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New Century Version

Job 5:7

People produce trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Faith;   Thompson Chain Reference - Distress;   Joy-Sorrow;   Trouble;   The Topic Concordance - Man;   Trouble;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflictions;   Fall of Man, the;   Man;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Affliction;   Greatness of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Afflictions;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Spark;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fly;   Spark;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ben-;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Job;   Talmud;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for September 27;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But humans are born for troubleas surely as sparks fly upward.
Hebrew Names Version
But man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
King James Version
Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
English Standard Version
but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.
New English Translation
but people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward.
Amplified Bible
"For man is born for trouble, [As naturally] as sparks fly upward.
New American Standard Bible
For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.
World English Bible
But man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But man is borne vnto trauaile, as the sparkes flie vpwarde.
Legacy Standard Bible
For man is born for trouble,As sparks fly upward.
Berean Standard Bible
Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
Contemporary English Version
it's all part of life, like sparks shooting skyward.
Complete Jewish Bible
No, people are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
Darby Translation
For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards.
Easy-to-Read Version
But people are born to have trouble, as surely as sparks rise from a fire.
George Lamsa Translation
For man is born for trouble, as sure as the wild birds fly.
Good News Translation
No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves, as surely as sparks fly up from a fire.
Lexham English Bible
But a human being is born to trouble, and they soar aloft like sparks.
Literal Translation
for man is born to trouble, and the sons of the flame rise, flying upward .
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but it is man, that is borne vnto mysery, like as the byrde for to fle.
American Standard Version
But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
Bible in Basic English
But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But man is borne vnto labour, like as the sparkes flee vp [out of the hot coles,]
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
King James Version (1611)
Yet man is borne vnto trouble, as the sparkes flie vpward.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
yet man is born to labour, and even so the vulture’s young seek the high places.
English Revised Version
But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A man is borun to labour, and a brid to fliyt.
Update Bible Version
But man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
Webster's Bible Translation
Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
New King James Version
Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
New Living Translation
People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.
New Life Bible
But man is born to trouble, as fire goes up.
New Revised Standard
but human beings are born to trouble just as sparks fly upward.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Though, man, to trouble, were born, as, sparks, on high, do soar,
Douay-Rheims Bible
Man is born to labour, and the bird to fly.
Revised Standard Version
but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.
Young's Literal Translation
For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.

Contextual Overview

6 Hard times do not come up from the ground, and trouble does not grow from the earth. 7 People produce trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. 8 "But if I were you, I would call on God and bring my problem before him. 9 God does wonders that cannot be understood; he does so many miracles they cannot be counted. 10 He gives rain to the earth and sends water on the fields. 11 He makes the humble person important and lifts the sad to places of safety. 12 He ruins the plans of those who trick others so they have no success. 13 He catches the wise in their own clever traps and sweeps away the plans of those who try to trick others. 14 Darkness covers them up in the daytime; even at noon they feel around in the dark. 15 God saves the needy from their lies and from the harm done by powerful people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

man: Job 14:1, Genesis 3:17-19, Psalms 90:8, Psalms 90:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13

trouble: or, labour, Ecclesiastes 1:8, Ecclesiastes 2:22, Ecclesiastes 5:15-17

sparks fly upward: Heb. sons of the burning coal lift up to fly

Reciprocal: Psalms 78:33 - years Ecclesiastes 2:23 - all Matthew 11:28 - all Mark 9:21 - How

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Yet man is born unto trouble,.... Or but b, after the negative follows the positive part of the assertion; before we have what is denied as the cause of affliction, here what it is affirmed to be, or what it is to be ascribed unto, even to the appointment of God for sin: to be born to it is to be appointed to it, as all men are appointed to death, and to everything previous and that leads on to it; and it signifies that affliction or trouble springs from the birth sin of man, from original sin, the sin of the first parent, and of his nature; as all sins arise from hence, and are streams from this fountain of pollution, so all disorders and diseases of body, all distresses and anguish of mind, and death in every sense, corporeal, spiritual, and eternal; and these are the lot and portion, the estate and inheritance, of the sons of men by nature, what they are born unto, and are full of, see Job 14:1; the same word is here used as in Job 5:6, and signifies labour, mischief, the mischief of sin, improbity, wickedness, moral evil; and man may be said to be born to sin, inasmuch as he is conceived, shapen, and born in it; and as he is born at once into a sinful state, and sins as soon as born, goes astray from the womb, is a transgressor from thence, and the imagination of his heart evil from his infancy and youth upwards, he becomes a slave to sin, and is a homeborn one; not that he is laid under a necessity of force to sin, or his will compelled to it; for he sins most freely, is a voluntary slave to it; he serves various lusts as pleasures, and gives himself up to work all iniquity with greediness; but there is such a connection between his birth, the circumstances of it, and sin, that sin is the certain consequence of it, and immediately, naturally, and necessarily follows upon it; that is, by a necessity of consequence, though not of coaction or force; it is as natural for man to sin as it is for a thirsty man to covet and drink water; or as for an Ethiopian to be born black, and a leopard with spots; or, as it follows,

