Job 14:6 kjv
Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
Job 14:6 nkjv
Look away from him that he may rest, Till like a hired man he finishes his day.
Job 14:6 niv
So look away from him and let him alone, till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.
Job 14:6 esv
look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.
Job 14:6 nlt
So leave us alone and let us rest!
We are like hired hands, so let us finish our work in peace.
Job 14 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 7:1 | "Is not man's life on earth a compulsory service, and his days like the days of a hired man?" | Life as a laborious, fixed service |
| Job 7:6 | "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle..." | Swiftness and transience of life |
| Job 14:5 | "Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with You..." | God determines life's fixed term |
| Ps 39:4-5 | "Make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!" | Brevity and fragility of human life |
| Ps 90:10, 12 | "The days of our years are seventy, or eighty... teach us to number our days." | Finite nature and prayer for wisdom |
| Ps 103:15-16 | "As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower... it is gone." | Frailty and fleeting existence |
| Ecc 1:2 | "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." | Life's ultimate emptiness/transience |
| Jas 4:14 | "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes." | Life as a brief, vanishing vapor |
| 1 Pet 1:24 | "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass; the grass withers, and the flower falls." | Human transience vs. eternal Word |
| Deut 32:39 | "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive..." | God's absolute sovereignty over life and death |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | "The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up." | Divine control over life and afterlife |
| Ps 31:15 | "My times are in your hand..." | God's sovereign control over one's life |
| Isa 38:12 | "My life is cut off like a weaver's thread; He severs me from the loom..." | Life ending at God's decree |
| Heb 9:27 | "it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment..." | Universal appointed time of death |
| Mat 11:28 | "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." | Invitation to rest from burdens (spiritual) |
| 2 Thes 1:7 | "...and to grant relief to you who are afflicted...when the Lord Jesus is revealed..." | Promise of future rest from affliction |
| Rev 14:13 | "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labors...'" | Rest for believers after earthly life |
| Ps 6:6 | "I am weary with my groaning; every night I make my bed swim..." | Plea for rest from suffering/weariness |
| Num 6:25-26 | "The Lord make his face shine upon you... and give you peace." | Normal prayer for divine favor/presence, contrasted with Job's plea |
| Jer 46:21 | "Also her hired soldiers in her midst are like fattened calves, for they also have turned back..." | The "hireling" concept (working for a wage) |
| Ex 12:45 | "No sojourner or hired servant shall eat of it." | Legal context of hired servants in Israel |
| Deut 24:14 | "You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy..." | Justice for the hired laborer |
| Mat 20:1-16 | Parable of the laborers in the vineyard. | Concept of a fixed "day" of labor for pay |
Job 14 verses
Job 14 6 Meaning
Job 14:6 conveys Job's desperate plea to God for a brief respite from his intense suffering before his inevitable death. He envisions human life as a fixed, finite period, comparable to the demanding daily work of a hired laborer. Just as a hireling anticipates the completion of their "day" and the ensuing rest, Job longs for a temporary cessation of divine scrutiny and affliction, allowing him a fleeting moment of peace before his life's "shift" ends and he passes away.
Job 14 6 Context
Job chapter 14 forms part of Job's response to his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who have been asserting that his immense suffering must be a consequence of his sin. In this chapter, Job deeply laments the fleeting and fragile nature of human life, contrasting it starkly with the regenerative capacity of a tree (Job 14:7-9). He questions humanity's destiny, recognizing that once dead, a person is gone without return (Job 14:10-12). Amidst this profound despair about mortality and his suffering, Job expresses a desperate yearning for respite. Verse 6, specifically, is a poignant interjection within his argument, a direct plea to God. It highlights Job's desire for a temporary release from his severe afflictions before his inevitably fixed "day" of life is fully expended, likening his existence to the hard, unceasing labor of a hired hand looking forward to the close of their shift. This plea underscores the intensity of his suffering and his longing for even a momentary relief from divine pressure.
