Job 15:14
Get the Job 15:14 summary and meaning with expert commentary explained. Uncover biblical context and spiritual insights through detailed word analysis and cross-references.
Job chapter 15 - Eliphaz’s Escalating Accusation
Job 15 initiates the second cycle of dialogue with Eliphaz launching a much sharper attack, accusing Job of undermining the fear of God with his ‘empty’ knowledge. He appeals to the wisdom of the ancients to prove that the wicked always experience inner turmoil and eventual ruin, implying Job is among them.
Job 15:14
ESV: What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
KJV: What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
NIV: "What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?
NKJV: "What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
NLT: Can any mortal be pure?
Can anyone born of a woman be just?
Meaning
Job 15:14 poses a rhetorical question from Eliphaz the Temanite, questioning the possibility of humanity attaining a state of inherent purity or righteousness before God. It emphasizes that mankind, by virtue of being born of a woman (a common idiom for human birth and origin), is inherently incapable of being "clean" or "righteous" in God's perfect sight. This verse highlights the vast chasm between the absolute holiness of God and the inherited sinfulness and fragility of humanity.
Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 14:3 | "They are all gone aside... there is none that doeth good, no, not one." | Universal human depravity. |
| Ps 51:5 | "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." | Innate sinfulness from birth. |
| Ecc 7:20 | "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." | No human is perfectly righteous. |
| Isa 64:6 | "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" | Human efforts at righteousness are flawed. |
| Jer 17:9 | "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked..." | Inherited corruption of the human heart. |
| Rom 3:10 | "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" | Reinforces universal lack of righteousness. |
| Rom 3:23 | "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" | Universal fall short of God's standard. |
| Eph 2:1 | "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;" | Spiritual death inherited from sin. |
| Job 4:18-19 | "He putteth no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay..." | God's absolute standard for created beings. |
| Job 25:5-6 | (Bildad) "Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm?" | God's superior purity relative to creation. |
| Hab 1:13 | "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:" | God's absolute moral perfection. |
| 1 Pet 1:16 | "Be ye holy; for I am holy." | God's unachievable standard for humanity. |
| Ps 130:3 | "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" | Human inability to withstand divine scrutiny. |
| Pr 20:9 | "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" | Impossibility of self-cleansing. |
| Zech 3:3-4 | "Joshua was clothed with filthy garments... Take away the filthy garments... Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee..." | Divine initiative needed for cleansing. |
| Rom 5:19 | "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." | Righteousness achieved through Christ's work. |
| 1 Cor 1:30 | "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness..." | Christ provides righteousness. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | "For he hath made him to be sin for us... that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." | Substitutionary righteousness in Christ. |
| Phil 3:9 | "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness... but that which is through the faith of Christ..." | Righteousness obtained by faith, not works. |
| Tit 3:5 | "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration..." | Salvation through grace, not human effort. |
| Heb 10:14 | "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." | Christ's singular act brings perfection. |
| Col 1:22 | "Yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:" | Reconciliation leading to blamelessness. |
Context
Job 15:14 is part of Eliphaz the Temanite's second speech to Job, marking a shift towards harsher accusation. After Job's lament in Chapter 14, Eliphaz responds, criticizing Job's words as mere wind and questioning his reverence for God. This verse articulates a core tenet of the friends' theology: the inherent sinfulness and corruption of humanity. Eliphaz, like Bildad and Zophar, assumes that suffering is a direct consequence of sin. Therefore, Job's immense suffering must imply an equally immense, hidden sin. Eliphaz uses the rhetorical question of Job 15:14 to justify his belief that Job, as a human, cannot be genuinely innocent or clean before God, thereby upholding the retribution principle that innocent people do not suffer severely. Historically, this perspective was common in the ancient Near East, where prosperity often signified divine favor and calamity implied divine wrath, linking an individual's righteousness directly to their outward circumstances.
Word analysis
- What is man, (מָֽה־אֱנֹ֖ושׁ 'ĕnōš):
- אֱנוֹשׁ ('enosh): This Hebrew term for "man" often highlights humanity's weakness, frailty, and mortality, distinct from "adam" (man as a species) or "ish" (a strong, specific man).
- The use of 'enosh underscores the speaker's emphasis on human insignificance and inherent weakness when compared to the Divine.
- The rhetorical "What is man" powerfully asserts human nothingness and incapability in the face of divine perfection.
