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New Living Translation

Job 14:19

as water wears away the stones and floods wash away the soil, so you destroy people's hope.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;   Water;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Decrees of God;   Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Job, Book of;   Wash;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
as water wears away stonesand torrents wash away the soil from the land,so you destroy a man’s hope.
Hebrew Names Version
The waters wear the stones; The torrents of it wash away the dust of the eretz: So you destroy the hope of man.
King James Version
The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
English Standard Version
the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man.
New Century Version
Water washes over stones and wears them down, and rushing waters wash away the dirt. In the same way, you destroy hope.
New English Translation
as water wears away stones, and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy man's hope.
Amplified Bible
Water wears away the stones, Its floods and torrents wash away the soil of the earth, So You [O Lord] destroy the hope of man.
New American Standard Bible
Water wears away stones, Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; So You destroy a man's hope.
World English Bible
The waters wear the stones; The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth: So you destroy the hope of man.
Geneva Bible (1587)
As the water breaketh the stones, when thou ouerflowest the things which growe in the dust of ye earth: so thou destroyest ye hope of man.
Legacy Standard Bible
Water wears away stones;Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;So You make man's hope perish.
Berean Standard Bible
as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man's hope.
Contemporary English Version
streams wear away stones and wash away soil. And you destroy our hopes!
Complete Jewish Bible
the water wears away its stones, and the floods wash away its soil, so you destroy a person's hope.
Darby Translation
The waters wear the stones, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
Easy-to-Read Version
Water flowing over stones wears them down. Floods wash away the soil on the ground. In the same way, God, you destroy the hope people have.
George Lamsa Translation
The waters wear away the stones and wash away the soil of the earth; so thou destroyest the hope of man.
Good News Translation
Water will wear down rocks, and heavy rain will wash away the soil; so you destroy our hope for life.
Lexham English Bible
Water wears away stones; its torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of human beings.
Literal Translation
The waters wear away stones; its outpouring washes the dust of the earth; and You cause the hope of man to perish.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
the waters pearse thorow the very stones by litle and litle, the floudes wa?she awaye the grauell & earth: Euen so destroyest thou the hope of man in like maner.
American Standard Version
The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man.
Bible in Basic English
The stones are crushed small by the force of the waters; the dust of the earth is washed away by their overflowing: and so you put an end to the hope of man.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The waters wear the stones; the overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth;
King James Version (1611)
The waters weare the stones, thou washest away the things which growe out of the dust of the earth, and thou destroyest the hope of man.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The waters pearse through the very stones by litle & litle, the floodes washe away the grauell and earth: so shalt thou destroy the hope of man.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The waters wear the stones, and waters falling headlong overflow a heap of the earth: and thou destroyest the hope of man.
English Revised Version
The waters wear the stones; the overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: and thou destroyest the hope of man.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Watris maken stoonys holowe, and the erthe is wastid litil and litil bi waischyng a wey of watir; and therfor thou schalt leese men in lijk maner.
Update Bible Version
The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So you destroy the hope of common man.
Webster's Bible Translation
The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow [out] of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
New King James Version
As water wears away stones, And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man.
New Life Bible
Water wears away the stones. Its floods wash away the dust of the earth. So You destroy man's hope.
New Revised Standard
the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of mortals.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Stones, have been hollowed out by waters, the floods thereof wash away the dust of the earth, and, the hope of mortal man, thou hast destroyed:
Douay-Rheims Bible
Waters wear away the stones, and with inundation the ground by little and little is washed away: so in like manner thou shalt destroy man.
Revised Standard Version
the waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so thou destroyest the hope of man.
Young's Literal Translation
Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Water wears away stones, Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; So You destroy man's hope.

Contextual Overview

16 For then you would guard my steps, instead of watching for my sins. 17 My sins would be sealed in a pouch, and you would cover my guilt. 18 "But instead, as mountains fall and crumble and as rocks fall from a cliff, 19 as water wears away the stones and floods wash away the soil, so you destroy people's hope. 20 You always overpower them, and they pass from the scene. You disfigure them in death and send them away. 21 They never know if their children grow up in honor or sink to insignificance. 22 They suffer painfully; their life is full of trouble."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The waters: Hence the proverb, "Constant droppings make a hole in a stone."

washest: Heb. overflowest, Genesis 6:17, Genesis 7:21-23

destroyest: Job 19:10, Job 27:8, Psalms 30:6, Psalms 30:7, Ezekiel 37:11, Luke 12:19, Luke 12:20

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:13 - the contentions Proverbs 27:15 - A continual

Cross-References

Genesis 14:6
and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness.
Genesis 14:7
Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (now called Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar.
Genesis 14:9
They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five.
Genesis 14:16
Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.
Genesis 14:22
Abram replied to the king of Sodom, "I solemnly swear to the Lord , God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
Genesis 14:23
that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.'
Genesis 27:4
Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die."
Genesis 47:7
Then Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:10
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving his court.
Genesis 49:28
These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he told his sons good-bye. He blessed each one with an appropriate message.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The waters wear the stones,.... Either by continual running in them, or constant dropping upon them p; and the excavations or hollow places they: make are never filled up again, these impressions are never effaced, nor the stones reduced to their ancient form; so man, though he may have the strength of stones, yet the waters of afflictions will gradually wear him away, and bring him to the dust of death, and where he must lie till the heavens be no more:

thou washest away the things which grow [out] of the dust of the earth; herbs, plants, and trees, which a violent inundation of water tears up by the roots, and carries away, and they are never restored to their places any more. The word ספיחיה, which we render "the things which grow out", the spontaneous productions of the earth, as in

