Job 34:15

All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

All flesh {H1320} shall perish {H1478} together {H3162}, and man {H120} shall turn again {H7725} unto dust {H6083}.

all flesh would instantly perish, everyone would return to dust.

all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.

All flesh shall perish together, And man shall turn again unto dust.

Context

Job 34:15 is part of Elihu's third speech (Job 34-35), where he passionately defends God's justice and sovereignty against the implied accusations of Job and his three friends. Elihu, a younger man, believes Job has spoken rashly and that the older counselors have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for Job's suffering. In this chapter, Elihu asserts that God is too great and righteous to pervert justice. He emphasizes God's absolute power and control over all creation, implying that if God were to withdraw His Spirit, all life would cease.

Key Themes

  • Universal Mortality and Frailty: The verse profoundly declares that death is the common destiny for all humanity. "All flesh shall perish together" underscores the ephemeral nature of human existence, regardless of status, wealth, or righteousness. This serves as a humbling reminder of human limitations in contrast to God's eternal nature.
  • Divine Sovereignty Over Life and Death: Implicit in this statement is God's ultimate control over life. The ability for "all flesh" to perish together highlights that God is the giver and taker of life, demonstrating His absolute power. Elihu uses this truth to support his argument that God acts with perfect justice and cannot be challenged by mere mortals.
  • Return to Dust: The phrase "and man shall turn again unto dust" directly echoes the creation account in Genesis 2:7, where man was formed from the dust of the ground, and the pronouncement in Genesis 3:19, which states that humanity will return to dust after death. This reinforces the physical, perishable nature of the human body.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "flesh" here is basar (בָּשָׂר), which broadly refers to all living creatures, emphasizing their physical, material composition. It highlights the shared vulnerability of all beings to death. The word for "dust" is aphar (עָפָר), which carries the foundational meaning of dry earth or powder, reinforcing the idea of humanity's humble origins and ultimate physical dissolution.

Practical Application

Job 34:15 serves as a powerful reminder of human mortality and God's omnipotence. For believers, it encourages a perspective that transcends earthly concerns, prompting reflection on the eternal. It fosters humility, recognizing that all life is a gift from God and is ultimately subject to His will. This verse can inspire us to live purposefully, valuing each day, and to place our trust in the God who holds all life in His hands, rather than in the fleeting nature of human existence. It also underscores the importance of seeking spiritual truths that endure beyond the physical body, as suggested in Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Genesis 3:19

    In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.

  • Ecclesiastes 12:7

    Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

  • Isaiah 57:16

    For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls [which] I have made.

  • Job 30:23

    For I know [that] thou wilt bring me [to] death, and [to] the house appointed for all living.

  • Job 9:22

    ¶ This [is] one [thing], therefore I said [it], He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

  • Isaiah 27:4

    Fury [is] not in me: who would set the briers [and] thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

  • Psalms 90:3

    Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
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