For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

JOB 14:7KJV
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Job 14:7 (KJV)

What does Job 14:7 mean?

Job 14:7 says that even if a tree is cut down, there is still hope that it will grow back and send out new shoots. The verse uses the image of a tree’s resilience to express the idea that life can return even after apparent destruction.

In this part of the book of Job, Job is speaking to his friends while reflecting on human suffering and the limits of human life. He uses the example of a tree to contrast with the finality he feels about death, suggesting that nature sometimes gets a second chance, while he feels people do not. The verse sets up a comparison between the hope found in nature and the despair Job feels about his own situation.

The Hebrew behind Job 14:7

  • "hope" (תִּקְוָה, tiqvah) means expectation or something to look forward to. Job uses this word to highlight the possibility of renewal for the tree, which he feels is missing for people.
  • "tree" (עֵץ, ‘ets) is the ordinary word for a tree, used here as a symbol of something living that can recover after being cut down.
  • "down" (כָּרַת, karath) means to cut off or cut down, emphasizing the severity of the tree’s situation—yet even then, hope remains.
  • "again" (חָלַף, chalaph) carries the sense of renewal or sprouting again, pointing to the tree’s ability to recover after being cut.
  • "branch" (יֹנֶקֶת, yoneqet) refers to a tender shoot or new growth, showing that even after loss, new life can emerge.
  • "cease" (חָדַל, chadal) means to stop or come to an end, stressing that the tree’s ability to put out new shoots does not end even after being cut down.

Why Job 14:7 matters

  • Job 14:7 clarifies that Job is not just talking about trees, but using them as a picture to highlight the difference between the natural world’s cycles of renewal and what he sees as the finality of human death.
  • The verse draws attention to Job’s deep sense of hopelessness about his own situation, making his later longing for hope and restoration even more striking.
  • Understanding the imagery helps readers see how Job is wrestling with big questions about suffering, loss, and whether there is any hope after disaster.

Where else these words appear

“branch” Hebrew H3127 · used in 6 verses

  • Job 8:16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
  • Job 15:30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.
  • Ezekiel 17:22 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:

“again” Hebrew H2498 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 31:7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.
  • Job 4:15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
  • Song of Solomon 2:11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

“hope” Hebrew H8615 · used in 33 verses

  • Joshua 2:18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
  • Job 14:19 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.
  • Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

“cease” Hebrew H2308 · used in 56 verses

  • Genesis 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
  • Ruth 1:18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
  • Job 19:14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.