Leviticus 25:5. Aben Ezra interprets of floods of water; and so Schultens, from the use of the word q in the Arabic language, translates it, "their effusions"; that is, the effusions of waters before mentioned, the floods and inundations of them overflow, "and wash away the dust of the earth"; not only that which is on the surface of it, the soil of it; but, as the same learned man observes, they plough and tear up the earth itself, and carry it away, and it is never repaired; so men at death are carried away as with a flood, and are no more, see Psalms 90:5;

and or "so" r

thou destroyest the hope of man, not the hope of a good man about his eternal state, and of enjoying eternal happiness; which is the gift of God's grace, which is without repentance, never revoked, called in, or taken away or destroyed; it is built upon the promise of God, who cannot lie; it is founded on the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ; and though it may be brought low, it is never lost; the hope of carnal men in an arm of flesh, in the creature and creature enjoyments, is indeed destroyed; and so is the hope of external professors of religion, that is formed on their own works of righteousness, and profession of religion; but of this Job is not speaking, but of the hope of man of living again in this world after death; for this is a reddition or application of the above similes used to illustrate this point, the irreparable state of man at death, so as that he shall never return to this life again, and to the same state and circumstances of things as before; and next follows a description of death, and the state of the dead.

p "Gutta cavat lapidem", Ovid. de Ponto, l. 4. q "effudit", Golius, col. 1182. Castel. col. 2590. r "Sic", Vatablus, Drusius, Mercerus, Schultens; "ita", Junius Tremellius, Piscator it answers to כן, Aben Ezra, Gersom.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The waters wear the stones - By their constant attrition they wear away even the hard rocks, and they disappear, and return no more. The sense is, that constant changes are going on in nature, and man resembles those objects which are removed to appear no more, and not the productions of the vegetable world that spring up again. It is possible that there may also be included the idea here, that the patience, constancy, firmness, and life of any man must be worn out by long continued trials, as even hard rocks would be worn away by the constant attrition of waters.

Thou washest away - Margin, “Overflowest.” This is literally the meaning of the Hebrew תשׁטף tı̂shâṭaph. But there is included the sense of washing away by the inundation.

The things which grow out of the dust of the earth - Herder and Noyes translate this, “the floods overflow the dust of the earth,” and this accords with the interpretation of Good and Rosenmuller. So Castellio renders it, and so Luther - “Tropfen flossen die Erde weg.” This is probably the true sense. The Hebrew word rendered “the things which grow out” ספיח sâphı̂yach, means properly that which “is poured out” - from ספח sâphach, to pour out, to spread out - and is applied to grain produced spontaneously from kernels of the former year, without new seed. Lev 25:5-11; 2 Kings 19:29. See the notes at Isaiah 37:30. But here it probably means a flood - that which flows out - and which washes away the earth.

The dust of the earth - The earth or the land on the margin of streams. The sense is, that as a flood sweeps away the soil, so the hope of man was destroyed.

Thou destroyest the hope of man - By death - for so the connection demands. It is the language of despondency. The tree would spring up, but man would die like a removed rock, like land washed away, like a falling mountain, and would revive no more. If Job had at times a hope of a future state, yet that hope seems at times, also, wholly to fail him, and he sinks down in utter despondency. At best, his views of the future world were dark and obscure. He seems to have had at no time clear conceptions of heaven - of the future holiness and blessedness of the righteous; but he anticipated, at best, only a residence in the world of disembodied spirits - dark, dreary, sad; - a world to which the grave was the entrance, and where the light was as darkness. With such anticipations, we are not to wonder that his mind sank into despondency; nor are we to be surprised at the expressions which he so often used, and which seem so inconsistent with the feelings which a child of God ought to cherish. In our trials let us imitate his patience, but not his despondency; let us copy his example in his better moments, and when he was full of confidence in God, and not his language of complaint, and his unhappy reflections on the government of the Most High.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 14:19. The waters wear the stones — Even the common stones are affected in the same way. Were even earthquakes and violent concussions of nature wanting, the action of water, either running over them as a stream, or even falling upon them in drops, will wear these stones. Hence the proverb: -

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo.

"Constant droppings will make a hole in a flint."

Εκ θαμινης ραθαμιγγος, ὁκως λογος, αιες ιοισας,

Χ' ἁ λιθος ες ρωχμον κοιλαινεται.


"From frequent dropping, as the proverb says, perpetually falling, even a stone is hollowed into a hole."

Thou washest away the things — Alluding to sudden falls of rain occasioning floods, by which the fruits of the earth are swept away; and thus the hope of man - the grain for his household, and provender for his cattle, is destroyed.


 
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