Job 14 13

Job 14:13 kjv

O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Job 14:13 nkjv

"Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Job 14:13 niv

"If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me!

Job 14:13 esv

Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Job 14:13 nlt

"I wish you would hide me in the grave
and forget me there until your anger has passed.
But mark your calendar to think of me again!

Job 14 verses

Job 14 13 Meaning

Job 14:13 expresses Job's desperate longing for temporary respite from his unbearable suffering and perceived divine wrath. He wishes to be hidden by God in Sheol, the grave, as a sanctuary, until God's anger subsides. This desire for concealment is coupled with a profound hope that God would then remember him and appoint a definite time for his deliverance or restoration from that state, signaling a hidden yearning for future vindication or life beyond the grave.

Job 14 13 Context

Job 14 forms part of Job's third response to his friends (chapters 12-14). In this chapter, Job deeply laments the fleeting and fragile nature of human life, contrasting it sharply with the hope of renewal for a cut tree. While a tree can sprout again from its stump, Job declares that "man lies down and rises not again" (Job 14:12), highlighting the apparent finality of human death. This verse immediately follows his despair about mortal existence, where he perceives humanity as utterly vulnerable and destined for irreversible decay. Yet, amidst this profound despair and the conviction that God is his adversary, Job articulates a desperate and paradoxical wish. He longs for a temporary escape through death into Sheol, the common grave, as a shelter from God's wrath, indicating a persistent, albeit faint, glimmer of hope that God's perceived wrath might be temporary and that divine remembrance could lead to eventual restoration beyond the grave. It shows a profound struggle between his present suffering and a deeper yearning for vindication and future re-engagement with God, prefiguring the climactic statement in Job 19:25-27.

Job 14 13 Word analysis

• Oh that: Hebrew "מִי־יִתֵּן" (mi-yitten), literally "Who will give?" or "Oh that it would be given!" This is an emphatic exclamation expressing an intense, desperate, and often forlorn wish for something impossible or difficult to obtain. It conveys a deep yearning from a heart overwhelmed with grief and pain.

• you would hide me: Hebrew "תִּצְפְּנֵנִי" (titzpeneni). The verb צָפַן (tsapan) means "to hide, conceal, store up, treasure up." It implies protection and safekeeping rather than mere disappearance. Job is not wishing to vanish into nothingness but to be protected by God, even in death, suggesting God's dominion over Sheol.

• in Sheol: Hebrew "שְׁאוֹל" (She'ol). The realm of the dead, the grave, the underworld. In Old Testament thought, it's a shadowy place of universal gathering for the departed, where all human activity ceases and memory fades, a place of no return (Psa 6:5; Ecc 9:10). Job's wish for Sheol as a "hiding place" is atypical, hinting at a nuanced hope for a temporary, rather than eternal, residence there under God's hidden power. It's a wish for death as a respite from suffering and wrath, not as an ultimate end.

• that you would conceal me: Hebrew "תַּסְתִּירֵנִי" (tastirēni). From סָתַר (satar), meaning "to hide, cover, keep secret." This reinforces the preceding "hide me," emphasizing the desire to be shielded from God's direct and seemingly punitive gaze, as well as from his present affliction.

• until your wrath be past: Hebrew "עַד־שׂוּב אַפְּךָ" (ʿad-shuv appəḵā), literally "until your nose/anger returns/turns back." "Wrath" (אף - aph) refers to God's anger, often fierce and hot, expressed as Job's severe suffering. "Past" (שׁוּב - shuv) implies its cessation or removal. This crucial phrase reveals Job's understanding that his current plight is an expression of divine wrath and his belief that this wrath is finite and temporary, not eternal. It is an argument with God about the duration of his affliction.

• that you would appoint me a set time: Hebrew "תָּשִׁית לִי קֵץ" (tashit li qētz). "Appoint" (שִׁית - shit) means "to put, set, place, establish." "Set time" (קֵץ - qētz) signifies an end, a boundary, a fixed period, or an appointed limit. This phrase is pivotal, contradicting the idea of indefinite oblivion in Sheol. Job explicitly desires a divinely fixed duration for his concealment, anticipating an end to that state, and not just the wrath.

• and remember me: Hebrew "וְתִזְכְּרֵנִי" (vetizkərēni). From זָכַר (zakhar), meaning "to remember, call to mind, think of." In biblical context, for God to "remember" someone is not merely to recall their existence but to act on their behalf, often in grace, restoration, or blessing (e.g., Gen 8:1 for Noah; Gen 30:22 for Rachel). This is Job's profoundest hope: that even if he must descend to Sheol, God's remembrance will eventually lead to a return, vindication, or renewal of life, reflecting a nascent hope in the ultimate defeat of death by divine power, later seen more explicitly in Job 19:25-27.

• "hide me in Sheol... until your wrath be past": This phrase encapsulates Job's desire for a temporary retreat from suffering and divine judgment. It highlights his perception of God as the cause of his misery while also showing a limited view of Sheol as a protective chamber, challenging the conventional understanding of death as final oblivion.

• "appoint me a set time, and remember me": These culminating desires demonstrate a persistent faith, however fragile. They reveal that Job is not wishing for a permanent end, but a timed suspension. "Remember me" is a powerful plea for divine action, signifying a hope for future relationship and restoration that transcends death's immediate grasp, foreshadowing the deeper theological implications of resurrection.

Job 14 13 Bonus section

This verse carries a subtle polemic against the absolute finality of death as understood by some contemporary beliefs. While Sheol was commonly seen as a realm from which there was no return (Job 7:9), Job’s request for a "set time" and "remembrance" introduces a profound tension, hinting that God's power extends even to this domain and can bring forth life or renewed recognition beyond it. This aspiration pushes the boundaries of Old Testament eschatology, anticipating the clearer revelation of resurrection in later scriptures (e.g., Dan 12:2; Isa 26:19). The prayer thus becomes a remarkable expression of persistent faith—that God's covenant loyalty and saving power transcend the seemingly ultimate barrier of the grave.

Job 14 13 Commentary

Job 14:13 stands as a profound paradox within Job's laments, expressing a desire for death not as annihilation, but as a temporary, divinely sanctioned refuge. Stripped of everything and consumed by unexplainable suffering, Job yearns for Sheol (the grave) as a place of hidden protection from God's perceived wrath. Crucially, this is not a suicidal wish for permanent oblivion. Instead, it is a cry for an "appointed time" in the grave, signaling an implicit belief in a limited duration of God's anger and a future divine intervention. His plea, "and remember me," elevates this wish beyond mere escape; it’s a desperate plea for God's redemptive action beyond death. This phrase foreshadows Job's great confession of a Redeemer who will stand upon the earth and that Job himself will see God beyond his flesh (Job 19:25-27). This verse thus marks a pivotal moment where Job's despair subtly intertwines with a foundational, though still evolving, hope in divine remembrance and potential restoration even from the grasp of death. It illustrates a remarkable endurance of faith despite the darkest affliction.