful endurance the just man is hard bestead for the truth, in the greenness of everlasting life he is recovered again; and he who here proved green by faith, there becomes green in actual sight [speciem]. ‘And his branches shoot,’ in that it is most often the case that by the sufferings of the just man, all faithful persons are redoubled in the love of the heavenly country, and they receive the greenness of the spiritual life, while they are glad that he did courageously here in God’s behalf.
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Summary
Job 14:7 is a profound expression of Job's deep anguish, where he contrasts the inherent capacity for renewal observed in the natural world, specifically a felled tree, with humanity's seemingly irreversible fate of death. This poignant lament underscores Job's profound suffering and his yearning for a hope that transcends the grave, as he perceives no such earthly regeneration for human life, thereby amplifying his despair in the face of mortality.
Context
Literary Context
Job 14:7 is situated within Job's extended lament in Job 14, a chapter saturated with his reflections on the brevity and frailty of human life. Preceding this verse, Job vividly describes humanity's fleeting existence, stating, "Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). He pleads with God for respite, acknowledging his impending death. Within this context of profound human limitation and the perceived finality of earthly life, Job introduces the image of the tree's resilience. This comparison is not offered as a source of comfort for himself, but rather as a stark and painful contrast that magnifies his own sense of hopelessness regarding any return to physical life on earth. The verse thus serves to intensify his desperate longing for a renewal that he believes is denied to humanity.
Historical & Cultural Context
In ancient Near Eastern agrarian societies, the observation of nature's cycles was integral to daily life and provided foundational metaphors for understanding existence. Trees, particularly robust species like oaks, sycamores, or olive trees common in the region, were well-known for their remarkable ability to regenerate even after being severely cut down or burned. A stump, though appearing lifeless, could send forth new shoots, symbolizing an enduring life force, continuity, and the emergence of life from apparent destruction. This natural phenomenon was a powerful and universally understood metaphor for resilience and renewal. Job's audience would have immediately grasped the implications of this image. His lament draws upon this common natural law to highlight what he perceives as the unique and tragic exception of human mortality, where, from his perspective, no such earthly regeneration occurs. This observation serves as a springboard for the profound theological questions about life, death, and divine justice that permeate the book of Job, a narrative deeply rooted in the cultural and environmental observations of its time.
Key Themes
The central theme of Job 14:7 is the stark contrast between nature's enduring resilience and humanity's perceived mortality. Job observes the regenerative power of the natural world, specifically a tree that can sprout anew even after being felled, and uses this observation to underscore the apparent finality of human death. This leads to a profound expression of despair and a yearning for renewal. While the verse speaks of "hope" for a tree, it ironically serves to amplify Job's own deep sense of hopelessness regarding his earthly life, as articulated in Job 14:10. He yearns for a similar prospect of renewal for himself, highlighting his suffering and desire for an end to his afflictions or a hope that extends beyond the grave. This lament also subtly touches upon the cycle of life and death evident in the plant kingdom, a concept deeply understood in ancient agricultural societies, yet it poses a challenging question about whether humanity is excluded from such a cycle of earthly rebirth. Job's words set the stage for the book's larger theological exploration of suffering, divine justice, and the ultimate hope found in God's sovereignty.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word literally means "a cord (as an attachment)" and figuratively, "expectancy." In this context, tiqvâh signifies a strong expectation, anticipation, or possibility. For the tree, this "hope" is a tangible, almost inevitable outcome based on observable natural processes. However, for Job, the application of this word to the tree ironically highlights his own profound lack of such a tangible expectation or prospect for human life beyond the grave.
This primitive root means "to cut (off, down or asunder)" and by implication, "to destroy or consume." It vividly describes the act of felling a tree, an action that typically signifies its end or destruction. The use of this word emphasizes the severity of the blow, making the subsequent regeneration even more remarkable and contrasting it sharply with the perceived finality of human death.
This primitive root means "to slide by," and by implication, "to hasten away, pass on, spring up, pierce or change." In this context, it specifically means "to renew" or "to sprout." It powerfully describes the process of fresh growth emerging from an old, seemingly dead stump. This word emphasizes a transformation from dormancy or apparent death back to vibrant life, signifying a complete renewal of vitality.
This feminine noun means "a sprout" or "young twig." The imagery evokes vulnerability and newness, emphasizing that even from a cut-down tree, the new growth is not merely a continuation but a fresh, vital emergence. It underscores the persistent life force inherent in the tree, a force that Job believes is tragically absent in human mortality.
Verse Breakdown
"For there is hope of a tree"
This opening clause establishes the premise of Job's observation, highlighting a certainty or strong expectation concerning the natural world, specifically a tree. The "hope" here is not a mere wish but a reliable outcome based on the tree's inherent biological capacity for regeneration.
"if it be cut down"
This conditional clause describes the state of apparent destruction or death. The tree is not merely dormant but has suffered a severe blow, being felled or chopped down, suggesting an end to its visible life and productivity. This condition sets up the remarkable contrast that follows.
"that it will sprout again"
This clause presents the miraculous outcome. Despite being cut down, the tree possesses the ability to regenerate. New shoots will emerge from the stump or roots, indicating a renewal of life. This is the core observation of nature's resilience that Job contrasts with human mortality.
