Job 14:4 kjv
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Job 14:4 nkjv
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!
Job 14:4 niv
Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!
Job 14:4 esv
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.
Job 14:4 nlt
Who can bring purity out of an impure person?
No one!
Job 14 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 5:3 | When Adam had lived 130 years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image... | Human propagation of fallen nature. |
| Ps 51:5 | Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. | Inherited sinfulness from birth. |
| Rom 5:12 | Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin... | Sin entering humanity through Adam. |
| Rom 3:10-12 | as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one... No one does good, not even one.” | Universal lack of righteousness. |
| Eccl 7:20 | Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. | No human without sin. |
| Prov 20:9 | Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? | Human inability to self-cleanse. |
| Ps 130:3 | If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? | No one can stand before God's purity. |
| Isa 64:6 | We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. | Humanity's inherent impurity before God. |
| Jer 13:23 | Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. | Impossibility of self-change. |
| Ps 51:7 | Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. | God is the source of cleansing. |
| Isa 1:18 | “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” | God offers cleansing for sin. |
| Ezek 36:25-27 | I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses... | God promises cleansing and new heart. |
| Heb 9:14 | how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself... clean your conscience. | Christ's blood purifies from dead works. |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things... but with the precious blood of Christ. | Redemption through Christ's blood. |
| 1 Jn 1:7-9 | if we walk in the light, as he is in the light... and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. | Christ's blood cleanses confessed sin. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. | Christ became sin for our righteousness. |
| Eph 5:25-27 | Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing... | Christ sanctifies and cleanses the church. |
| Tit 3:5 | he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration... | Salvation not by works, but God's mercy. |
| Ps 14:1 | The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. | Universal human corruption. |
| Jer 17:9 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? | Depravity of the human heart. |
| Mt 15:19 | For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. | Origin of evil from within the heart. |
| Jn 3:5-7 | Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God... | Necessity of spiritual rebirth for purity. |
Job 14 verses
Job 14 4 Meaning
Job 14:4 rhetorically asks how a clean (pure) entity can originate from an unclean (impure) one, asserting that it is impossible. The verse underscores the inherent sinfulness and moral impurity of humanity, established from conception and birth. It highlights the human inability to purify oneself or produce spiritual cleanliness from a naturally fallen state. It is a profound declaration of universal human depravity and the foundational truth that no one can self-generate true spiritual purity.
Job 14 4 Context
Job 14 falls within Job's third soliloquy (chapters 12-14), spoken after Zophar's second speech. In this chapter, Job laments the brevity and hardships of human life, contrasting it sharply with the cycles of nature. A cut tree can sprout anew (14:7-9), but a human dies and does not rise until the heavens are no more (14:10-12). Job views death as the ultimate human frailty, but interwoven with this physical mortality is a recognition of inherent human moral weakness. Verse 4 serves as a foundational statement regarding humanity's plight: born of a fallen lineage, mankind is inherently "unclean" or impure in God's eyes, and thus incapable of self-rectification or producing a state of true purity. This moral inability compounds his physical vulnerability, intensifying his lament that there is no hope or path for self-renewal for sinful humanity apart from divine intervention. It subtly implies a deeper issue than mere suffering – the very nature of human existence is flawed from its source. Historically, the verse can be seen in a broader Ancient Near Eastern context where ritual purity was a concern, but Job elevates the discussion to the inherent moral and spiritual purity required by God. It directly challenges any simplistic notion that human beings can, by their own efforts or rituals, become truly pure before a holy God.
Job 14 4 Word analysis
- Who (מִי - mi): This interrogative pronoun introduces a rhetorical question, implying an emphatic negative answer: "No one." It highlights the absolute and universal impossibility of the premise presented. It challenges human wisdom and self-sufficiency.
- can bring (יִתֵּן - yitten): From the root נָתַן (natan), meaning "to give, put, place," but here used in the sense of "to produce," "to make, " "to provide," or "to bring forth." It speaks of capability, origination, or creation. The imperfect tense indicates an ongoing or habitual inability.
