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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Job 34:14

If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   God;   Life;   The Topic Concordance - Creation;   Favoritism;   God;   Poverty;   Wealth;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Soul;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Life;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Death, Mortality;   Holy Spirit;   Person, Personhood;   Will;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Breath;   Job, the Book of;   Life;   Wind;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Death;   Providence;   Psychology;   Spirit;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Immortality of the Soul;   Life;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If he put his mind to itand withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,
Hebrew Names Version
If he set his heart on himself, If he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath;
King James Version
If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
English Standard Version
If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,
New Century Version
If God should decide to take away life and breath,
New English Translation
If God were to set his heart on it, and gather in his spirit and his breath,
Amplified Bible
"If God should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath,
New American Standard Bible
"If He were to determine to do so, If He were to gather His spirit and His breath to Himself,
World English Bible
If he set his heart on himself, If he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath;
Geneva Bible (1587)
If he set his heart vpon man, and gather vnto him selfe his spirit and his breath,
Legacy Standard Bible
If He should set His heart on it,If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
Berean Standard Bible
If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath,
Contemporary English Version
If God took back the breath that he breathed into us,
Complete Jewish Bible
If he were to take back man's heart to himself, if he gathered to himself his spirit and breath;
Darby Translation
If he only thought of himself, [and] gathered unto him his spirit and his breath,
Easy-to-Read Version
If God decided to take away his spirit and the breath of life he gave us,
George Lamsa Translation
If he should turn his heart against man, mans spirit and his breath will be gathered to him.
Good News Translation
If God took back the breath of life,
Lexham English Bible
If he should set his heart to it, and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,
Literal Translation
If He sets His heart on him, if He gathers his Spirit and his breath to Himself,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
To whom hath he geuen his herte, for to drawe his sprete and breth vnto him?
American Standard Version
If he set his heart upon himself, If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
Bible in Basic English
If he made his spirit come back to him, taking his breath into himself again,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If He set His heart upon man, if He gather unto Himself his spirit and his breath;
King James Version (1611)
If he set his heart vpon man, if he gather vnto himselfe his spirit and his breath;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If he set his heart vpon [man] and gather vnto hym selfe his spirite and his breath,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For if he would confine, and restrain his spirit with himself;
English Revised Version
If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If God dressith his herte to hym, he schal drawe to hym silf his spirit and blast.
Update Bible Version
If he sets his heart on himself, [If] he gathers to himself his spirit and his breath;
Webster's Bible Translation
If he should set his heart upon man, [if] he should gather to himself his spirit and his breath;
New King James Version
If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,
New Life Bible
If He should take back His spirit and His breath,
New Revised Standard
If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If he should set against him his heart, His spirit and his inspiration, unto himself he should withdraw.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If he turn his heart to him, he shall draw his spirit and breath unto himself.
Revised Standard Version
If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath,
Young's Literal Translation
If He doth set on him His heart, His spirit and his breath unto Him He gathereth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

Contextual Overview

10 "Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn't sin! The Almighty can do no wrong. 11 He repays people according to their deeds. He treats people as they deserve. 12 Truly, God will not do wrong. The Almighty will not twist justice. 13 Did someone else put the world in his care? Who set the whole world in place? 14 If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, 15 all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

set: Job 7:17, Job 9:4

upon man: Heb. upon him

he gather: Psalms 104:29, Isaiah 24:22

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:21 - regarded not Numbers 17:13 - consumed 1 Kings 17:17 - that there was 2 Chronicles 11:16 - set Job 1:8 - considered Job 9:3 - he will contend Job 12:10 - the breath Psalms 90:3 - Thou Ecclesiastes 8:8 - is no Ecclesiastes 12:7 - dust Isaiah 40:15 - the nations Isaiah 42:5 - he that giveth Isaiah 43:13 - I will work Isaiah 57:16 - the souls Daniel 4:35 - all Daniel 5:23 - in whose Acts 17:25 - seeing James 2:26 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 17:11
You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you.
Genesis 17:14
Any male who fails to be circumcised will be cut off from the covenant family for breaking the covenant."
Genesis 34:1
One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area.
Genesis 34:2
But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.
Genesis 34:9
In fact, let's arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons.
1 Samuel 14:6
"Let's go across to the outpost of those pagans," Jonathan said to his armor bearer. "Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord . He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!"
1 Samuel 17:26
David asked the soldiers standing nearby, "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?"
1 Samuel 17:36
I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!
2 Samuel 1:20
Don't announce the news in Gath, don't proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice and the pagans will laugh in triumph.
2 Samuel 15:7
After four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and fulfill a vow I made to him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If he set his heart upon man,.... Not his love and affections; though there are some he does in this sense set his heart on, and whose souls at death he gathers to himself, but with this sense the next verse will not agree; but to destroy him, as Jarchi adds by way of explanation; if he gives his mind to it, is set upon it and resolved to do it, none can hinder him; or sets himself against him in an hostile way, the issue must be entire ruin and destruction to the race of men; but it is plain this is not the case, or otherwise all must have perished long ago: or if he severely marks the ways and works of men, and deals with them according to the strictness of his justice, which yet he might do without any charge of injustice, none could stand before him; but this he does not, so far is he from any injustice, or any appearance of it;

[if] he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; not his own spirit and breath, drawing in and retaining that within himself, and withholding the influence of it from his creatures, which the Septuagint version seems to favour; but the spirit and breath of man, which are of God, and which, as he gives, he can gather when he pleases. The spirit or rational soul of man is put in him by the Lord; this at death is separated from the body, yet dies not with it, but is gathered to the Lord: and the breath which he breathes into man, and is in his nostrils, and which, as he gives, he can take away, and then man dies. But in doing this he does no injustice; indeed, should he in anger and resentment rise up and deal thus with men in general, the consequence must be as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If he set his heart upon man - Margin, as in Hebrew “upon him” - meaning “man.” That is, if he fixes his attention particularly on him, or should form a purpose in regard him. The argument seems to be tbis. “If God wished such a thing, and should set his heart upon it, he could easily cut off the whole race. He has power to do it, and no one can deny him the right. Man has no claim to life, but he who gave it has a right to withdraw it, and the race is absolutely dependent on this infinite Sovereign. Being such a Sovereign, therefore, and having such a right, man cannot complain of his Maker as unjust, if he is called to pass through trials.” Rosenmuller, however, supposes this is to be taken in the sense of severe scrutiny, and that it means, “If God should examine with strictness the life of man, and mark all his faults, no flesh would be allowed to live. All would be found to be guilty, and would be cut off.” Grotius supposes it to mean, “If God should regard only himself; if he wished only to be good to himself - that is, to consult his own welfare, he would take away life from all, and live and reign alone.” This is also the interpretation of Umbreit, Schnurrer, and Eichhorn. Noyes regards it as an argument drawn from the benevolence of God, meaning if God were severe, unjust, and revengeful, the earth would be a scene of universal desolation. It seems to me, however, that it is rather an argument from the absolute sovereignty or power of the Almighty, implying that man had no right to complain of the divine dealings in the loss of health, property, or friends; for if he chose he might sweep away the whole race, and leave the earth desolate.

If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath - The spirit of man is represented as having been originally given by God, and as returning to him when man dies; Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 34:14. If he set his heart upon man — I think this and the following verse should be read thus: - "If he set his heart upon man, he will gather his soul and breath to himself; for all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust." On whomsoever God sets his heart, that is, his love, though his body shall perish and turn to dust, like the rest of men, yet his soul will God gather to himself.


 
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