Job 14 8

Job 14:8 kjv

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

Job 14:8 nkjv

Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground,

Job 14:8 niv

Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil,

Job 14:8 esv

Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil,

Job 14:8 nlt

Though its roots have grown old in the earth
and its stump decays,

Job 14 verses

Job 14 8 Meaning

Job 14:8 graphically depicts a tree in an advanced state of decay, highlighting its root having grown old and its stump having seemingly died within the soil. This verse serves as a preamble to Job's profound contrast between the cyclical renewal observed in nature—even in the face of death—and what he perceives as the irreversible and final demise of human life. It sets the stage for his lament over human mortality and the apparent absence of hope for an afterlife, as opposed to a tree which can sprout again from water.

Job 14 8 Context

Job chapter 14 is part of Job's third discourse, specifically his reply to Zophar's first speech. Job, enduring immense suffering, pours out his despair over the fragility and brevity of human life, feeling abandoned by God. This chapter serves as a deep lament where Job questions the purpose and meaning of his suffering, believing death to be an irreversible end for humanity. Verses 7-9 offer a poignant comparison between a tree and a man: a tree, no matter how severely cut down or decayed, retains the possibility of revival if exposed to water. In contrast, Job despairs that a man, once deceased, cannot return to life. Verse 8 vividly portrays the seemingly hopeless state of the tree's components—an old root and a dead stump—to heighten the marvel of its potential rebirth, thus strengthening the ensuing argument for human mortality's finality in Job's mind. The lament is not a definitive theological statement on resurrection but an expression of Job's felt reality and his desperate cry to God from the depths of his pain.

Job 14 8 Word analysis

• Though its root: (וְאִם יִזְקַן שָׁרְשׁוֹ֙ – wə'im yizqan shārshōw)

  • Though: A concession, introducing a situation that seems impossible, yet allows for hope in the subsequent verses.
  • its root: (שָׁרְשׁוֹ֙ – shārshōw from שֹׁרֶשׁ - shoreš) The foundational, life-sustaining part of a tree. This part growing "old" suggests deep-seated, systemic decay, not just superficial damage, intensifying the image of dying.

• grows old: (יִזְקַן – yizqan from זָקֵן - zaqen) Conveys not just aging but weakening, deterioration, and decay, specifically indicating a lack of vital energy. This implies a slow, natural decline rather than a sudden disaster.

• in the earth: (בָּאָרֶץ – bā'āreṣ) The natural environment for a root, from which it should draw life. Its aging in the earth suggests the decay is inherent and pervasive within its normal context, making future life seem improbable.

• and its stump: (וּבֶעָפָר יָמֽוּת גִּזְעֽוֹ׃ – ūveʿāphār yāmuṯ gizʿōw)

  • its stump: (גִּזְעֽוֹ – gizʿōw from גֶּזַע - geza`) The part of the trunk remaining above or at ground level after the tree has been cut or broken. It is the visible evidence of what was once a mighty tree, now reduced and seemingly lifeless.

• dies: (יָמֽוּת – yāmuṯ from מוּת - muṯ) Denotes absolute cessation of life. This strong verb underscores the complete and undeniable state of lifelessness of the visible part of the tree.

• in the soil: (בֶּעָפָר – beʿāphār from עָפָר - ʿāphār) Refers to dust, loose dry earth, or soil. Being in such a dry, potentially unfertile environment further emphasizes the seemingly final death of the stump and the hopelessness of revival without external intervention (like water, mentioned in v.9).

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Though its root grows old in the earth": This phrase describes the insidious, internal decay affecting the tree at its very source of life. The "aging" in its natural habitat highlights a condition that has progressed deeply over time, making reversal seem impossible through natural means.
  • "and its stump dies in the soil": This depicts the visible, external consequence of that deep decay. The "stump" (the visible remains) "dying" in the "dusty soil" confirms the utter lifelessness and dessication of the tree's remnant, emphasizing a profound state of demise. Together, these two clauses present a complete picture of an utterly dead tree from root to visible stump.

Job 14 8 Bonus section

While Job 14:8 focuses on the seemingly irreversible death of a tree, setting up a lament, its immediate follow-up (v. 9) quickly reverses this perception for the tree, offering hope of renewed life from a scent of water. This creates dramatic irony for the Christian reader, who knows that for humanity, a similar, even greater, "resurrection" is possible through Christ, fulfilling the very hope Job desperately lacked knowledge of at this point. This tension between Job's limited understanding of the future and the full revelation of God's plan later in Scripture (specifically through the New Testament) adds a profound layer of meaning to Job's seemingly hopeless cry. The 'life from death' seen in the tree in v. 9 becomes a natural type foreshadowing spiritual and bodily resurrection.

Job 14 8 Commentary

Job 14:8 presents a vivid picture of decay and death within the natural world. It underscores Job's initial premise that a tree, despite reaching an advanced stage of decline—its very root aged within the soil and its visible stump having died—still retains an intrinsic capacity for renewal. This imagery is crucial as it heightens the despair in the subsequent verses regarding human life. Job sees nature's cycle of death and rebirth as fundamentally different from man's linear progression towards a seemingly permanent end. The deep decay of the root and the clear death of the stump accentuate the miracle that a future sprout can emerge, contingent on water (v.9). This contrast sets a stage of deep theological wrestling, where Job feels trapped in a finality that nature appears to transcend. He yearns for a "boundary" (v. 5) but also for a "change" (v. 14) that seemingly only God can bring. The verse, therefore, captures Job's profound and relatable human longing for hope against all odds, a hope that, in his view, is granted to a mere tree but withheld from man.