- a clean (טָהוֹר - tahor): This adjective denotes ritual, moral, and spiritual purity. In biblical terms, tahor refers to a state fit for approaching God or participating in sacred rites. Here, it refers to intrinsic moral or spiritual integrity, spotless righteousness. It is not merely the absence of defilement but a positive state of holiness that reflects God's own character.
- thing: Not explicitly present in the Hebrew, implied by the context, referring to a clean entity or outcome.
- out of (מִן - min): A preposition meaning "from" or "out of," indicating origin or source.
- an unclean (מִטָּמֵא - mittame): From the root טָמֵא (tame), meaning "to be/become unclean, defiled." This term encompasses ceremonial impurity, moral defilement, and spiritual uncleanness (e.g., sin). Here, it denotes the inherently fallen and corrupted nature of humanity inherited through lineage. It describes the source as fundamentally flawed or contaminated from God's holy standard.
- not one (לֹא אֶחָד - lo echad): This phrase unequivocally provides the answer to the rhetorical question. Lo is a negation, and echad means "one." Together, they emphasize total negation, meaning "absolutely no one," reinforcing the universal truth that self-purification is an utter impossibility for humankind.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "Who can bring...?": This rhetorical beginning immediately sets a tone of human helplessness and limitation. It's a universal challenge posed by Job, inviting self-reflection on mankind's true state before God. It highlights the divine standard versus human capability.
- "a clean thing out of an unclean?": This phrase is the core theological problem articulated. It poses a profound question about the origin of spiritual purity. How can purity, by definition opposite to uncleanness, be produced from a source that is itself unclean? This directly points to the impossibility of humanity (which is born into an "unclean" state due to inherited sin) producing a "clean" moral or spiritual outcome from its own inherent nature. It underscores that human efforts cannot achieve divine purity.
- "not one.": This short, conclusive phrase functions as the undeniable answer. It reiterates that there is no exception to this universal truth. It firmly shuts the door on any notion of human ability to self-sanctify or derive purity from its own essence, emphasizing the pervasive and inescapable nature of spiritual impurity inherited by all humankind.
Job 14 4 Bonus section
The profound statement in Job 14:4 is not just a lament but a polemic against any notion of human autonomy in achieving spiritual uprightness. It subtly challenges self-righteousness, philosophical views that champion human inherent goodness, or even ritualistic practices that might be divorced from a true spiritual cleansing. It positions humanity in a state of utter helplessness before God's perfect standard of purity, emphasizing the qualitative difference between divine holiness and human brokenness. This verse therefore contributes significantly to the biblical doctrine of humanity's fallen nature and total inability without grace, a truth foundational for appreciating the magnitude of God's redemptive work. It sets the stage for understanding why a divine sacrifice, Jesus Christ, was necessary to bridge the chasm between an unclean humanity and a perfectly clean God.
Job 14 4 Commentary
Job 14:4 encapsulates a profound theological truth central to the biblical understanding of humanity: our innate impurity. Job, suffering greatly, moves beyond mere physical ailments to question the very fabric of human existence. The rhetorical question exposes the radical impossibility for fallen human beings to generate purity or righteousness from their own inherently sinful nature. It's not about ceremonial defilement easily washed away, but about the deeply rooted moral and spiritual impurity that pervades humanity from its inception (echoed in Ps 51:5, "brought forth in iniquity"). This verse effectively establishes a crucial boundary: human beings, due to the propagation of sin (Rom 5:12), are fundamentally flawed. Therefore, no human can, through self-effort, good works, or inherent virtue, attain a clean status before a holy God. This foundational declaration logically leads to the absolute necessity of divine intervention for cleansing and redemption, paving the way for the revelation of God's provision in the New Testament through Christ, who alone can make the unclean clean (2 Cor 5:21, Heb 9:14). It prefigures the Gospel truth that salvation and true righteousness are gifts from God, not achievements of man.