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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Job 15:14

"How can anyone be pure? How can someone born to a woman be good?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Depravity of Man;   Man;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fall of Man, the;   Man;   Righteousness;   Sin;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Eliphaz;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Nature, Natural;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Man;   Sin;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Man;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Heredity;   Sin;   Smith Bible Dictionary - El'iphaz;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Fall of Man;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Eliphaz (2);   Job, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Holiness;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
What is a mere human, that he should be pure,or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Hebrew Names Version
What is man, that he should be clean? He who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
King James Version
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
English Standard Version
What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
New English Translation
What is man that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
Amplified Bible
"What is man, that he should be pure and clean, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous and just?
New American Standard Bible
"What is man, that he would be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?
World English Bible
What is man, that he should be clean? He who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Geneva Bible (1587)
What is man, that he should be cleane? and he that is borne of woman, that he shoulde be iust?
Legacy Standard Bible
What is man, that he should be pure,Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Berean Standard Bible
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
Contemporary English Version
No human is pure and innocent,
Complete Jewish Bible
"What is a human being, that he could be innocent, someone born from a woman, that he could be righteous?
Darby Translation
What is man, that he should be pure? and he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Easy-to-Read Version
"People cannot really be pure. They cannot be more right than God!
George Lamsa Translation
What is man, that he should be innocent? Or he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Good News Translation
Can any human being be really pure? Can anyone be right with God?
Lexham English Bible
"What is a human being, that he can be clean, or that one born of a woman can be righteous?
Literal Translation
What is man that he should be clean? And he born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
What is man, that he shulde be vncleane? what hath he (which is borne of a woman) wherby he might be knowne to be rightuous?
American Standard Version
What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Bible in Basic English
What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
King James Version (1611)
What is man, that he should be cleane? and he which is borne of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
What is man, that he should be cleane? and he which is borne of a woman, whereby he might be righteous?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For who, being a mortal, is such that he shall be blameless? or, who that is born of a woman, that he should be just?
English Revised Version
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
What is a man, that he be with out wem, and that he borun of a womman appere iust?
Update Bible Version
What is common man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Webster's Bible Translation
What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he who is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
New King James Version
"What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
New Living Translation
Can any mortal be pure? Can anyone born of a woman be just?
New Life Bible
What is man, that he can be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he can be right and good?
New Revised Standard
What are mortals, that they can be clean? Or those born of woman, that they can be righteous?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
What is a mortal, that he should be pure? or that righteous should be one born of a woman?
Douay-Rheims Bible
What is man that he should be without spot, and he that is born of a woman that he should appear just?
Revised Standard Version
What is man, that he can be clean? Or he that is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
Young's Literal Translation
What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Contextual Overview

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: 2 "A wise person would not answer with empty words or fill his stomach with the hot east wind. 3 He would not argue with useless words or make speeches that have no value. 4 But you even destroy respect for God and limit the worship of him. 5 Your sin teaches your mouth what to say; you use words to trick others. 6 It is your own mouth, not mine, that shows you are wicked; your own lips testify against you. 7 "You are not the first man ever born; you are not older than the hills. 8 You did not listen in on God's secret council. But you limit wisdom to yourself. 9 You don't know any more than we know. You don't understand any more than we understand. 10 Old people with gray hair are on our side; they are even older than your father.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

is man: Job 9:2, Job 14:4, Job 25:4-6, 1 Kings 8:46, 2 Chronicles 6:36, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 51:5, Proverbs 20:9, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Ecclesiastes 7:29, John 3:6, Romans 7:18, Galatians 3:22, Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 2:3, 1 John 1:8-10

Reciprocal: Genesis 5:3 - in his Genesis 8:21 - the imagination Leviticus 12:2 - If a woman Job 4:17 - shall a man Job 11:12 - man be Job 14:1 - born Psalms 58:3 - estranged Psalms 130:3 - shouldest mark Psalms 143:2 - in thy sight Psalms 144:3 - what is man Proverbs 21:8 - way Isaiah 64:6 - are all Jeremiah 17:9 - General Matthew 1:18 - of the Matthew 11:11 - born Mark 7:21 - out Luke 11:13 - being Luke 18:19 - General John 3:7 - Ye John 9:34 - wast Acts 4:27 - thy Romans 3:10 - none 1 Corinthians 4:4 - yet Philippians 3:9 - not Titus 3:5 - by works Hebrews 2:6 - What

