Job 14:4 — Word Study
WLCמִֽי־ יִתֵּ֣ן טָ֭הוֹר מִטָּמֵ֗א לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד׃
BSAWhomîy [can cause something to happen, is able] can bring outnâthan▸ [produce, give] cleanṭâhôwr [pure, morally upright] from uncleanṭâmêʼ [impure, sinful, tainted with evil] Nolôʼ oneʼechâd [not a single person, no human being]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| מִֽי־ | who? | Pronoun |
| יִתֵּ֣ן | will he make | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| טָ֭הוֹר | a clean [thing] | Adj |
| מִטָּמֵ֗א | from an unclean [thing] | Preposition |
| לֹ֣א | not | Particle |
| אֶחָֽד׃ | one [person] | Adj |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one! |
| KJV | Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. |
| ASV | Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. |
| YLT | Who giveth a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. |
| WEB | Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. |
| BBE | If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible. |
Where they part company is in the interpretation of the terms used, but there are no significant differences in the translations.
The main question is posed first, followed by the verb and object, with the negation emphasizing the impossibility of the action.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectמִי
verbנָתַן
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 14:4
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Job's Reflection on Human Puritygenerated
Job 14:4 presents a profound question about the nature of purity and impurity. Job is contemplating the human condition and the limitations of mankind in achieving moral and spiritual cleanliness. This verse is part of a larger discourse where Job grapples with the reality of mortality and the divine judgment that awaits him, as seen in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 15:14 | What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? |
| 2 | Job 25:4–6 | How then can a man be just before God? How can one born of woman be pure? |
| 3 | Genesis 5:3 | When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth. |
| 4 | Psalm 51:5 | Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. |
| 5 | Psalm 90:5 | You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning— |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — טָהוֹר, Ta.horgenerated
The Hebrew word טָהוֹר (tahor) means clean or pure and encompasses various contexts, including physical, moral, and ceremonial purity. It is derived from a root that conveys the idea of being free from contamination or defilement.
In this verse, it highlights the impossibility of producing something pure from something impure. Job's use of this term emphasizes the inherent nature of humanity and the futility of seeking purity without divine intervention.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb יִתֵּ֣ן (yi.Ten, will he make) governs the structure of the verse, with the subject מִֽי (mi, who?) and the object טָהוֹר (tahor, a clean [thing]) following it. The phrase מִטָּמֵא (mi.ta.Me', from an unclean [thing]) serves as a prepositional phrase, indicating the source of impurity.
The structure highlights Job's rhetorical question, emphasizing the impossibility of achieving purity from impurity.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the key term טָהוֹר as καθαρὸς (katharos), which also means clean or pure. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of the concept of purity in both Hebrew and Greek contexts.
The Greek translation captures the essence of Job's inquiry about the nature of purity and the impossibility of achieving it from something inherently impure.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 14:4 asks a significant question: Who can make something clean from something unclean? Job answers that no one can. This verse reflects on the human condition and the limitations of our ability to achieve purity, emphasizing the need for divine intervention.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job uses 'clean' to refer to moral and spiritual purity, while 'unclean' signifies impurity or sinfulness, highlighting the impossibility of achieving purity through human effort.
Job is expressing his despair over the human condition and the limitations of mankind in achieving moral and spiritual cleanliness.
The word 'one' emphasizes that there is no person capable of producing purity from impurity, underscoring the totality of Job's statement.
This verse reflects Job's ongoing struggle with understanding suffering, divine justice, and the nature of humanity in the face of mortality.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does this verse teach us about the nature of purity and impurity in our lives?
- How can we seek divine help in areas of our lives where we feel unclean or impure?
- In what ways do we try to achieve purity through our own efforts instead of relying on God?
- How does understanding our limitations impact our relationship with God?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early church writers reference this verse to discuss the nature of purity and the human condition, drawing insights from Job's lamentation.
