Job 42:14 (KJV)

What does Job 42:14 mean?

Job 42:14 records the names Job gave his three daughters. The list gives each daughter a distinct place in the account, identifying her by name and by her order among the three.

The narrator reports Job’s naming of the girls after mentioning his children in verse 13. The wording moves from the first daughter to the second and then the third.

The Hebrew behind Job 42:14

• “Jemima” — יְמִימָה (yemimah): The name is often understood as “dove.” That meaning gives the first daughter’s name an association with a bird.
• “Kezia” — קְצִיעָה (qetsiʿah): The name refers to cassia, an aromatic spice. The second daughter’s name is therefore associated with a pleasant scent.
• “Kerenhappuch” — קֶרֶן הַפּוּךְ (qeren happukh): The name is often understood as “horn of eye paint.” A horn could serve as a container for dark makeup used around the eyes.

Why Job 42:14 matters

• The daughters are given individual attention. Job names all three, while the surrounding account gives the number of his sons without listing their names.
• The names prepare the reader to notice the daughters’ place in the family. The next verse describes their beauty and says that their father gave them an inheritance alongside their brothers.