Job 14:18

18 "But the falling mountain crumbles away, And the rock moves from its place;

Job 14:18 Meaning and Commentary

Job 14:18

And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought
Job here returns to his former subject of the irreparable state of man at death, which he illustrates by various other similes, as before; and first by a "mountain falling", which may be supposed, and has been fact, and when it does, it "comes to nought"; it crumbles into dust, and where it falls there it lies, and never rises up to a mountain, or to the height it had, any more; or it "withers" F14, as some render it, the plants, herbs, and trees that grow upon it, wither away, see ( Nahum 1:4 ) ; or "it is dissolved", or "flows" F15, and spreads itself over the face of the green earth it covers, and destroys with its dust and sand, which is never more gathered up to form a mountain again; so man, like unto a mountain, as kingdoms and states, and kings and princes, and great men are; the Targum instances in Lot; as a man may be said to be, that is in good health of body, and in prosperous circumstances in his family; when he falls, as he does by death, which is expressed by falling, ( 2 Samuel 3:38 ) ; he comes to nought, he is not any more in the land of the living, nor in the place and circumstances in which he was before:

and the rock is removed out of his place;
from the mountain, of which it was a part; or elsewhere, by earthquakes, by force of winds, or strength of waters; and which, when once removed, is never returned to its place any more; so man, who in his full strength seems like a rock immovable, when death comes, it shakes and moves him out of his place, and that never knows him any more.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 (lwby) "marceseit", Tigurine version, Mercerus; "emarcescit", Schultens.
F15 "Diffluit", Cocceius, Schmidt, Michaelis.

Job 14:18 In-Context

16 "For now You number my steps, You do not observe my sin.
17 "My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You wrap up my iniquity.
18 "But the falling mountain crumbles away, And the rock moves from its place;
19 Water wears away stones, Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; So You destroy man's hope.
20 "You forever overpower him and he departs; You change his appearance and send him away.

Footnotes 1

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.