Let us be imitators also of those who in goat-skins and sheep-skins [Hebrews 11:37] went about proclaiming the coming of Christ;Early Church Fathers on Job 14 →
You see Job taking refuge again in his nature, because it is impossible, he says, to be pure. [He implores God] not only because of our weakness or our ephemeral nature or the disheartening that fills our life,Early Church Fathers on Job 14 →
Who can make clean a thing conceived of unclean seed? Is it not Thou, Who only Art? He That alone is clean in Himself can cleanse the unclean thing.Early Church Fathers on Job 14 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 14:4 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWho can bring a clean [thing] out of an clean?.... Either produce a clean person from an unclean one: it is not to be expected that one, perfectly free from sin, should be generated by, or brought
Read John Gill on Job 14 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWho can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. A plea in mitigation. The doctrine of original sin was held from the first.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 14 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleI do not say, I am clean, as Zophar pretendeth, ; but confess that I am a very unclean creature, and therefore liable to thy justice, if thou wilt deal rigorously with me; but remember that this is not my peculiar case, but the common lot of every man, who, coming from sinful parents, and being infected with original corruption, must unavoidably be unclean. Why then dost thou inflict such peculiar and extraordinary judgments upon me for that which is common to all men? And although my original corruption do not excuse my actual sins, yet I hope it may procure some mitigation to my punishments, and move thy Divine pity, which oft showeth itself upon such occasions. See . Not one, i.e. no man…
Read Matthew Poole on Job 14 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 14:4 Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? not one.Ver. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one] q. d. I confess I am unclean; but what can I do withal? or how can I do otherwise, since I do but my kind? But was this a sufficient plea? David was of another mind when he alleged this as a great aggravation of his bloodguiltiness, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me," Psalms 51:5 : q.d. I have not only fallen into these foul sins, but I have done it out of the venomousness and vitiosity of my nature, commonly called original, and by the apostle inhabiting sin, Romans 7:17, as by the schools peccatum peccans, the sinning sin…
Read John Trapp on Job 14 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4) Who can bring a clean thing . . .—How can man be clean that is born of woman, who is unclean? This question is reiterated by Bildad (Job 25:4). We ought perhaps, however, rather to render “Oh, that the clean could come forth from the unclean! but none can.”
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 14 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 4. Who can bring a clean thing] This verse is thus rendered by the Chaldee: "Who will produce a clean thing from man, who is polluted with sins, except God, who is one?" By Coverdale thus: Who can make it cleane, that commeth of an uncleane thinge? No body. The text refers to man's original and corrupt nature. Every man that is born into the world comes into it in a corrupt or sinful state. This is called original sin; and is derived from fallen Adam, who is the stock, to the utmost ramifications of the human family. Not one human spirit is born into the world without this corruption of nature. All are impure and unholy; and from this principle of depravity all transgression is…
Read AdamClarke on Job 14 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges4. The question of astonishment in Job 14:3 supported by reference to the universal sinfulness of man. The verse reads, Oh that a clean might come out of an unclean! There is not one. The phrase who will give (as margin) is a mere optative expression. Job throws his idea of the universal uncleanness of man, and that there is not one without sin, into the form of a wish that it were otherwise. If the race of men were not universally infected with sin, which each individual inherits by belonging to the race, God’s stringent treatment of the individuals would not be so hard to understand. For similar ideas of the universality of the sinfulness of mankind cf. Genesis 6:5; Isaiah 6:5; Psalms…
Read Cambridge on Job 14 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWho can bring a clean - thing “out of an unclean?” This is evidently a proverb or an adage; but its connection here is not very apparent.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 14 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!
Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean? No one!
Tyndale line
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse? there is not one.
Strictly literal
Who can bring a clean [man] out of the unclean? Not one!
Who giveth a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Who gives a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
Who can make a clean thing out of an unclean? not one [thing].
Who can bring something clean out of something unclean? No one.
From the Latin
Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? is it not thou who only art?
Simplified
Who can bring something clean of what is unclean? No one.
If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads מִֽי־ יִתֵּ֣ן טָ֭הוֹר מִטָּמֵ֗א לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד׃. The Septuagint matches five of the six words, though the word order differs. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some variation, with two words supplied by an editor, indicating a damaged text.
מִֽי־ יִתֵּ֣ן טָ֭הוֹר מִטָּמֵ֗א לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד׃
5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
מי יתן [טהור] [מטמא] [לא] [אחד]
2 words on the leather — 4 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 14:4
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
מִי (mi) is an interrogative pronoun primarily used to ask about persons, meaning 'who?' or 'whose?'. It can also appear in rhetorical questions and has some idiomatic uses, such as 'who among...?' or 'whosoever'. The word is rarely applied to things, and its forms can vary in emphasis.
