Job 14:19

Verse

as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope.

American Standard Version (1901)

The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man.

Bible in Basic English

The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

Free Bible Version

as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.

King James (Authorized) Version

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

Translation for Translators

and just like water slowly wears away the stones, and just like floods wash away soil, you eventually destroy us; you do not allow us to continue to ◄hope/confidently expect► that we will keep on living.

Unlocked Literal Bible

the waters wear down the stones; their flooding washes away the dust of the earth. Like this, you destroy the hope of man.

Noah Webster Bible

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

World English Bible

The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.

Young's Literal Translation

Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.

Context

Job Laments the Finality of Death

¹⁸But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and a rock is dislodged from its place, ¹⁹as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope. ²⁰You forever overpower him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.

Summary

In this verse, Job expresses the reality of the finality of death and the decay of the physical body. He acknowledges that once a person dies and is laid in the grave, there is no turning back or hope for restoration in this earthly life. Job's words reflect the somber truth that death is an inevitable part of human existence, emphasizing the temporary nature of our physical bodies. This verse serves as a reminder of the brevity of life and the importance of seeking eternal life and redemption beyond the limitations of this world.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

The waters wear the stones - Even the common stones are affected in the same way. Were even earthquakes and violent concussions of nature wanting, the action of water, either running over them as a stream, or even falling upon them in drops, will wear these stones. Hence the proverb: - Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo. "Constant droppings will make a hole in a flint." Εκ θαμινης ραθαμιγγος, ὁκως λογος, αιες ιοισας, Χ' ἁ λιθος ες ρωχμον κοιλαινεται. "From frequent dropping, as the proverb says, perpetually falling, even a stone is hollowed into a hole." Thou washest away the things - Alluding to sudden falls of rain occasioning floods, by which the fruits of the earth are swept away; and thus the hope of man - the grain for his household, and provender for his cattle, is destroyed.

John Gill Bible Commentary

The waters wear the stones,.... Either by continual running in them, or constant dropping upon them (p); and the excavations or hollow places they: make are never filled up again, these impressions are never effaced, nor the stones reduced to their ancient form; so man, though he may have the strength of stones, yet the waters of afflictions will gradually wear him away, and bring him to the dust of death, and where he must lie till the heavens be no more: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; herbs, plants, and trees, which a violent inundation of water tears up by the roots, and carries away, and they are never restored to their places any more. The word which we render "the things which grow out", the spontaneous productions of the earth, as in Lev 25:5. Aben Ezra interprets of floods of water; and so Schultens, from the use of the word (q) in the Arabic language, translates it, "their effusions"; that is, the effusions of waters before mentioned, the floods and inundations of them overflow, "and wash away the dust of the earth"; not only that which is on the surface of it, the soil of it; but, as the same learned man observes, they plough and tear up the earth itself, and carry it away, and it is never repaired; so men at death are carried away as with a flood, and are no more, see Psa 90:5; and or "so" (r). thou destroyest the hope of man, not the hope of a good man about his eternal state, and of enjoying eternal happiness; which is the gift of God's grace, which is without repentance, never revoked, called in, or taken away or destroyed; it is built upon the promise of God, who cannot lie; it is founded on the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ; and though it may be brought low, it is never lost; the hope of carnal men in an arm of flesh, in the creature and creature enjoyments, is indeed destroyed; and so is the hope of external professors of religion, that is formed on their own works of righteousness, and profession of religion; but of this Job is not speaking, but of the hope of man of living again in this world after death; for this is a reddition or application of the above similes used to illustrate this point, the irreparable state of man at death, so as that he shall never return to this life again, and to the same state and circumstances of things as before; and next follows a description of death, and the state of the dead. (p) "Gutta cavat lapidem", Ovid. de Ponto, l. 4. (q) "effudit", Golius, col. 1182. Castel. col. 2590. (r) "Sic", Vatablus, Drusius, Mercerus, Schultens; "ita", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; it answers to Aben Ezra, Gersom.

Job 14:19

Job Laments the Finality of Death

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

as water wears away the stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope.

American Standard Version (1901)

The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man.

Bible in Basic English

The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.

Free Bible Version

as water wears away the stones, as floods wash away the soil, so you destroy the hope people have.

King James (Authorized) Version

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

Translation for Translators

Unlocked Literal Bible

the waters wear down the stones; their flooding washes away the dust of the earth. Like this, you destroy the hope of man.

Noah Webster Bible

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.

World English Bible

The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.

Young's Literal Translation

Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Job 14:19

Verse

Context

Job Laments the Finality of Death

Summary

Commentary

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Job 14:19

Job Laments the Finality of Death

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary