Job 14:20

You overpower him once for all, ¹  and he departs; you change ²  his appearance and send him away.

Job 2:12; Job 14:14; Ec 8:8; La 4:8

¹ tn D. W. Thomas took נֵצַח (netsakh) here to have a superlative meaning: “You prevail utterly against him” (“Use of netsach as a superlative in Hebrew,” JSS 1 [1956]: 107). Death would be God’s complete victory over him.

² tn The subject of the participle is most likely God in this context. Some take it to be man, saying “his face changes.” Others emend the text to read an imperfect verb, but this is not necessary.