as the sparks fly upward; which they do naturally and necessarily when coals are blown, and which are here called "the sons of coals" c; and to these, troubles and afflictions, the fruits and effects of sin, may be aptly compared; not only for the necessity of them, it is if needs be they are, but for the nature of them, being fiery and troublesome, hence called fiery trials, and signified by fires and flames of fire, 1 Peter 4:12; and also for the number of them, being many, and very grievous: some interpret this of flying fowls, of young vultures, as the Septuagint; of young eagles, as others; Aben Ezra makes mention of this sense, as if it was, as a fowl is born to fly, so man is born to labour; to labour in the law, according to the Targum; or to labour for his bread; or rather, to labour and sorrow; that is, to affliction and trouble: a learned man d thinks the phrase, according to the use of it in the Arabic language, designs the more rapid cast of a dart, of the vibration of it, which is very quick.

b כי "sed", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius Schmidt, so Broughton. c בני רשף, "tilii prunae", Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator, Cocceius, Bolducius, Schmidt. d Hinckelman. Praefat. ad Alcoran. p. 29. So Schultens renders it, "tela corusea".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Yet man is born unto trouble - All this is connected with the sentiment in Job 5:8 ff. The meaning is, that “since afflictions are ordered by an intelligent Being, and since man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward, therefore it is wise to commit our cause to God, and not to complain against him.” Margin, or labor. The word here (עמל âmâl) rather means trouble, or affliction, than labor. The sense is, that as certainly as man is born, so sure is it that he will have trouble. It follows from the condition of our being, as certainly as that unconscious objects will follow the laws of their nature - that sparks will ascend. This seems to have a proverbial cast, and was doubtless regarded as a sentiment universally true. It is as true now as it was then; for it is still the great law of our being, that trouble as certainly comes sooner or later, as that material objects obey the laws of nature which God has impressed on them.

As the sparks fly upward - The Hebrew expression here is very beautiful - “as רשׁף בני benēy reshep - the sons of flame fly.” The word used (רשׁף reshep) means flame, lightning; the sons, or children of the flame, are that which it produces; that is, sparks. Gesenius strangely renders it, “sons of the lightning; that is, birds of prey which fly as swift as the lightning.” So Dr. Good, “As the bird-tribes are made to fly upwards.” So Umbreit renders it, Gleichwie die Brut des Raubgeflugels sich hoch in Fluge hebt - “as a flock of birds of prey elevate themselves on the wing.” Noyes adopts the construction of Gesenius; partly on the principle that man would be more likely to be compared to birds, living creatures, than to sparks. There is considerable variety in the interpretation of the passage. The Septuagint renders it, νεοσσοι δε γυπος neossoi de gupos - the young of the vulture. The Chaldee, מזיקי בני benēy mezēyqēy - “the sons of demons.” Syriac “Sons of birds.” Jerome, “Man is born to labor, and the bird to flight” - et avis ad volatum. Schultens renders it, “glittering javelins,” and Arius Montanus, “sons of the live coal.” It seems to me that our common version has expressed the true meaning. But the idea is not essentially varied whichever interpretation is adopted. It is, that as sparks ascend, or as birds fly upward - following the laws of their being - so is trouble the lot of man. It certainly comes; and comes under the direction of a Being who has fixed the laws of the inferior creation. It would be wise for man, therefore, to resign himself to God in the times when those troubles come. He should not sit down and complain at this condition of things, but should submit to it as the law of his being, and should have sufficient confidence in God to believe that he orders it aright.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 5:7. Yet man is born unto trouble — לעמל leamal, to labour. He must toil and be careful; and if in the course of his labour he meet with trials and difficulties, he should rise superior to them, and not sink as thou dost.

As the sparks By upward. — ובני רשף יגביהי עוף ubeney resheph yagbihu uph; And the sons of the coal lift up their flight, or dart upwards. And who are the sons of the coal? Are they not bold, intrepid, ardent, fearless men, who rise superior to all their trials; combat what are termed chance and occurrence; succumb under no difficulties; and rise superior to time, tide, fate, and fortune? I prefer this to all the various meanings of the place with which I have met. Coverdale translates, It is man that is borne unto mysery, like as the byrde for to fle. Most of the ancient versions give a similar sense.


 
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