Job 17:14

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

Job 17:14 in Other Translations

KJV
14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.
ESV
14 if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,'
NLT
14 What if I call the grave my father, and the maggot my mother or my sister?
MSG
14 If a family reunion means going six feet under, and the only family that shows up is worms,
CSB
14 and say to the Pit: You are my father, and to the worm: My mother or my sister,

Job 17:14 Meaning and Commentary

Job 17:14

I have said to corruption, thou [art] my father
Not to the corruptible seed, of which he was begotten; nor to the corruption or purulent matter of his boils and ulcers, and the worms his flesh was now clothed with, ( Job 7:5 ) ; but to that corruption his body would turn to in the grave, lying long enough to see it, which Christ's body did not, ( Psalms 16:10 ) ; that is, "to the pit of corruption" F3, as it may be rendered, meaning the grave, so called because in it dead bodies corrupt and putrefy: in houses are families consisting of various persons, of different relations, who dwell together in friendship and harmony, very lovingly and familiarly, as father and mother, brother and sister; so in the grave, the dwelling house of men, there are inhabitants that dwell together, as if they were familiar friends and acquaintance; and with these, Job claims kindred, such as corruption, rottenness, dust and worms, and these he speaks unto, not only very familiarly, but very respectfully; the note of Bar Tzemach is,

``I honour the grave as a son a father, that it may receive me quickly;''

yea, he speaks as not ashamed of the relation, but is fond of it; "I called" or "cried" F4 that is, aloud, with great vehemency and affection:

to the worm, [thou art] my mother and my sister;
these are the rather mentioned, because the relation is near, and they are very loving and tender, and abide in the house, see ( Proverbs 7:4 ) ; he calls these his mother and sister, as the above Jewish commentator observes, because the might lie in their bosom; by all this Job would represent how familiar death and the grave were to him, and how little he dreaded them; yea, how desirable they were to him, since he should be at home, and among his relations and friends.


FOOTNOTES:

F3 (txvl) "foveam", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius
F4 (ytarq) "vocavi", Montanus; "clamavi", Mercerus.

Job 17:14 In-Context

12 turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near.
13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,
14 if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
15 where then is my hope— who can see any hope for me?
16 Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?”

Cross References 2

  • 1. Job 13:28; Job 30:28,30; Psalms 16:10; Psalms 49:9
  • 2. S Job 4:19; S Job 7:5; Job 21:26
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