Job 17:14 (KJV)

What does Job 17:14 mean?

Job 17:14 describes Job’s deep despair, as he says that decay and worms—symbols of death and the grave—are his closest family. Job uses this language to show that he feels abandoned by people and sees death as his only companion.

In this verse, Job is speaking to his friends while expressing his suffering and sense of hopelessness. He uses strong family terms—father, mother, sister—to describe his relationship with “corruption” and “the worm,” which represent the grave and physical decay. This vivid language highlights how isolated and close to death Job feels in his suffering.

The Hebrew behind Job 17:14

• “corruption” (שַׁחַת, shachat): This word often refers to the pit or decay, commonly linked to the grave or destruction. Job calling corruption his “father” shows how closely he identifies with death at this point.
• “worm” (רִמָּה, rimmah): This word means maggot or worm, creatures associated with decay after death. By calling the worm his “mother” and “sister,” Job emphasizes how he expects nothing but decay and has no hope of comfort from human relationships.
• “father” (אָב, av), “mother” (אֵם, em), “sister” (אָחוֹת, achot): These family terms stress the closeness and intimacy Job feels with death and decay, rather than with living people.

Why Job 17:14 matters

• This verse clears up any idea that Job still has hope for earthly restoration at this moment; he is speaking from a place of total despair.
• The use of family language for death and decay underlines how completely Job feels cut off from human comfort and belonging.
• Understanding this verse helps explain the depth of Job’s suffering and sets the stage for his ongoing struggle with God and his friends throughout the book.