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Job 17:14 and say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,'

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(Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/job/17.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />if I say to corruption, &#8216You are my father,&#8217 and to the worm, &#8216My mother&#8217 or &#8216My sister,&#8217<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/17.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />What if I call the grave my father, and the maggot my mother or my sister?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/17.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />if I say to the pit, &#8216;You are my father,&#8217; and to the worm, &#8216;My mother,&#8217; or &#8216;My sister,&#8217;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/17.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />and say to corruption, &#8216;You are my father,&#8217; and to the worm, &#8216;My mother,&#8217; or &#8216;My sister,&#8217;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/17.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />I have said to corruption, Thou <i>art</i> my father: to the worm, <i>Thou art</i> my mother, and my sister.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/17.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />If I say to corruption, &#8216;You <i>are</i> my father,&#8217; And to the worm, &#8216;You <i>are</i> my mother and my sister,&#8217;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/17.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br /><i>If</i> I call to the grave, &#8216;You are my father&#8217;; To the maggot, &#8216;my mother and my sister&#8217;;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/17.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />If I call to the pit, &#8216You are my father&#8217; To the worm, &#8216my mother and my sister&#8217;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/17.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />If I call to the pit, &#8216;You are my father&#8217;; To the worm, &#8216;my mother and my sister&#8217;;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/17.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />If I call to the pit, &#8216;You are my father&#8217;; To the worm, &#8216;my mother and my sister&#8217;;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/17.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />If I call out to the pit (grave), &#8216;You are my father&#8217;; And to the worm [that feeds on decay], &#8216;You are my mother and my sister [because I will soon be closest to you],&#8217;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/17.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />and say to corruption, &#8220;You are my father,&#8221; and to the maggot, &#8220;My mother&#8221; or &#8220;My sister,&#8221;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/17.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />and say to corruption: You are my father, and to the maggot: My mother or my sister, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/17.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />If I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; To the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/17.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Then I could greet the grave as my father and say to the worms, "Hello, mother and sisters!" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/17.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />If I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/17.htm">GOD'S WORD&reg; Translation</a></span><br />if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'You are my mother and sister,'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/17.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />I will call the grave my father, and the worms that eat me I will call my mother and my sisters. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/17.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />if I call out to the Pit, 'You're my father!' or say to the worm, 'My mother!' or 'My sister!'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/17.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />and say to corruption, ?You are my father,? and to the worm, ?My mother,? or ?My sister,?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/17.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />If I cry to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My Mother,' or 'My sister,' <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/17.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />If I have said to corruption, 'You are my father;' to the worm, 'My mother,' and 'my sister;'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/17.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/17.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />if I have said to corruption, &#8216;You are my father,&#8217; and to the worm, &#8216;My mother,&#8217; and &#8216;My sister,&#8217; <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/17.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />To corruption I have called: You [are] my father. To the worm: My mother and my sister.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/17.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> To corruption I have called: -- 'Thou art my father.' 'My mother' and 'my sister' -- to the worm.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/17.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />I called to the pit: Grave, thou my father: and to the worm, My mother, and my sister.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/17.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />If I have said to rottenness: Thou art my father; to worms, my mother and my sister. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/17.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />I have said to decay and to worms: &#8220;You are my father, my mother, and my sister.&#8221;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/17.