Job 14:4

Context

Chapters 12–14 of the Book of Job contain Job's reply to Zophar's first speech (chapter 11). Beginning in the latter part of chapter 13, Job addresses God directly rather than his friends. Chapter 14 opens with the lament that "man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble" (Job 14:1–2). Job then asks why God fixes His eyes on so fleeting a creature and brings him into judgment (14:3). Verse 4 follows directly after this question: "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." In verses 5–6, Job pleads that, since the number of a man's days is already determined, God would turn His gaze away so that he may rest. The passage is therefore less a doctrinal pronouncement than an appeal for God to withhold strict judgment from a creature who is weak by nature.

Interpretation

• As a basis for the doctrine of original sin: Augustine and other Church Fathers are known to have cited this verse during the Pelagian controversy. Their argument rested on the text of the Greek Septuagint, which renders verses 4–5 to the effect that "no one is clean from filth, even if his life on earth be but one day." The Fathers used this as evidence that even newborn infants are under the influence of sin. In the Reformed tradition as well, the verse is used to support the teaching that, since the Fall, human nature has been passed down in a corrupted state from generation to generation. It is reportedly listed among the proof texts for chapter 6 of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
• As an emphasis on the need for grace: This reading takes the verse as a confession that corrupt human beings cannot make themselves clean, and connects it with the message that cleansing comes from God's grace. Methodist and Holiness churches that follow Wesleyan theology also affirm original sin. This tradition, however, also stresses the prevenient grace that God gives beforehand so that human beings are able to respond.
• A contextual Old Testament reading: This approach regards the verse as part of a poetic lament over the limitations and transience of human beings as creatures. The terms "clean" and "unclean" are understood as figurative uses of language drawn from the purity regulations of Leviticus. Some interpreters also read the verse in connection with the phrase "born of a woman" in verse 1.

Debates and Issues

• Textual and translation questions: The opening Hebrew expression mi yitten can be read either as "Who can…?" or, idiomatically, as a wish: "O that…!" Some scholars therefore translate the verse as a lament: "O that a clean thing could come out of an unclean!" Some scholars also regard verse 4 as a later addition, on the grounds that it interrupts the flow of the surrounding verses. The differences between the Septuagint and the Hebrew text are another reason interpretations diverge.
• The question of the speaker: Similar ideas are voiced by Eliphaz (Job 15:14) and Bildad (Job 25:4). The friends, however, use the idea to condemn Job. For this reason, some point out that the context must be taken into account when the words of characters in the Book of Job are used directly as a basis for doctrine. Proponents of the doctrine of original sin, on the other hand, hold that the thought of this verse accords with other parts of Scripture, such as the Psalms and the Pauline Epistles.

Related Passages

• Psalm 58:3: the statement that the wicked are estranged from the womb
• Romans 5:18–19: the offence of one man and the obedience of one
• Ephesians 2:1–3: by nature the children of wrath
• Ezekiel 36:25–27: God cleanses with clean water and gives a new heart