Job 17 14

Job 17:14 kjv

I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.

Job 17:14 nkjv

If I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' And to the worm, 'You are my mother and my sister,'

Job 17:14 niv

if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,'

Job 17:14 esv

if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,'

Job 17:14 nlt

What if I call the grave my father,
and the maggot my mother or my sister?

Job 17 verses

Job 17 14 Meaning

Job 17:14 expresses Job's profound despair and resignation to death, depicting an inverted and macabre kinship with the elements of decay. Overwhelmed by suffering, abandonment, and the perceived absence of divine justice, Job declares that he finds his truest relations not among the living or among his friends, but with the very agents of decomposition. He embraces the grave as his ultimate destiny and final solace, personifying corruption and worms as his closest family members, signifying a complete surrender to the inevitability of his physical demise.

Job 17 14 Context

Job 17 is part of Job’s third and final response to his friends' accusations. At this point in the narrative (chapters 15-21), the friends have lost their ability to offer any meaningful counsel, reiterating their fixed theological stance that suffering is a direct result of sin. Job, on the other hand, is increasingly despondent. He views his life as short and fleeting (17:1), expresses bitter complaints about God's treatment of him (16:11-14), and feels abandoned by both God and humanity (17:2-5). He sees his friends as devoid of wisdom and mocks their comfort (17:6-10). Having lost all hope for a restored life, family, or possessions, he concludes that his only remaining prospect is the grave. Verse 14 culminates his desolate reflections, portraying death and decay not as an enemy, but as the only remaining, albeit grim, relation or reality for him. This complete surrender to the fate of decay highlights the extreme depth of his physical and spiritual anguish, having nowhere else to turn for comfort or belonging.

Job 17 14 Word analysis

• I have said (אָמַרְתִּי, ’āmar-tî): From the Hebrew verb אָמַר ('āmar), meaning "to say, speak, declare, command." The first person singular perfect tense "I have said" implies a deliberate, active declaration or an acceptance of a grim truth. It is not merely a passive thought but a pronounced statement, indicative of a decision or settled reality in Job’s mind. It conveys a strong personal affirmation.

• to corruption (לַשַּׁחַת, laśśaḥat): The preposition la- (to, toward) precedes שַׁחַת (šaḥat), which can mean "pit," "destruction," "ruin," or "corruption," especially in the context of physical decay or the grave. It is a common Old Testament term for the realm of death, often associated with Sheol or the netherworld (Psa 30:9; Isa 38:18). By addressing "corruption" directly, Job personifies it, treating decay not as an abstract concept but as a tangible entity capable of relationship. This choice signifies a surrender to inevitable physical dissolution.

• 'You are my father' (אָבִי אַתָּה, ’āḇî ’atâ): "Father" (אָב, ’aḇ) denotes origin, source, authority, and ultimate family connection. For Job to declare corruption as his "father" is a profoundly unsettling and despairing statement. It implies that decay is the origin of his present state and the guiding force toward his future. It redefines his lineage from a place of life and heritage to one of dissolution and demise, signaling a total break from earthly hopes and familial comforts. It is a polemic against the natural human pride in ancestry, substituting a decaying body for a noble heritage.

• and to the worm (לָרִמָּה, lārīmâ): The preposition la- (to, toward) followed by רִמָּה (rīmâ), meaning "maggot," "worm," specifically referring to the larvae of insects that consume decaying flesh. This is a stark image of physical decomposition. It represents the most abhorrent and visceral aspect of death, emphasizing complete physical disintegration. The shift from the broader "corruption" to the specific "worm" makes the image more graphic and personal.

• 'You are my mother and my sister' (אִמִּי וַאֲחֹתִי, ’immî wa’aḥōṯî): "Mother" (אֵם, ’ēm) signifies nurturer, provider of life, and close intimacy. "Sister" (אחות, 'āḥôt) implies companionship, shared identity, and intimate connection within the family unit. By calling worms his "mother" and "sister," Job completes his familial identification with decay. It expresses that the grave's most gruesome inhabitants are his new, inescapable family, offering a perverse sense of belonging. This choice suggests that the very processes that consume the dead are more intimate to him than any living being, symbolizing the depths of his isolation and despair. He sees himself intertwined with death's agents.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "I have said to corruption, 'You are my father'": This phrase represents Job's embrace of a new, horrifying lineage. It is an active declaration of belonging, not to life or humanity, but to the process of decay that ultimately leads to the grave. He acknowledges corruption as the dominant reality and source of his current and future existence, turning the conventional understanding of family and heritage on its head.
  • "and to the worm, 'You are my mother and my sister'": Extending the grim familial embrace, this part of the verse personifies the lowest, most repugnant forms of decay—maggots and worms—as his intimate companions. The "mother" signifies the source of his current nourishment (the grave provides rest), and the "sister" implies shared fate and ultimate companionship in the desolate realm of death. It expresses Job's utter alienation from the living and his complete, despairing identification with the physical processes of death.

Job 17 14 Bonus section

The profound anthropomorphism in Job 17:14—attributing human kinship to decay and worms—is a powerful literary device demonstrating the ultimate brokenness and isolation Job feels. He is severing ties with life and embracing what many fear most: absolute physical dissolution and the end of all earthly connection. This language subtly contrasts with biblical teaching that encourages seeking kinship with those who love God (Psa 119:63; Mk 3:35). Job’s choice highlights his belief that he has nothing left but the grave, underscoring the severity of his suffering, which is driving him to embrace a macabre identity rather than one rooted in life or divine relationship. Despite this despairing declaration, the very act of speaking implies a vestige of self-awareness and spiritual struggle that remains alive within him, preparing the way for his future confession of a living Redeemer (Job 19:25).

Job 17 14 Commentary

Job 17:14 serves as a harrowing climax to Job's laments, capturing the essence of absolute despair and his total capitulation to the inevitability of the grave. Having exhausted all avenues of human understanding and divine comfort, Job radically redefines his most fundamental relationships. He no longer sees hope in family, friends, or even God's justice, but finds his sole identity in the very processes of death and decay. This is not merely a poetic flourish but a profound spiritual and emotional surrender. By addressing "corruption" as "father" and "worms" as "mother and sister," Job depicts a grotesque familial bond with death, signifying that the elements which consume the body have become his most intimate connections. This inversion of kinship highlights Job’s extreme isolation and his anticipation of a physical disintegration that will sever all earthly ties. His words underscore the human condition's ultimate vulnerability to decay, especially in the face of immense suffering when divine presence feels absent. While appearing to be an act of utter despair, it also prepares the way for God's ultimate vindication, who is revealed as the one who triumphs over corruption, not by embracing it, but by conquering it through resurrection hope.

• Examples: A person enduring chronic illness might say, "Pain is my constant companion." One experiencing deep sorrow might refer to "grief as an old friend." These statements, similar to Job's, are expressions of total immersion in suffering, where an affliction becomes an inescapable, defining part of one's present reality, to the point of a perverse relationship.