Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, August 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Job 14:5

Since a person’s days are determinedand the number of his months depends on you,and since you have set limits he cannot pass,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   Readings, Select;   The Topic Concordance - Man;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Death, Natural;   Life, Natural;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Death, Mortality;   Providence of God;   Time;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Decrees of God;   Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Job;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bounds;   Determine;   Foreknow;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Providence;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with you, And you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass;
King James Version
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
English Standard Version
Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
New Century Version
Our time is limited. You have given us only so many months to live and have set limits we cannot go beyond.
New English Translation
Since man's days are determined, the number of his months is under your control; you have set his limit and he cannot pass it.
Amplified Bible
"Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You [in Your control], And You have made his limits so he cannot pass [his allotted time].
New American Standard Bible
"Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And You have set his limits so that he cannot pass.
World English Bible
Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with you, And you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Are not his dayes determined? the nober of his moneths are with thee: thou hast appointed his boundes, which he can not passe.
Legacy Standard Bible
Since his days are determined,The number of his months is with You;And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
Berean Standard Bible
Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,
Contemporary English Version
Our time on earth is brief; the number of our days is already decided by you.
Complete Jewish Bible
Since his days are fixed in advance, the number of his months is known to you, and you have fixed the limits which he can't cross;
Darby Translation
If his days are determined, if the number of his months is with thee, [and] thou hast appointed his bounds which he must not pass,
Easy-to-Read Version
The length of our life has been decided. You alone know how long that is. You have set the limits for us and nothing can change them.
George Lamsa Translation
Seeing his days are determined and the number of his months are decreed, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot trespass them;
Good News Translation
The length of our lives is decided beforehand— the number of months we will live. You have settled it, and it can't be changed.
Lexham English Bible
If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you; you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.
Literal Translation
Since his days are fixed, the number of his months is with You, and You have appointed his bounds, and he cannot pass over;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The dayes of man are shorte, ye nombre of his monethes are knowne only vnto the. Thou hast apoynted him his boundes, he can not go beyonde them.
American Standard Version
Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
Bible in Basic English
If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with Thee, and Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
King James Version (1611)
Seeing his daies are determined, the number of his moneths are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot passe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The dayes of man surely are determined, the number of his monethes are knowen onely vnto thee, thou hast appoynted him his bondes which he can not go beyonde.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
if even his life should be but one day upon the earth: and his months are numbered by him: thou hast appointed him for a time, and he shall by no means exceed it.
English Revised Version
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with thee, and thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The daies of man ben schorte, the noumbre of his monethis is at thee; thou hast set, ethir ordeyned, hise termes, whiche moun not be passid.
Update Bible Version
Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with you, And you have appointed his bounds that he can't pass;
Webster's Bible Translation
Seeing his days [are] determined, the number of his months [is] with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
New King James Version
Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
New Living Translation
You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.
New Life Bible
A man's days are numbered. You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set.
New Revised Standard
Since their days are determined, and the number of their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If determined am his days, the number of his months, is with thee, Fixed times for him, thou hast appointed and he cannot go beyond.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The days of man are short, and the number of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be passed.
Revised Standard Version
Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with thee, and thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass,
Young's Literal Translation
If determined are his days, The number of his months [are] with Thee, His limit Thou hast made, And he passeth not over;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

Contextual Overview

1Anyone born of woman 2He blossoms like a flower, then withers;he flees like a shadow and does not last. 3Do you really take notice of one like this?Will you bring me into judgment against you? 4Who can produce something pure from what is impure?No one! 5Since a person’s days are determinedand the number of his months depends on you,and since you have set limits he cannot pass,6look away from him and let him restso that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his days: Job 14:14, Job 7:1, Job 12:10, Psalms 39:4, Daniel 5:26, Daniel 5:30, Daniel 9:24, Daniel 11:36, Luke 12:20, Acts 17:26, Hebrews 9:27

the number: Job 21:21

thou hast: Job 23:13, Job 23:14, Psalms 104:9, Psalms 104:29, Daniel 4:35, Revelation 1:18, Revelation 3:7

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 26:10 - his day Job 16:22 - a few years Job 30:23 - the house Psalms 39:13 - spare Ecclesiastes 3:2 - and a time Ecclesiastes 8:8 - is no Isaiah 38:5 - I will