- that he should be clean? (יִזְכֶּ֑ה yizkeh):
- יִזְכֶּה (yizkeh): From the root זכה (zakáh), meaning "to be clean, pure, justified, acquitted." It carries both ceremonial/ritual purity and moral innocence.
- The question implies an absolute standard of purity before God, one that humans cannot naturally achieve.
- This term relates to Job's desire for justification or vindication, which Eliphaz denies is possible for a human.
- and he which is born of a woman, (וְכִֽי־יִצְדַּ֥ק יְלוּד־אִשָּֽׁה vekhí-yitzdaq y'lud-ishshah):
- יְלוּד אִשָּׁה (yelud 'ishshah): "born of a woman." This is a common Hebrew idiom referring to all humanity, emphasizing a common, natural origin.
- It subtly alludes to humanity's original and ongoing sinful condition inherited through procreation (Ps 51:5).
- This phrase emphasizes that no exception exists; everyone born of human descent carries this inherent lack of purity.
- that he should be righteous? (יִצְדָּ֑ק yitzdaq):
- יִצְדַּק (yitzdaq): From the root צדק (tsadaq), meaning "to be righteous, just, vindicated, or innocent." It denotes moral and legal standing.
- The second question echoes the first, extending the concept from "cleanliness" (purity) to "righteousness" (justice/integrity).
- Together, the two questions reinforce Eliphaz's premise that human beings possess neither intrinsic moral purity nor a just standing before God.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "What is man...that he should be clean?": This segment highlights the incomparability between God and man in terms of moral and spiritual purity. It reflects a core biblical truth about human inability to purify themselves by their own effort or nature.
- "he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?": This parallel phrase emphasizes the universal application of humanity's sinful state. "Born of a woman" signifies a shared human experience marked by sin and weakness from the moment of conception, preventing inherent righteousness before God.
Commentary
Job 15:14 serves as Eliphaz’s theological cornerstone, articulating the absolute distinction between divine holiness and human frailty. He argues that no mortal, regardless of apparent virtue, can attain true purity or righteousness in God's flawless estimation. This is a foundational, though misapplied, truth within Eliphaz's rigid framework of retribution. While Scripture affirms humanity's inherent sinfulness (Ps 51:5, Rom 3:23), Eliphaz errs by presuming this inherent state means God can find no true righteousness in Job, thereby justifying Job's suffering. He ignores that God Himself attested to Job's righteousness (Job 1:8). The verse implicitly underscores humanity's profound need for a righteousness not derived from self or birth, foreshadowing the divine provision of righteousness through Christ (2 Cor 5:21), a concept far beyond Eliphaz's understanding. It calls for humility regarding self-perceived goodness.For example, one might think their charitable acts make them clean, but Job 15:14 reminds us human righteousness cannot compare to God’s. Or someone striving for perfection might realize they fall short, as the verse points out that inherited nature prevents inherent cleanness.
Bonus section
Eliphaz's partial truth concerning humanity's fallen state is fundamentally sound, echoing what would later be fully revealed concerning original sin and universal human depravity. His error lies not in the statement itself, but in its rigid and presumptuous application to Job’s specific case. Eliphaz wrongly infers that if no one is perfectly righteous by nature, then Job's suffering must mean he is not righteous at all in God's eyes, thus failing to account for divine tests or purposes beyond human understanding. This illustrates the danger of taking a theological truth and misapplying it to individual circumstances without acknowledging God's unique ways and sovereignty. The phrase "born of a woman" (יְלוּד אִשָּׁה - yelud 'ishshah) in ancient Hebrew context could also simply highlight human mortality and ephemeral existence, emphasizing the short, fragile life of humans. This serves to further diminish human standing before an eternal, transcendent God.
Read job 15 chapter and explore various translations, from word-for-word KJV and ESV to thought-for-thought NIV and NLT.
Watch as Eliphaz stops listening to Job’s pain and starts preaching about the inevitable destruction of the ungodly. Begin your study with job 15 summary.
Eliphaz claims that Job’s own mouth condemns him, suggesting that the very act of questioning God is proof of guilt. The ‘Word Secret’ is *Ruach*, used here for ‘windy knowledge,’ mocking Job's arguments as nothing more than hot air that lacks spiritual substance. Discover the riches with job 15 commentary, containing expert led word study (original greek/hebrew) and passage level analysis.
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