Job 17:14

KJV

I have said to corruption, Thou [art] my father: to the worm, [Thou art] my mother, and my sister.

KJV (with Strong's)

I have said {H7121} to corruption {H7845}, Thou art my father {H1}: to the worm {H7415}, Thou art my mother {H517}, and my sister {H269}.

Complete Jewish Bible

if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,'and to worms, 'You are my mother and sister,'

Berean Standard Bible

and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’

American Standard Version

If I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; To the worm, Thou artmy mother, and my sister;

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 17:14 encapsulates Job's profound despair and utter resignation to his imminent death and physical decay. In a stark and poignant declaration, he personifies corruption and the worm as his closest family members—father, mother, and sister—thereby affirming the grave as his only remaining companion and ultimate destination. This verse powerfully conveys the complete collapse of his earthly hopes and his grim acceptance of mortality as the sole reality left to him amidst his overwhelming suffering and perceived abandonment.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within Job's third cycle of speeches, specifically in his response to Bildad and prior to Zophar's final speech. Having already endured immense physical pain, the loss of his children and possessions, and the psychological torment of his friends' accusations, Job has reached a breaking point. In [Job 17](/job/17 "Job 17 - Job's Lament and Plea"), Job laments his desolate state, the mockery he faces, and his conviction that God has forsaken him. He sees his life ebbing away, with the grave as his only certain future. His words in verse 14 are a culmination of this despair, a bitter acceptance of the decay that awaits his body, following his earlier cries for death as a release (e.g., [Job 3:11-19](/job/3-11-19 "Job 3:11-19 - Job's Lament for Death")). He has lost all hope for earthly restoration and now embraces the very agents of decomposition as his kin.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the family unit was the foundational structure of society, providing identity, security, and continuity. To declare corruption and worms as one's "father," "mother," and "sister" would have been an incredibly shocking and culturally subversive statement. It signified a complete severing of ties with the living world and a full embrace of the realm of the dead and decaying. Burial practices often involved placing the deceased directly into the earth or tombs, where natural decomposition was a visible and understood process. The concept of "the worm" (maggots) consuming the body was a stark reality of mortality, not merely a poetic flourish. Job's language underscores the profound isolation he feels, having lost his earthly family and now identifying with the ultimate symbols of dissolution.

* **Key Themes:** Job 17:14 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the Book of Job. Firstly, it underscores the **profound despair and utter resignation** that grips Job as he confronts his suffering. His declaration signifies a complete surrender of earthly hope, seeing only the grave as his future. Secondly, the verse highlights the **stark reality of human mortality and physical decay**. It confronts the universal experience of the body's return to dust, a theme echoed throughout wisdom literature (e.g., [Ecclesiastes 3:20](/ecclesiastes/3-20 "Ecclesiastes 3:20 - All Go to One Place")). Finally, it speaks to the **loss of all earthly relationships and comforts**, as Job symbolically replaces his human family with the agents of decomposition. This illustrates his deep sense of alienation, not only from God and his friends but also from life itself, a pervasive theme throughout [the book of Job](/job/1 "The Book of Job - Suffering and Sovereignty").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Corruption (Hebrew, _shachath'_):** This term (שַׁחַת), derived from H7845, signifies "a pit," "destruction," "grave," and "corruption." In Job 17:14, it refers to the grave or the state of physical decomposition after death. Job's address to "corruption" is a direct confrontation with his impending physical dissolution, embracing the inevitable return of his body to the dust, signifying the complete disintegration of his earthly form.
* **Worm (Hebrew, _rimmâh'_):** The Hebrew word (רִמָּה), from H7415, specifically denotes "a maggot" or grub, creatures that rapidly breed and consume decaying organic matter. This word vividly depicts the most visceral aspect of decomposition. By addressing the "worm," Job directly acknowledges and embraces the biological process of decay, making it an intimate part of his anticipated end and a stark, unvarnished image of mortality.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"I have said to corruption, Thou [art] my father":** Job makes a deliberate, albeit despairing, declaration. He personifies "corruption" as a paternal figure, indicating that the grave and the process of decay are not merely his inevitable end but his origin and protector in his final state. This signifies a complete abandonment of earthly lineage and a grim embrace of the dust from which he came and to which he will return. It implies a sense of belonging to the realm of decay.
* **"to the worm, [Thou art] my mother, and my sister":** Extending the personification, Job addresses the "worm" (maggots) as both his mother and his sister. The "mother" figure suggests a nurturing, life-giving relationship, albeit a morbid one, implying that the worm will be the source of his final "sustenance" or transformation in death. The "sister" figure implies companionship, intimacy, and shared destiny. Together, these familial terms convey an extreme level of resignation and a profound, almost perverse, intimacy with the very agents of his physical destruction, highlighting his utter isolation from human comfort and his complete surrender to mortality.