Cross-References

Genesis 14:10
Now the Siddim Valley contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, but the rest fled to the mountains.
Genesis 14:11
The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and went on.
Genesis 14:20
and blessed be God Most Highwho has handed over your enemies to you.
Genesis 14:23
that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’
Genesis 15:20
Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim,
Deuteronomy 1:4
This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.
Deuteronomy 3:11
(Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed was made of iron. Isn’t it in Rabbah of the Ammonites? It is 13½ feet long and 6 feet wide by a standard measure.)
Deuteronomy 3:20
until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession that I have given you.
Deuteronomy 3:22
Don’t be afraid of them, for the Lord your God fights for you.
Joshua 12:4
King Og of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaim, lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Seeing his days [are] determined,.... Or "cut out" i, exactly and precisely, how many he shall live, and what shall befall him every day of his life; whose life, because of the shortness of it, is rather measured by days than vents:

the number of his months [are] with thee; before him, in his sight, in his account, and fixed and settled by him:

thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; the boundaries of his life the period of his days, beyond which he cannot go; the term of man's life is so peremptorily fixed by God, that he cannot die sooner, nor live longer, than he has determined he should; as the time of a man's birth, so the time of his death is according to the purpose of God; and all intervening moments and articles of time, and all things that befall a man throughout the whole course of his life, all fall under the appointment of God, and are according to his determinate will; and when God requires of man his soul, no one has power over his spirit to retain it one moment; yet this hinders not the use of means for the preservation and comfort of life, since these are settled as well as the end, and are under the divine direction: the word for bounds signifies sometimes "statutes" k: though not to be understood of laws appointed by God, either of a moral or ceremonial nature; but here it signifies set, stated, appointed times l Seneca m says the same thing;

"there is a boundary fixed for every man, which always remains where it is set, nor can any move it forward by any means whatsoever.''

i חרוצים "exacte praefiniti sunt", Tigurine version. k חקו "statuta ejus", V. L. Mercerus, Schmidt. l "Stata tempora", Beza. m Consolat. ad Marciam, c. 20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seeing his days - are “determined” Since man is so frail, and so short-lived, let him alone, that he may pass his little time with some degree of comfort and then die; see the notes at Job 7:19-21. The word “determined” here means “fixed, settled.” God has fixed the number of his days, so that they cannot be exceeded; compare the notes at Isaiah 10:23, and notes at Psalms 90:10.

The number of his months are with thee - Thou hast the ordering of them, or they are determined by thee.

Thou hast appointed his bounds - Thou hast fixed a limit, or hast determined the time which he is to live, and he cannot go beyond it. There is no elixir of life that can prolong our days beyond that period. Soon we shall come to that outer limit of life, and then we must die. When that is we know not, and it is not desirable to know. It is better that it should be concealed. If we knew that it was near, it would fill us with gloom, and deter us from the efforts and the plans of life altogether. If it were remote, we should be careless and secure, and should think there was time enough yet to prepare to die. As it is, we know that the period is not very far distant; we know not but that it may be very near at hand, and we would be always ready.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 14:5. Seeing his days are determined — The general term of human life is fixed by God himself; in vain are all attempts to prolong it beyond this term. Several attempts have been made in all nations to find an elixir that would expel all the seeds of disease, and keep men in continual health; but all these attempts have failed. Basil, Valentine, Norton, Dastin, Ripley, Sandivogius, Artephius, Geber, Van Helmont, Paracelsus, Philalethes, and several others, both in Europe and Asia, have written copiously on the subject, and have endeavoured to prove that a tincture might be produced, by which all imperfect metals may be transmuted into perfect; and an elixir by which the human body may be kept in a state of endless repair and health. And these profess to teach the method by which this tincture and this elixir may be made! Yet all these are dead; and dead, for aught we know, comparatively young! Artephius is, indeed, said to have lived ninety years, which is probable; but some of his foolish disciples, to give credit to their thriftless craft, added another cipher, and made his age nine hundred! Man may endeavour to pass the bound; and God may, here and there, produce a Thomas Parr, who died in 1635, aged one hundred and fifty-two; and a Henry Jenkins, who died in 1670, aged one hundred and sixty-nine; but these are rare instances, and do not affect the general term. Nor can death be avoided. Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return, is the law, and that will ever render nugatory all such pretended tinctures and elixirs.

But, although man cannot pass his appointed bounds, yet he may so live as never to reach them; for folly and wickedness abridge the term of human life; and therefore the psalmist says, Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out HALF their days, Psalms 55:23, for by indolence, intemperance, and disorderly passions, the life of man is shortened in cases innumerable. We are not to understand the bounds as applying to individuals, but to the race in general. Perhaps there is no case in which God has determined absolutely that man's age shall be so long, and shall neither be more nor less. The contrary supposition involves innumerable absurdities.


 
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