Man, born of woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.
Job has been arguing with his friends. Now he turns to God and speaks about every human being, himself included: life is short, and it is full of trouble.
Job's tone changes here from debate to mourning. One writer compares his words to a psalm about human frailty:
The close of this address ends the first round of the debate. It is a beautiful funeral song about the frailty and uncertainty of human life. Man comes up like a flower, and is cut down and withers. We are listening to the wail of Psalm 90, but without its faith in God, and not yet followed by the triumph of Psalm 91.
The phrase is not about a short lifespan by human reckoning. Job himself went on living long after he said it, and the words still held:
In these verses Job gives a vivid description of how quickly man's life on earth passes. This is generally true of all mankind, though men do everything in their power to soften this condition. Job himself lived 140 years after his bitter experience, yet when it was finished, it was only "few of days." In view of this brevity of life, Job wondered why God troubles Himself to bring him to judgment, as he thought God was doing.
Job is speaking of man only as he enters the world by natural birth. One commentator notes how different a believer's words can be:
Now, if you are speaking of those who are born of God, is that all you could say? Surely not! To depart is no doubt gain, but to live is well worthwhile, above all when Christ is the object. Such people can say, in their measure and despite all their weaknesses and faults, "For to me to live is Christ." Yes, that life is full of blessing. But here it is only man born of woman, never born of God — not yet, until a later chapter. Not one of these is thought of as born of God.
Job's next words show what troubled him most. Shortness of life was bad enough; being unfit to stand before God was worse.
In the far-off days of Job human life was perhaps three times longer than it is today. Yet it was still "few of days," and then it was "full of trouble," just as it is today. Seen in the light of the eternal God, he is only like a fading flower or a fleeting shadow. Job was conscious of this about himself, and so he knew he could not stand up under God's inspection, nor stand before Him in judgment. What is more, he knew that he was not clean in the sight of God, and he was sure no one could produce the clean out of the unclean.
Job was right that no one can bring something clean out of something unclean. What he could not see is where cleansing does come from:
"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one!" This is impossible for any human being. Yet God is able to purify men's hearts, cleansing them through the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7), by faith (Romans 3:25). But we find this only in the New Testament, so Job did not understand such a marvellous gospel.
Everything Job says here stays inside what he can see. Death ends the life he knows, and at this point in the book he has no light beyond it:
In Job 14, he clearly does not go beyond this present world of sight, and in the bitterness of his spirit has no sense of resurrection. A tree sprouts again in this present world, where we can see it. Man does not, and in fact never will, unless by a miracle, as with Lazarus. Death has wholly passed on him as an inhabitant of this world — a child of Adam. Such life he never recovers. Job was right, only he did not see beyond, nor here know Him who is the resurrection and the life.
- Few days. Even Job's extra 140 years counted as "few of days." The verse measures life by God's scale, not ours.
- Full of trouble. Job's grief is real but incomplete. It is the sorrow of Psalm 90 without its faith, and without the triumph of Psalm 91.
- Born of woman. That birth is all this verse describes — man as he comes from Adam, not yet born of God. Those born of God can say something more: for them, to live is Christ.
- Not clean. Job's own answer stands: no human being can bring the clean out of the unclean. The problem is deeper than the shortness of life.
- Not seeing beyond. Job was right about man and death. He stopped too soon: he did not yet know the One who is the resurrection and the life, or the blood that cleanses.
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; and he fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not.
Job has been answering his friend Zophar. He ends the first round of the debate by turning from his friends to God. He paints every human life in two pictures: a blossom, and a shadow. One question sits under the poetry. If man is this brief, why does God examine him at all?
These lines close a long speech, and they sound like a funeral song. One writer sets them beside Psalm 90 and points out what is missing.
This speech closes the first round of the debate. Its ending is a most beautiful funeral song about the frailty and uncertainty of human life. Man comes up like a flower, and is cut down and withers. We are listening to the wail of Psalm 90, but without its faith in God, and not yet followed by the triumph of Psalm 91.
The picture is about man as born of woman, not about those born of God. A flower draws admiration for as long as it lasts, and that is not long.
If you are speaking of those who are born of God, is that all you could say? Surely not! To depart is no doubt gain, but to live is well worth while, particularly when Christ is the object... But here it is merely man born of woman, never born of God. "He comes forth like a flower" — for they are all much the same when they are born. So far they are like a flower: an interesting object, no doubt. But how quickly it is fully grown and completely plain. "He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down; he flees also as a shadow, and continues not." You know very well — we all know — that many children die. Death is especially frequent among them.
(Kelly follows an older translation, "is cut down"; the ESV reads "withers.")
"Few days" is not a statement about the calendar. Job himself outlived his suffering by a long stretch, and the verdict still held.
Job himself lived 140 years after his bitter experience. Yet when it was over, it was still only "few days." Like a flower, man comes forth and fades away. Like a shadow he does not continue. Life is that short. So Job wondered why God troubles Himself to bring him to judgment, as he thought God was doing.
Job's life was far longer than ours. Set beside the eternal God, that made no difference.
In the far-off days of Job, human life was perhaps three times longer than it is today. Yet it was after all "of few days," and then it was "full of trouble," just as it is today. So seen in the light of the eternal God, he is only like a fading flower or a fleeting shadow. Job knew this about himself. So he knew he could not stand God's inspection, nor stand before Him in judgment.
Later in the chapter Job compares man with a tree. One writer marks where Job's sight stops.
In Job 14 he clearly does not go beyond this present world that he can see. In the bitterness of his spirit he has no sense of resurrection. The tree sprouts now and visibly in this present world; man does not... Job was right, only he did not see beyond, nor did he here know Him who is the resurrection and the life.
Frailty is the whole subject of the verse. One writer shows what God did about it.
The flower attracts the eye, and no sooner charms with interest than it fades away for ever. Such is man — all men, without exception... Man is not only sinful, unclean and corrupt, but weak and without continuance, for he passes away. Rich or poor, high or low, in this there is no difference... Still it is a blessing to remember that Jesus died for weak and frail ones. For it is written: "while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
- Frail — Job ends the first round of debate with a funeral song: a flower that fades, a shadow that will not stay.
- Few — "Few days" is a verdict, not a number. Job lived 140 more years, and it still counted as few.
- Faded — Set beside the eternal God, man is a fading flower. Job knew he could not stand God's inspection.
- Faithless — This is Psalm 90's lament without Psalm 90's faith in God. Job's eye stops at the world he can see. He does not yet know the One who is the resurrection and the life.
- For the frail — Weakness is not the end of the story. It is why Christ died: "while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."