Job 14:14

If a man dies, will he live again? ¹  All the days of my hard service ²  I will wait ³  until my release comes. ⁴ 

If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come.

"If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes.

If mortals die, can they live again? This thought would give me hope, and through my struggle I would eagerly wait for release.

If we humans die, will we live again? That's my question. All through these difficult days I keep hoping, waiting for the final change--for resurrection!

If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.

If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come.

If a man dies, shall he live again ? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.

If a man dies, will he live again? ¹  All the days of my hard service ²  I will wait ³  until my release comes. ⁴ 

¹ tc The LXX removes the interrogative and makes the statement affirmative, i.e., that man will live again. This reading is taken by D. H. Gard (“The Concept of the Future Life according to the Greek Translator of the Book of Job,” JBL 73 [1954]: 137-38). D. J. A. Clines follows this, putting both of the expressions in the wish clause: “if a man dies and could live again…” (Job [WBC], 332). If that is the way it is translated, then the verbs in the second half of the verse and in the next verse would all be part of the apodosis, and should be translated “would.” The interpretation would not greatly differ; it would be saying that if there was life after death, Job would long for his release – his death. If the traditional view is taken and the question was raised whether there was life after death (the implication of the question being that there is), then Job would still be longing for his death. The point the line is making is that if there is life after death, that would be all the more reason for Job to eagerly expect, to hope for, his death.

² tn See Job 7:1.

³ tn The verb אֲיַחֵל (’ayakhel) may be rendered “I will/would wait” or “I will/would hope.” The word describes eager expectation and longing hope.

⁴ tn The construction is the same as that found in the last verse: a temporal preposition עַד (’ad) followed by the infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive “release/relief.” Due, in part, to the same verb (חָלַף, khalaf) having the meaning “sprout again” in v. 7, some take “renewal” as the meaning here (J. E. Hartley, Alden, NIV, ESV).