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />If I am to say to the pit, &#8220;You are my father,&#8221; and to the worm &#8220;my mother,&#8221; &#8220;my sister,&#8221; <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/17.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />if I say to the Pit, &#8216;You are my father,&#8217; and to the worm, &#8216;My mother,&#8217; or &#8216;My sister,&#8217;<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/17.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />I have said to corruption, You are my father; to the worm, You are my mother and my sister.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/17.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />To destruction I cried to the worm: &#8216;you are my father!&#8217;, and &#8216;my mother and my sister!&#8217;<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/17.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />If I have said to corruption: 'Thou art my father', To the worm: 'Thou art my mother, and my sister';<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/17.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />I have called upon death to be my father, and corruption <i>to be</i> my mother and sister.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/17-14.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwuD5NuZq0?start=2686" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/job/17.htm">Job Prepares for Death</a></span><br>&#8230;<span class="reftext">13</span>If I look for Sheol as my home, if I spread out my bed in darkness, <span class="reftext">14</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/7121.htm" title="7121: q&#257;&#183;r&#257;&#183;&#7791;&#238; (V-Qal-Perf-1cs) -- To call, proclaim, read. A primitive root; to call out to.">and say</a> <a href="/hebrew/7845.htm" title="7845: la&#353;&#183;&#353;a&#183;&#7717;a&#7791; (Prep-l, Art:: N-fs) -- A pit. From shuwach; a pit; figuratively, destruction.">to corruption,</a> <a href="/hebrew/859.htm" title="859: &#8217;&#257;t&#183;t&#257;h (Pro-2ms) -- You (masc. sing.). ">&#8216;You are</a> <a href="/hebrew/1.htm" title="1: &#8217;&#257;&#183;&#7687;&#238; (N-msc:: 1cs) -- Father. A primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application).">my father,&#8217;</a> <a href="/hebrew/7415.htm" title="7415: l&#257;&#183;rim&#183;m&#257;h (Prep-l, Art:: N-fs) -- A worm. From ramam in the sense of breading; a maggot, literally or figuratively.">and to the worm,</a> <a href="/hebrew/517.htm" title="517: &#8217;im&#183;m&#238; (N-fsc:: 1cs) -- A mother. A primitive word; a mother; in a wide sense (like 'ab).">&#8216;My mother,&#8217;</a> <a href="/hebrew/269.htm" title="269: wa&#183;&#8217;a&#774;&#183;&#7717;&#333;&#183;&#7791;&#238; (Conj-w:: N-fsc:: 1cs) -- Sister. Irregular feminine of 'ach; a sister (like 'Ezrachiy), literally and figuratively).">or &#8216;My sister,&#8217;</a> </span><span class="reftext">15</span>where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?&#8230;<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> &middot; <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a></span><br />By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground&#8212;because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.&#8221;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/22-15.htm">Psalm 22:15</a></span><br />My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ecclesiastes/12-7.htm">Ecclesiastes 12:7</a></span><br />before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/26-19.htm">Isaiah 26:19</a></span><br />Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/12-2.htm">Daniel 12:2</a></span><br />And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/30-9.htm">Psalm 30:9</a></span><br />&#8220;What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/49-14.htm">Psalm 49:14</a></span><br />Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/88-4.htm">Psalm 88:4-5</a></span><br />I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength. / I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/103-14.htm">Psalm 103:14</a></span><br />For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/38-18.htm">Isaiah 38:18</a></span><br />For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/8-22.htm">Matthew 8:22</a></span><br />But Jesus told him, &#8220;Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.&#8221;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Matthew 23:27</a></span><br />Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men&#8217;s bones and every kind of impurity.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/5-28.htm">John 5:28-29</a></span><br />Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice / and come out&#8212;those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/11-25.htm">John 11:25-26</a></span><br />Jesus said to her, &#8220;I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. / And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?&#8221;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/6-23.htm">Romans 6:23</a></span><br />For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">I have said to corruption, You are my father: to the worm, You are my mother, and my sister.</p><p class="hdg">said.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/21-32.htm">Job 21:32,33</a></b></br> Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb&#8230; </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/16-10.htm">Psalm 16:10</a></b></br> For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/49-9.htm">Psalm 49:9</a></b></br> That he should still live for ever, <i>and</i> not see corruption.</p><p class="hdg">to the worm</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/19-26.htm">Job 19:26</a></b></br> And <i>though</i> after my skin <i>worms</i> destroy this <i>body</i>, yet in my flesh shall I see God:</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/24-20.htm">Job 24:20</a></b></br> The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/14-11.htm">Isaiah 14:11</a></b></br> Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, <i>and</i> the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/job/9-31.htm">Corruption</a> <a href="/job/16-18.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/job/16-18.