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: "Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward."
Genesis 15:2
But Abram said, "Lord God , what can you give me? I have no son, so my slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die."
Genesis 15:4
Then the Lord spoke his word to Abram: "He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have."
Genesis 15:5
Then God led Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count."
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord . And the Lord accepted Abram's faith, and that faith made him right with God.
Genesis 15:7
God said to Abram, "I am the Lord who led you out of Ur of Babylonia so that I could give you this land to own."
Genesis 15:9
The Lord said to Abram, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old male sheep, a dove, and a young pigeon."
Genesis 15:11
Later, large birds flew down to eat the animals, but Abram chased them away.
Genesis 15:14
But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land, taking great wealth with them.
Genesis 15:18
So on that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram and said, "I will give to your descendants the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

What [is] man, that he should be clean?.... Frail, feeble, mortal man, or woeful man, as Mr. Broughton renders it; since he is sinful, whereby he is become such a weak and dying creature: this question, as well as the following, is put by way of contempt, and as lessening man in a comparative sense, and in order to abate any high conceit of himself; who is not naturally clean, but the reverse, being conceived and born in sin; nor can he be so of himself, nor by any means he is capable of; and however clean he may be in his own eyes, or in the eyes of others, yet is not clean in the sight of God, and still less pure than him, his Maker, as in Job 4:17; and indeed cannot be clean at all, but through the grace of God, and blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin:

and [he which is] born of a woman; a periphrasis of man, Job 14:1;

that he should be righteous? as no man is naturally; there is none righteous, no, not one; though man originally was made righteous, yet sinning he lost his righteousness, and all his posterity are without any; nor can they become righteous of themselves, or by any works of righteousness done by them; and though they may trust in themselves that they are righteous, and may appear outwardly so before men, yet by the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified or accounted righteous in the sight of God, and much less be more just than he, as in Job 4:17; nor can any of the sons of men be made or reckoned righteous but by the obedience of Christ, or by that justifying righteousness that is in him: what Eliphaz here says concerning the impurity, imperfection, and unrighteousness of men, are very great truths; but if he aims at Job, as he seems to do he misses his mark, and mistakes the man, and it is in vain with respect to him, or as a refutation of any notions of his; for Job asserts the corruption and depravity of human nature as strongly as it is expressed here,

Job 14:4; nor does he ever claim, but disclaims, sinless perfection, Job 9:20; nor did he expect to be personally justified before God by any righteousness of his own, the imperfection of which he was sensible of, but by the righteousness of his living Redeemer, Job 9:30; but what he pleaded for was the integrity and uprightness of his heart in opposition to hypocrisy he was charged with; and the holiness and righteousness of his life and conversation, in opposition to a course of living in sin, or to his being guilty of some notorious sin or sins for which he was afflicted, as was insinuated. Eliphaz here recurs to his oracle, Job 4:17; and expresses it much to the same sense.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What is man that he should be clean? - The object of Eliphaz in this is to overturn the positions of Job that he was righteous, and had been punished beyond his deserts. He had before maintained Job 4:7, that no one ever perished being innocent, and that the righteous were not cut off. This was with him a favorite position; and indeed the whole drift of the argument maintained by him and his friends was, to prove that uncommon calamities were proof of uncommon guilt. Job had insisted on it that he was a righteous man, and had not deserved the calamities which had come upon him - a position which Eliphaz seems to have regarded as an assertion of innocence. To meet this he now maintains that no one is righteous; that all that are born of women are guilty; and in proof of this he goes back to the oracle which had made so deep an impression on his mind, and to the declaration then made to him that no one was pure before God; Job 4:0: He does not repeat it exactly as the oracle was then delivered to him, but adverts to the substance of it, and regards it as final and indisputable. The meaning is, “What are all the pretensions of man to purity, when even the angels are regarded as impure and the heavens unclean?”

He which is born of a woman - Another mode of denoting man. No particular argument to maintain the doctrine of man’s depravity is couched in the fact that he is born of a woman. The sense is, simply, how can anyone of the human family be pure?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 15:14. What is man, that he should be clean? — מה אנוש mah enosh; what is weak, sickly, dying, miserable man, that he should be clean? This is the import of the original word enosh.

And - born of a woman, that he should be righteous? — It appears, from many passages in the sacred writings, that natural birth was supposed to be a defilement; and that every man born into the world was in a state of moral pollution. Perhaps the word יצדק yitsdak should be translated, that he should justify himself, and not that he should be righteous.


 
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