Job 14 6 Word analysis
- Turn from him (שעה מֵעָלָיו, sha'ah me'alav):
- `sha'ah`: (verb) to look away, turn aside, avert one's gaze. It implies ceasing attention or ceasing to observe strictly.
- `me'alav`: (preposition + pronoun) from upon him, from over him.
- Significance: This is a paradoxical plea. Usually, a person prays for God's favorable gaze (Num 6:25), but Job seeks a cessation of God's intense, seemingly punitive scrutiny. He feels that God's unwavering attention is directly contributing to his suffering, crushing him.
- that he may rest (יֶחְדָּל, yechdal):
- `yechdal`: (verb, root hadal) to cease, desist, stop, refrain.
- Significance: Job is not asking for death yet, but for a pause or cessation of the suffering, a momentary break or relief. This suggests his weariness is profound, seeking peace from torment. It emphasizes that even temporary relief is coveted.
- till he shall accomplish (עַד-יִרְצֶה, 'ad-yirtseh):
- `'ad`: (preposition) until, up to.
- `yirtseh`: (verb, root ratsah) to be pleased with, accept, fulfill, pay off, complete.
- Significance: This term can have several nuances here. It implies completing an appointed or fixed period, like a term of service, or fulfilling one's life's allotted "contract." Some interpretations suggest "until he is satisfied" or "until he finds pleasure in it," possibly implying Job's eventual satisfaction at the close of his life's ordeal or God's satisfaction with Job having run his course. It often denotes a completion or payment received.
- as a hireling (כְּשָׂכִיר, k'sakhir):
- `k'`: (prefix) like, as.
- `sakhir`: (noun) a hired laborer, mercenary.
- Cultural context: In ancient Near Eastern societies, a sakhir worked for a fixed daily wage, often from sunrise to sunset, without rest (Deut 24:14-15). Their work was arduous, and they looked forward intensely to the end of the day when they received their payment and could rest from toil (Job 7:1-2).
- Significance: The metaphor highlights the difficult, burdensome, and limited nature of life. It’s a fixed term of labor, not a lifelong covenant, leading to a profound desire for the end.
- his day (יוֹמוֹ, yomo):
- Significance: Within the "hireling" metaphor, "his day" refers to the specific, finite duration of work agreed upon. For Job, it represents his fixed and limited lifespan, determined by God (Job 14:5), implying a definitive end.
Job 14 6 Bonus section
The concept of a "fixed time" or "appointed day" for human life, as Job perceives it, resonates throughout the biblical narrative, affirming God's absolute sovereignty over life and death. While Job, in his lament, frames this fixed term primarily as a source of limitation and despair due to suffering, the New Testament offers a radical reinterpretation through Christ. Through Him, death is not merely the end of a weary hireling's day but a gateway to eternal rest and joyful labor for those in God's presence, transforming the nature of that final "payment." This verse stands as a powerful testament to the intensity of human suffering and the desperate longing for respite even among the faithful, prior to the fuller revelation of hope beyond the grave found in Jesus Christ.
Job 14 6 Commentary
Job 14:6 is a deeply poignant expression of human mortality and desperation in suffering. It underscores Job's understanding that his life, though divinely appointed in its duration, is nevertheless a burden, a period of unrelenting toil. His plea to God to "turn from him" is born of profound agony, reflecting his perception that God's constant, scrutinizing presence is not a comfort but the very source of his current overwhelming torment. He desires a momentary alleviation, a quiet interval of rest before the inevitable completion of his life's fixed "day." The vivid comparison to a "hireling" highlights the exhausting and finite nature of his earthly existence, where one works diligently until the bell signals the end of their shift, longing only for the payment and subsequent release. This verse captures a universal human longing for peace and cessation of struggle in the face of suffering and unavoidable death, prior to the ultimate, final rest. It reveals a moment where Job, though a man of faith, momentarily sees only the finite, laborious aspect of human life without the ultimate hope found in divine redemption.