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/job/17-13.htm">Grave</a> <a href="/job/3-11.htm">Mother</a> <a href="/job/9-31.htm">Pit</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/22-11.htm">Sister</a> <a href="/job/13-28.htm">Worm</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/job/33-18.htm">Corruption</a> <a href="/job/19-7.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/job/18-4.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/job/21-13.htm">Grave</a> <a href="/job/19-17.htm">Mother</a> <a href="/job/17-16.htm">Pit</a> <a href="/proverbs/7-4.htm">Sister</a> <a href="/job/21-26.htm">Worm</a><div class="vheading2">Job 17</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-1.htm">Job appeals from men to God</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-6.htm">The unmerciful dealing of men with the afflicted may astonish, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-9.htm">but not discourage the righteous</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-11.htm">His hope is not in life, but in death</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF2 --> <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/17.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book&nbsp;&#9702;</a>&nbsp;<a href="/study/chapters/job/17.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter&nbsp;</a></tr></table></div><b>and say to corruption, &#8216;You are my father,&#8217;</b><br>In this phrase, Job is expressing a deep sense of despair and resignation to his fate. The term "corruption" here refers to decay and death, symbolizing the grave. In the ancient Near Eastern context, familial terms like "father" were used to denote origin or source. Job is acknowledging that death and decay are now his closest kin, highlighting his feeling of abandonment and the inevitability of death. This reflects the broader theme of mortality found in <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-20.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:20</a>, where all return to dust, and <a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a>, which speaks of humanity's return to the ground.<p><b>and to the worm, &#8216;My mother,&#8217;</b><br>The "worm" is often associated with decay and the process of decomposition, as seen in <a href="/isaiah/14-11.htm">Isaiah 14:11</a> and <a href="/mark/9-48.htm">Mark 9:48</a>. By calling the worm "my mother," Job is poetically illustrating his intimate connection with death, as a mother is a source of life and nurture. This stark contrast emphasizes the reversal of life&#8217;s natural order due to his suffering. It also reflects the cultural understanding of the grave as a place where the body returns to the earth, a theme echoed in <a href="/psalms/22-6.htm">Psalm 22:6</a>, where the psalmist feels like a worm, despised and lowly.<p><b>or &#8216;My sister,&#8217;</b><br>The use of "sister" further personalizes Job's relationship with death, suggesting a close, familial bond. In biblical times, siblings were often seen as companions and confidants. By referring to the worm as his sister, Job underscores his isolation from human relationships and his acceptance of death as his only companion. This can be connected to the broader biblical narrative of human frailty and the transient nature of life, as seen in <a href="/james/4-14.htm">James 4:14</a>, which describes life as a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and integrity who undergoes severe trials and suffering. His lament in this verse reflects his deep despair and sense of abandonment.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/c/corruption.htm">Corruption</a></b><br>In this context, "corruption" refers to decay or the grave, symbolizing death and the inevitable return to dust. It is personified as a familial figure, indicating Job's acceptance of his mortality.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_worm.htm">The Worm</a></b><br>Represents decay and the process of decomposition after death. By calling the worm his "mother" or "sister," Job emphasizes his intimate relationship with death and decay.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_grave.htm">The Grave</a></b><br>Implicit in the imagery of corruption and the worm, the grave is the place where Job feels he is headed, highlighting his hopelessness.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/j/job's_friends.htm">Job's Friends</a></b><br>Though not directly mentioned in this verse, the context of Job's dialogue with his friends is crucial. Their failure to provide comfort or understanding exacerbates Job's sense of isolation.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/a/acknowledging_mortality.htm">Acknowledging Mortality</a></b><br>Job's words remind us of the reality of death and the importance of living with an eternal perspective. Reflect on how this awareness can shape our daily lives and priorities.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/e/expressing_despair.htm">Expressing Despair</a></b><br>Job's candid expression of despair teaches us that it's okay to bring our deepest feelings to God. We can be honest in our prayers, trusting that God understands our struggles.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_need_for_comfort.htm">The Need for Comfort</a></b><br>Job's experience highlights the importance of providing genuine comfort and empathy to those who are suffering. Consider how we can be better friends and supporters to those in distress.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_beyond_the_grave.htm">Hope Beyond the Grave</a></b><br>While Job's words are filled with despair, the broader biblical account offers hope through the resurrection and eternal life in Christ. Reflect on how this hope can transform our view of suffering and death.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/family_in_christ.htm">Family in Christ</a></b><br>Job's use of familial terms for corruption and the worm contrasts with the New Testament concept of being part of God's family. Consider how our identity in Christ redefines our relationships and sense of belonging.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_job_17.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Job 17</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what's_the_essence_of_angelic_conflict.htm">What is the essence of the Angelic Conflict?