Job 14:5

5 The days of a man be short, and the number of his months be with thee; thou hast set, either ordained, his terms, which may not be (over)passed.

Job 14:5 Meaning and Commentary

Job 14:5

Seeing his days [are] determined
Or "cut out" F9, exactly and precisely, how many he shall live, and what shall befall him every day of his life; whose life, because of the shortness of it, is rather measured by days than vents:

the number of his months [are] with thee;
before him, in his sight, in his account, and fixed and settled by him:

thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
the boundaries of his life the period of his days, beyond which he cannot go; the term of man's life is so peremptorily fixed by God, that he cannot die sooner, nor live longer, than he has determined he should; as the time of a man's birth, so the time of his death is according to the purpose of God; and all intervening moments and articles of time, and all things that befall a man throughout the whole course of his life, all fall under the appointment of God, and are according to his determinate will; and when God requires of man his soul, no one has power over his spirit to retain it one moment; yet this hinders not the use of means for the preservation and comfort of life, since these are settled as well as the end, and are under the divine direction: the word for bounds signifies sometimes "statutes" F11: though not to be understood of laws appointed by God, either of a moral or ceremonial nature; but here it signifies set, stated, appointed times F12 Seneca F13 says the same thing;

``there is a boundary fixed for every man, which always remains where it is set, nor can any move it forward by any means whatsoever.''


FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Myuwrx) "exacte praefiniti sunt", Tigurine version.
F11 (wqx) "statuta ejus", V. L. Mercerus, Schmidt.
F12 "Stata tempora", Beza.
F13 Consolat. ad Marciam, c. 20.

Job 14:5 In-Context

3 And guessest thou (it a) worthy thing to open thine eyes upon such a man; and to bring him into doom with thee? (And thinkest thou that it is worthwhile to look upon such a person; and to bring him into court, or unto judgement, with thee?)
4 Who may make a man clean (who is) conceived of unclean seed? Whether not thou, Lord, that art alone? (Who can make someone clean who is conceived of unclean seed? No one.)
5 The days of a man be short, and the number of his months be with thee; thou hast set, either ordained, his terms, which may not be (over)passed.
6 Therefore go thou away from him a little, that he have rest; till his meed coveted come, and his day is as the day of an hired man. (And so go thou away from him for a little while, so that he can have some rest; until his desired reward come, and his day is like the day of a hired man.)
7 A tree hath hope, if it is cut down; and again it waxeth green, and his branches spread forth. (A tree hath hope, that if it is cut down, it shall grow green again, and its branches shall spread forth.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.