Job 14 5

Job 14:5 kjv

Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

Job 14:5 nkjv

Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.

Job 14:5 niv

A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.

Job 14:5 esv

Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,

Job 14:5 nlt

You have decided the length of our lives.
You know how many months we will live,
and we are not given a minute longer.

Job 14 verses

Job 14 5 Meaning

Job 14:5 encapsulates a profound declaration of divine sovereignty over human life. It states that the span of a person's life is entirely predetermined by God, down to the number of months. God has appointed an immutable boundary for each individual, which cannot be transgressed or extended. This verse is part of Job’s lament on human frailty and the brevity of life, underscoring humanity’s powerlessness in altering their preordained destiny or escaping their finite existence and suffering.

Job 14 5 Context

Job 14:5 is part of Job’s desperate lament in response to his friends’ condemnation, found in Job chapters 3-14. Specifically, this verse comes at a point where Job contrasts the renewed hope a cut tree has (vv. 7-9) with the utter hopelessness of a human being after death (v. 10). Job believes that unlike a tree, which can sprout anew, human life, once ended, has no natural return. His suffering has led him to profoundly contemplate mortality. He recognizes that his very existence, its duration, and its boundaries are solely in God's hands. This deterministic view emphasizes God’s absolute sovereignty and simultaneously intensifies Job's feeling of helplessness. In a historical and cultural context, while ancient peoples often recognized divine influences over life, Job’s emphasis is on a singular, sovereign God’s precise predetermination, rather than arbitrary fate or multiple capricious deities. Job wrestles with the paradox of God's power – powerful enough to inflict suffering, yet also powerful enough to meticulously predetermine every moment of life and its inevitable end, thereby giving no escape.

Job 14 5 Word analysis

• Since his days are determined
  • Since (כִּי - ki): A conjunction introducing a cause or explanation. It links Job's despair over humanity's transience to God's definitive control.
  • his days (יָמָיו - yamav): Refers to the totality of a person's life span, often implying brevity. The use of "days" rather than "years" underscores the short and numbered nature of life.
  • are determined (קָצוּא - qatshu): From the verb קָצַץ (qatsats), meaning "to cut off," "to decide," "to fix," "to shorten." It signifies a precise, fixed measurement or limitation. Life is not merely brief, but its length is meticulously measured out and set by a higher authority.
• and the number of his months is with You
  • and the number (מִסְפַּר - mispar): Indicates a count, a precise quantification. Reinforces the concept of a measured duration.
  • his months (חֳדָשָׁיו - chodashav): "Months" further refines the idea of a precisely measured and finite lifespan, emphasizing shorter increments than "years." This adds to the sense of specificity and finite time.
  • is with You (אִתָּךְ - itach): Directly attributes this knowledge and control to God ("You" referring to the Almighty). It emphasizes God's personal oversight and sovereign keeping of each individual's life blueprint, known to Him alone. This knowledge is not arbitrary or open to human manipulation.
• and You have appointed his limits that he cannot pass
  • and You have appointed (קָבַעְתָּ - qava'ta): From the verb קָבַע (qava), meaning "to fix," "to appoint," "to settle firmly," "to engrave." This signifies a firm, unalterable, and unchallengeable decree. God has established this boundary with certainty.
  • his limits (חֻקּוֹ - chukko): His decreed portion, his boundary, his statute, or his ordinance. It implies a divine decree or law that marks off the boundary. It’s a specific, assigned portion that cannot be altered.
  • that he cannot pass (וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר - velo ya'avor): "And he will not cross over." An emphatic negative, highlighting the absolute impossibility for humans to transcend or circumvent the boundary set by God. There is no appeal or escape from this divine ordinance concerning one’s appointed time.

Words-group analysis:

• The entire verse presents a triplicate affirmation of God's absolute sovereignty over the duration of human life. "Determined days," "numbered months," and "appointed limits that cannot be passed" all echo and reinforce the same fundamental truth: human life is finite and utterly under divine control.
• The progression from "days" to "months" to "limits" highlights the increasing specificity and immutability of God's decree. Each phrase builds on the previous one to emphasize the unchangeable nature of this divine plan.
• Job's consistent addressing of "You" (God) in this declaration indicates his deep theological understanding of God's direct involvement in all aspects of creation, including the minute details of an individual's lifespan, even while he laments his suffering at God’s hand. This isn't fate or chance; it's a personal, divine decree.

Job 14 5 Bonus section

• The precise control described here contrasts sharply with common ancient Near Eastern fatalism, where life might be subject to impersonal, indifferent, or multiple, capricious deities. Job’s declaration attributes this predetermined fate directly to a singular, personal, and powerful God.
• While Job's tone here is one of despair, recognizing God’s fixed decree over life’s span later becomes a source of comfort and purpose for the faithful. Knowing that God determines one’s days can instill confidence that life is not accidental, but purposed, and that no evil can cut short God’s full plan for an individual outside of His divine will.
• The mystery of when those determined days will end remains hidden from humanity. This hidden knowledge allows for an ongoing sense of urgency and dependence on God throughout life, prompting humility and a focus on eternal matters rather than a mere counting down of days.

Job 14 5 Commentary

Job 14:5 serves as a foundational theological statement regarding God's unyielding sovereignty over life and death. Job, amidst his profound suffering, acknowledges that the length of human existence is neither accidental nor self-determined, but a meticulously counted and firmly established decree of God. Every individual's journey from birth to grave has a divinely designated terminal point that cannot be hastened or delayed by human will or circumstance. This truth, for Job, is not a source of comfort but rather exacerbates his despair, as it signifies his inescapable appointment with death and his inability to curtail his suffering or prolong his earthly hope. The verse starkly contrasts human frailty and impotence with divine omnipotence, emphasizing that life's very breath and every passing moment are utterly contained within the divine hand. This understanding, though painful for Job, lays the groundwork for later biblical revelation about God's eternal plans and purposes for a finite humanity.