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_acts_13_36-37_align_with_scripture.htm">Acts 13:36&#8211;37: Paul claims David &#8220;saw corruption&#8221; while Jesus did not; how is this consistent with other scriptural passages about bodily decay and resurrection?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/do_job_17_13-16_conflict_with_resurrection.htm">Do the despairing references to the grave and Sheol in Job 17:13-16 conflict with later biblical teachings on hope and resurrection?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_god_allow_the_innocent_to_suffer.htm">If God is just, why does He allow innocent people to suffer?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/job/17.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 14.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">I have said to corruption,</span> <span class="cmt_word">Thou</span> <span class="cmt_word">art my father</span>; <span class="accented">i.e.</span> I do not murmur; I accept my lot; I am ready to lie down with corruption, and embrace it, and call it "my father," and henceforth remain with it. The idea that the soul is still with the body in the grave, more or less closely attached to it, and sensible of its condition and changes, was widely prevalent in the ancient world. Where bodies were simply buried, the horrible imagination of a close association with corruption naturally and almost necessarily intruded itself, and led to such reflections as those of Job in this verse. It was partly to get rid of this terrible nightmare that the Egyptians were so careful to embalm the bodies of their dead, and that the Babylonians deposited them in baked clay coffins, which they filled with honey (Herod., 1:198); while others still more effectually prevented the process of corruption by cremation. The modern revival of cremation is remarkable as indicating a peculiar form of atavism or recurrence to ancient types. For many ages after the coming of Christ, men so separated between the soul and the body after death that the corruption of the grave had no horror for them. Now materialistic ideas have so far recurred, that many of those who believe the soul to live on after death are doubtful whether it may not still be attached to the body more or less, end, dreading contact with the corruption, of the latter, fall back upon the old remedy. <span class="cmt_word">To the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister</span>. An expansion of the idea contained in the previous clause. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/17-14.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">and say</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1511;&#1464;&#1453;&#1512;&#1464;&#1488;&#1514;&#1460;&#1497;</span> <span class="translit">(q&#257;&#183;r&#257;&#183;&#7791;&#238;)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7121.htm">Strong's 7121: </a> </span><span class="str2">To call, proclaim, read</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to corruption,</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1500;&#1463;&#1513;&#1473;&#1468;&#1463;&#1443;&#1495;&#1463;&#1514;</span> <span class="translit">(la&#353;&#183;&#353;a&#183;&#7717;a&#7791;)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l, Article &#124; Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7845.htm">Strong's 7845: </a> </span><span class="str2">A pit, destruction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">&#8216;You [are]</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1488;&#1464;&#1425;&#1514;&#1468;&#1464;&#1492;</span> <span class="translit">(&#8217;&#257;t&#183;t&#257;h)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_859.htm">Strong's 859: </a> </span><span class="str2">Thou and thee, ye and you</span><br /><br /><span class="word">my father,&#8217;</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1488;&#1464;&#1443;&#1489;&#1460;&#1497;</span> <span class="translit">(&#8217;&#257;&#183;&#7687;&#238;)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct &#124; first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1.htm">Strong's 1: </a> </span><span class="str2">Father</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and to the worm,</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1500;&#1464;&#1469;&#1512;&#1460;&#1502;&#1468;&#1464;&#1469;&#1492;&#1475;</span> <span class="translit">(l&#257;&#183;rim&#183;m&#257;h)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l, Article &#124; Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7415.htm">Strong's 7415: </a> </span><span class="str2">A maggot</span><br /><br /><span class="word">&#8216;My mother,&#8217;</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1488;&#1460;&#1502;&#1468;&#1460;&#1445;&#1497;</span> <span class="translit">(&#8217;im&#183;m&#238;)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct &#124; first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_517.htm">Strong's 517: </a> </span><span class="str2">A mother, )</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or &#8216;My sister,&#8217;</span><br /><span class="heb">&#1493;&#1463;&#1437;&#1488;&#1458;&#1495;&#1465;&#1514;&#1460;&#1431;&#1497;</span> <span class="translit">(wa&#183;&#8217;a&#774;&#183;&#7717;&#333;&#183;&#7791;&#238;)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw &#124; Noun - feminine singular construct &#124; first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_269.htm">Strong's 269: </a> </span><span class="str2">Sister -- a sister</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/17-14.htm">Job 17:14 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/17-14.htm">OT Poetry: Job 17:14 If I have said to corruption 'You (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/17-13.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 17:13"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 17:13" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/17-15.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 17:15"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 17:15" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>

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