"and that the tender branch thereof will not cease"
This final clause reinforces the persistence and continuity of this new life. The "tender branch" signifies fresh, young growth, and the phrase "will not cease" emphasizes that this new life is not fleeting but will continue to grow and develop, ensuring the tree's ongoing existence. It speaks to the enduring vitality of the tree's root system.
Literary Devices
Job 14:7 is rich in literary devices that amplify its emotional and theological impact. The most prominent device is Contrast, as Job starkly juxtaposes the regenerative power of a tree with the perceived irreversible finality of human death. This contrast serves to highlight Job's profound despair and the unique tragedy he feels about human mortality. The tree itself functions as a Metaphor for natural resilience and the cycle of renewal, while implicitly serving as a Simile for what Job wishes humanity could experience but believes it cannot. There is also a strong element of Irony in the use of the word "hope" (תִּקְוָה, tiqvâh) in relation to the tree; this "hope" for the tree only serves to underscore Job's own overwhelming lack of hope for himself in the face of death. The verse is embedded within a larger Lament, characteristic of Job's speeches, where he expresses his suffering, questions, and deep sorrow to God. The vivid imagery of the "tender branch" (יוֹנַקְתּוֹ, yôwneqeth) also employs Imagery to evoke a sense of new, vulnerable, yet persistent life emerging from apparent death.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Job 14:7, though articulated from a position of profound despair and a limited understanding of the afterlife, inadvertently raises one of humanity's most enduring theological questions: the nature of life beyond death and the possibility of resurrection. Job's keen observation of the tree's resilience points to an inherent principle of renewal woven into the fabric of creation, a principle that he feels is tragically denied to humanity. This lament, therefore, sets the stage for a deeper exploration of divine power over life and death, and the ultimate hope that is later fully revealed in God's redemptive plan. While Job cannot yet conceive of it, the very resilience he observes in nature subtly testifies to a Creator whose power extends far beyond natural cycles, encompassing the power to bring life out of death for humanity as well, culminating in the promise of resurrection.
Reflection and Application
Job 14:7 offers a profound invitation to ponder the nature of hope, particularly in the face of suffering and mortality. Job's raw honesty about his despair, amplified by his observation of nature's resilience, resonates deeply with the human experience of loss and the yearning for renewal. In moments of overwhelming challenge, when earthly hope seems absent and life feels "cut down," Job's lament reminds us that even within the natural world, there is a testament to life's persistence. For believers, this verse, while highlighting Job's limited earthly perspective, implicitly points to a greater hope. The New Testament reveals the glorious promise of resurrection, where death is not the final word, and human life, through Christ, can indeed "sprout again" into eternal life. It challenges us to look beyond the visible cycles of nature to the divine power that brings new life out of apparent death, whether in the spiritual realm through regeneration or in the ultimate promise of bodily resurrection. This perspective transforms despair into an enduring confidence in God's sovereign power over life and death.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is Job 14:7 a verse of hope or despair?
While the verse uses the word "hope" in relation to a tree, it is primarily a verse of profound despair for Job himself. Job observes the natural resilience of a tree, which can regenerate after being cut down, and uses this observation to highlight the absence of such hope for human life. He laments that unlike a tree, a human being, once dead, does not return to earthly life. Thus, the "hope" for the tree serves as an ironic and painful contrast, amplifying Job's own sense of hopelessness regarding his earthly existence and his deep yearning for a renewal he believes is denied to him.
What is the significance of the "tender branch" in this verse?
The "tender branch" (יוֹנַקְתּוֹ, yôwneqeth) emphasizes the newness, vulnerability, and yet the persistent vitality of the life emerging from the seemingly dead tree stump. It's not just that the tree revives, but that it sends forth fresh, young growth, symbolizing a complete renewal and continuation of life. This imagery underscores the remarkable and enduring life force inherent in the tree's root system, a force that Job sorrowfully contrasts with the perceived finality of human death, which he believes lacks such a capacity for earthly regeneration.
Does this verse contradict later biblical teaching on resurrection?
No, this verse does not contradict later biblical teaching on resurrection. Instead, it reflects Job's limited understanding and perspective before the full revelation of God's redemptive plan and the promise of resurrection. Job's lament expresses a deep human longing for renewal beyond the grave, a longing that the New Testament fully answers through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His words set the stage for a profound theological question about life beyond death, which the Scriptures progressively reveal, culminating in the triumphant hope of the resurrection found in passages like 1 Corinthians 15 and John 5:28-29.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Job's lament in Job 14:7 finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Job despairs that "man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?" (Job 14:10), Christ embodies the very hope Job yearned for but could not see. Jesus, the "tender branch" prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 and the "root of Jesse," was indeed "cut down" through his crucifixion, experiencing the ultimate death. Yet, like the tree that "sprouts again," Christ did not cease to exist. His resurrection on the third day was the triumphant demonstration that death does not have the final word for humanity. As the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20), Jesus's resurrection guarantees the future resurrection of all who believe in Him. He is the "grain of wheat" that fell into the earth and died, only to produce "much fruit" (John 12:24), bringing eternal life to those who were once subject to the despair of mortality. Through Christ, humanity is no longer excluded from the hope of sprouting again; we are buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through faith in the power of God (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), anticipating a glorious and unending life where the "tender branch" of our resurrected bodies will never cease, but blossom into eternal glory.