מִי 423 pron.interrog. who? of persons
מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied
in the gen. whose
in an indirect qu.
מִי ב׳ who among … ?
strengthened and emph. forms of interrog.
various rhetorical uses whose
מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it
once, following a verb, any one
base
H4310 מִי who? of persons . מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied
. in the gen. whose
. in an indirect qu.
. מִי ב׳ who among … ?
. strengthened and emph. forms of interrog.
. various rhetorical uses whose
. מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it
. once, following a verb, any one
4310 miy me
an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things,
who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also
(indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction
with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that!
what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.
see HEBREW for 04100
מִי (mi) — who?.
who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever
Part — PronounHPi
The Hebrew word נָתַן (natan) means 'to give' and encompasses a wide range of applications such as putting, setting, and making. It can also indicate actions like bestowing, delivering, and assigning. The entries describe its use in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hophal, but do not present any significant disagreements among lexicons.
נָתַן 2007 vb. give, put, set
Qal 1917
give
Put, set
Make, constitute
Niph.
82be given
Be put, set
Hoph.
be given, bestowed
= be given to one for wife
be put upon
base
H5414 נָתַן give, put, set .. give
. Put, set
. Make, constitute
. . be given
. Be put, set
. . . be given, bestowed
. = be given to one for wife
. be put upon
5414 nathan naw-than'
a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of
application (put, make, etc.):--add, apply, appoint, ascribe,
assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth,
hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, +
cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X
without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up),
grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up),
(give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that,
occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X
pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send
(out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander,
strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade,
turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to)
God, yield.
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: give.
: give/deliver/send/produce
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend
1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate
1a3) to make, constitute
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned
1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted
1c) (Hophal)
1c1) to be given, be bestowed, be given up, be delivered up
1c2) to be put upon
נָתַן (na.tan) — to give: put.
: put/set/apppoint
1) to give, put, set
1a) (Qal)
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVqi3ms
טָהוֹר (tahor) means clean or pure, covering physical, ceremonial, and moral senses. It is derived from the root word associated with H2891. The entries emphasize its application in various contexts, including animals and ethical purity.
טָהוֹר adj. clean, pure
base
H2889 טָהוֹר clean, pure
2889 tahowr taw-hore'
or tahor {taw-hore'}; from 2891; pure (in a physical,
chemical, ceremonial or moral sense):--clean, fair,
pure(-ness).
see HEBREW for 02891
טָהוֹר (ta.hor) — pure.
1) pure, clean
1a) clean (ceremonially-of animals)
1b) pure (physically)
1c) pure, clean (morally, ethically)
Adj — AdjHAamsa
טָמֵא (tame') means 'unclean' and is derived from a root that conveys a sense of defilement or pollution, particularly in a religious context. It covers ethical, religious, and ritual impurity, and can refer to both people and places.
טָמֵא adj. unclean
base
H2931 טָמֵא unclean
2931 tame' taw-may'
from 2930; foul in a relig. sense:--defiled, + infamous,
polluted(-tion), unclean.
see HEBREW for 02930
טָמֵא (ta.me) — unclean.
1) unclean, impure
1a) ethically and religiously
1b) ritually
1c) of places
Prep | Adj — PrepositionHR/Aamsa
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Part — ParticleHTn
אֶחָד (echad) means 'one' and is derived from a numeral. It encompasses meanings such as each, every, a certain, and can serve as an indefinite article. It is also used as an ordinal to denote 'first' and appears in various combinations, including eleven. The entries consistently emphasize its numerical and qualitative aspects.
אֶחָד 972 adj.num. one
one
= each, every
= a certain
= indef. art.
only, & (fem.) once
one … another, one … the other
as ordinal first
in combin.
base
H259 אֶחָד one . one
. = each, every
. = a certain
. = indef. art.
. only, & (fem.) once
. one … another, one … the other
. as ordinal first
. in combin.
259 'echad ekh-awd'
a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an
ordinal) first:--a, alike, alone, altogether, and,
any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-)ly, each (one), +
eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only,
other, some, together,
see HEBREW for 0258
אֶחָד (e.chad) — one.
1) one (number)
1a) one (number)
1b) each, every
1c) a certain
1d) an (indefinite article)
1e) only, once, once for all
1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one
1g) first
1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal)
Adj — AdjHAcfsa