Job 14 17

Job 14:17 kjv

My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.

Job 14:17 nkjv

My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity.

Job 14:17 niv

My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin.

Job 14:17 esv

my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.

Job 14:17 nlt

My sins would be sealed in a pouch,
and you would cover my guilt.

Job 14 verses

Job 14 17 Meaning

Job 14:17 conveys Job’s anguished conviction that God meticulously records and preserves his transgressions and iniquities. He perceives God as sealing up his sins as if in a secure ledger or bag, and then actively fastening them together, ensuring no fault is overlooked. This depicts God building a precise and complete case against him, a relentless pursuit that offers no escape from divine scrutiny, even after death.

Job 14 17 Context

Job chapter 14 forms a segment of Job's lengthy lament where he grapples with the brevity and frailty of human life in the face of suffering and God's seemingly unrelenting hand. After despairing about the fleeting nature of man's existence (14:1-6) and contrasting it with the tree's capacity for renewal (14:7-12), Job longs for respite, even wishing to be hidden in Sheol until God's wrath passes (14:13). He speculates about the possibility of an afterlife, expressing a faint hope for revival, yet quickly reverts to his current despair. Verse 14:17 directly follows his wish for God to hide him and for his "calamity" to pass, implying that even then, Job perceives God as actively tracking and holding onto his offenses. Job feels pursued by God as a divine prosecutor, meticulously gathering evidence against him, signifying God's continued meticulous attention to his sins rather than his plight or his integrity. This verse highlights Job's conviction that his troubles are linked to a divine record-keeping of his alleged misdeeds.

Job 14 17 Word analysis

• My transgression (Hebrew: פִּשְׁעִ֑י - pish'i): This term signifies "rebellion," "trespass," or a "breach" of relationship or duty. It implies a deliberate breaking away from what is right, indicating guilt and offense. In Job's context, it expresses his assumption that God attributes such specific moral failings to him.
• is sealed up (Hebrew: חָת֣וּם - chatum): This participle means "closed," "sealed," or "secured." It suggests an act of finality and preservation. A sealed document or treasure is protected from interference and designated for a specific purpose or future unveiling. Here, it implies sins are recorded permanently, not to be forgotten.
• in a bag (Hebrew: בַּצְּר֣וֹר - batz'ror): Refers to a "bundle," "pouch," "purse," or "sack." In ancient Near Eastern contexts, a tzeror often held valuables, money, or important documents. The imagery suggests a deliberate and organized collection, perhaps like an archived ledger or a bundle of accusations, signifying their preservation and eventual presentation.
• And You (implied subject from the verb, directed at God): Job directly addresses God, asserting that this active collection and preservation of his sins is God's doing. This emphasizes divine intentionality in scrutinizing Job.
• fasten up / sew up / entwine (Hebrew: וַתֶּטְפֹּ֖ל - vat'tetpol - from root טָפַל - taphal): The root taphal can mean "to smear," "to plaster," "to join," "to attach," "to stitch," or "to entwine." In this context, it describes a painstaking, meticulous process. It’s not just collecting, but actively joining or interweaving one's sins into a coherent, undeniable record. This depicts God diligently completing the "bag" or record of Job’s offenses.
• my iniquity (Hebrew: עֲוֹנִֽי - avoni): Another term for sin, often emphasizing its crookedness, perversion, or guilt and the punishment that justly follows. Together with pish'i, it indicates a comprehensive charge against Job's entire moral conduct.

Words-group analysis

• "My transgression is sealed up in a bag": This phrase powerfully conveys the idea of an exact and permanent record of Job's sins. The "bag" metaphor implies a secure and secret compilation, inaccessible to Job but fully known and preserved by God. This indicates that God's scrutiny is thorough, and the transgressions are held for future reference, perhaps for judgment.
• "And You fasten up my iniquity": This shifts the focus to God's direct and active role. It is not just a passive record, but God Himself is depicted as diligently compiling or attaching each instance of iniquity. This underscores Job's sense of being under deliberate divine prosecution, with God meticulously ensuring every fault is documented and counted, not forgotten or overlooked.

Job 14 17 Bonus section

• The "bag" or "bundle" imagery in ancient Near Eastern thought could also relate to God’s hidden treasures or judgment scrolls, making the notion of Job's sins being in such a bag especially foreboding. It implies an exact reckoning.
• Job's words reflect a common human fear of unforgiven sins and the meticulous memory of a holy God. This stands in stark contrast to the hope of forgiveness found through covenant with God (e.g., Jer 31:34, Heb 8:12), highlighting Job's current alienated state from that comfort.
• The meticulous nature implied by "sealed up" and "fasten up" is characteristic of ancient legal or commercial practices, suggesting an undeniable, irrefutable account, reinforcing Job’s conviction that God's case against him is solid and inescapable.
• The passage highlights a polemical tension against any superficial or pagan belief that divine beings are forgetful or indifferent to human actions. Job confirms that God is thoroughly aware and actively engaged, albeit in a way that currently brings him profound distress.

Job 14 17 Commentary

Job 14:17 vividly portrays Job’s deeply entrenched perception that God is meticulously auditing his life, specifically accumulating and securing his faults. The imagery of sins being "sealed up in a bag" suggests an archive, a confidential dossier or a court's record-keeping, where every single offense is preserved for future use, possibly as evidence for condemnation. The accompanying phrase "You fasten up my iniquity" further intensifies this feeling. The verb implies God's personal and careful effort to join, stitch, or make permanent this list of Job’s wrongs. Job is not pleading innocence here; rather, he is lamenting God’s intense, uncompromising focus on his perceived imperfections, feeling hounded by a divine bookkeeper of sins. This verse is poignant because Job finds no relief or hope for the blotting out of his sins; instead, he sees God actively building a case against him, ensuring that even if he dies, his moral slate is not wiped clean, but permanently marked. It encapsulates Job's profound despair and his belief that God views him primarily as a sinner under unrelenting scrutiny.