#### Literary Devices
Job 17:14 is powerfully constructed using several striking literary devices. The most prominent is **Personification**, where Job attributes human qualities and familial roles ("father," "mother," "sister") to abstract concepts and biological agents of decay ("corruption," "worm"). This device vividly conveys the depth of Job's despair and his complete identification with death. By addressing these entities as family, Job underscores his profound isolation from living human relationships and his grim acceptance of the grave as his only remaining kin. This personification also employs **Metaphor**, as corruption and the worm are not literally his family but are presented as such to represent his ultimate fate and the complete collapse of his earthly hopes. The language is also highly **Poignant** and **Ironic**, as the very things that signify the end of life are embraced as sources of intimate connection, highlighting the tragic nature of Job's suffering and his desperate search for any form of belonging, even in death.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job's declaration in Job 17:14 is a raw expression of human despair in the face of mortality and suffering, reflecting a worldview where death appears to be the ultimate victor. Theologically, it starkly contrasts with the biblical hope of resurrection and the ultimate triumph over death. While Job sees only decay and the worm as his future, the broader biblical narrative points to a divine plan that transcends the grave, offering a future where physical dissolution is not the final word. This verse serves as a powerful reminder of the human condition's vulnerability and the limitations of earthly hope, setting the stage for the profound theological resolution found later in the book and throughout Scripture.

* [Psalm 16:10](/psalm/16-10 "Psalm 16:10 - God Will Not Abandon to the Grave")
* [Isaiah 26:19](/isaiah/26-19 "Isaiah 26:19 - The Resurrection of the Dead")
* [Hosea 13:14](/hosea/13-14 "Hosea 13:14 - Victory Over Death and Grave")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job's cry in this verse resonates deeply with the human experience of profound suffering, loss, and the stark reality of our own mortality. It acknowledges the moments when life's burdens become so overwhelming that the grave appears not as an enemy, but as a final, albeit grim, refuge. For us, Job's words serve as a powerful invitation to empathy for those who feel utterly forsaken, who see no light beyond their present darkness, and who grapple with the inevitability of physical decay. While Job's perspective is one of hopelessness, his honest lament reminds us of the profound need for a hope that transcends earthly suffering and the grave. It challenges us to consider where our ultimate hope lies and to extend compassion to those who, like Job, feel intimately acquainted with despair.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do you respond when faced with the stark realities of suffering and mortality in your own life or the lives of others?**
* **In what ways might Job's feeling of identifying with "corruption" and "the worm" reflect a sense of profound isolation or abandonment?**
* **Where do you find hope when earthly comforts and relationships seem to fail, and the future appears bleak?**

### FAQ
**Why does Job use such extreme language, calling corruption and worms his family?**

Answer: Job's use of such extreme and graphic language is a powerful rhetorical device to express the absolute depth of his despair and resignation. By personifying "corruption" (the grave, decay) and "the worm" (maggots) as his "father," "mother," and "sister," Job signifies a complete severing of his ties with the living world and a full, albeit bitter, embrace of death as his only remaining reality. He has lost his actual family, his health, and his possessions, and feels forsaken by God and his friends. This declaration is his way of saying that the grave is his only certain future, and the processes of decay are his only companions. It underscores his profound isolation and the collapse of all earthly hope, making a stark statement about his perceived destiny. It's a testament to the raw, unfiltered anguish that permeates [the book of Job](/job/1 "The Book of Job - Suffering and Sovereignty").

**Does this verse suggest Job has lost his faith in God?**

Answer: While Job's words in Job 17:14 certainly reflect a profound crisis of hope and an embrace of mortality, it is crucial to understand this within the broader context of the Book of Job. Job never explicitly renounces God. Instead, he relentlessly grapples with God, questioning His justice and silence, but not denying His existence or ultimate sovereignty. His laments, including this verse, are expressions of intense agony and confusion, not necessarily a complete loss of faith. He is wrestling *with* God, not abandoning Him. Later in the book, Job famously declares, "I know that my Redeemer lives" ([Job 19:25](/job/19-25 "Job 19:25 - Job's Declaration of a Living Redeemer")), indicating that even amidst his deepest despair, a flicker of hope in divine intervention or vindication remains. This verse captures a moment of extreme human desolation, but it is part of a larger narrative of enduring, albeit challenged, faith.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's desolate declaration in Job 17:14, where he embraces corruption and the worm as his family, stands in stark contrast to the hope offered through Jesus Christ. Job's despair highlights the universal human predicament: without divine intervention, the grave and decay are indeed our ultimate earthly destiny. However, the New Testament reveals that Jesus entered into this very realm of death, not to be consumed by it, but to conquer it. He is the one who, through His resurrection, became the "firstfruits of those who are asleep" ([1 Corinthians 15:20](/1_corinthians/15-20 "1 Corinthians 15:20 - Christ the Firstfruits of Resurrection")), utterly defeating the power of the grave and the worm. Where Job saw only an intimate relationship with decay, believers in Christ anticipate a glorious transformation, for "this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality" ([1 Corinthians 15:53](/1_corinthians/15-53 "1 Corinthians 15:53 - The Transformation to Immortality")). Jesus is the ultimate "father" and "mother" and "brother" to those who are His, offering not the grim companionship of the tomb but the vibrant, eternal fellowship of the resurrected life, fulfilling the promise that "death is swallowed up in victory" ([1 Corinthians 15:54](/1_corinthians/15-54 "1 Corinthians 15:54 - Victory Over Death")). He is the one who holds "the keys of Death and Hades" ([Revelation 1:18](/revelation/1-18 "Revelation 1:18 - Christ Holds the Keys of Death and Hades")), ensuring that for His followers, corruption and the worm are not the final family, but merely a temporary passage to an imperishable inheritance.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Psalms 16:10

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Job 24:20

The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.

Acts 2:27

Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2:31

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

Job 30:30

My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

Isaiah 14:11

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, [and] the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

1 Corinthians 15:42

So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: