Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 5:7
Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
7. Yet man is born unto trouble ] Rather, but man. The true explanation of affliction is now given, as the false explanation was denied in Job 5:6. The words “man is born unto trouble” mean, it is his nature through his sin to bring trouble upon himself; evil rises up out of his heart as naturally as the sparks fly up out of the flame. Cf. the words of Christ, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,” and the appalling list which follows. Eliphaz is severe on human nature, but the broad generality of his doctrine is fitted to enable Job to find himself in his history and let himself be led back to a more devout demeanour. See the concluding remark to ch. 4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Yet man is born unto trouble – All this is connected with the sentiment in Job 5:8 ff. The meaning is, that since afflictions are ordered by an intelligent Being, and since man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward, therefore it is wise to commit our cause to God, and not to complain against him. Margin, or labor. The word here ( amal) rather means trouble, or affliction, than labor. The sense is, that as certainly as man is born, so sure is it that he will have trouble. It follows from the condition of our being, as certainly as that unconscious objects will follow the laws of their nature – that sparks will ascend. This seems to have a proverbial cast, and was doubtless regarded as a sentiment universally true. It is as true now as it was then; for it is still the great law of our being, that trouble as certainly comes sooner or later, as that material objects obey the laws of nature which God has impressed on them.
As the sparks fly upward – The Hebrew expression here is very beautiful – as beney reshep – the sons of flame fly. The word used ( reshep) means flame, lightning; the sons, or children of the flame, are that which it produces; that is, sparks. Gesenius strangely renders it, sons of the lightning; that is, birds of prey which fly as swift as the lightning. So Dr. Good, As the bird-tribes are made to fly upwards. So Umbreit renders it, Gleichwie die Brut des Raubgeflugels sich hoch in Fluge hebt – as a flock of birds of prey elevate themselves on the wing. Noyes adopts the construction of Gesenius; partly on the principle that man would be more likely to be compared to birds, living creatures, than to sparks. There is considerable variety in the interpretation of the passage. The Septuagint renders it, neossoi de gupos – the young of the vulture. The Chaldee, beney mezeyqey – the sons of demons. Syriac Sons of birds. Jerome, Man is born to labor, and the bird to flight – et avis ad volatum. Schultens renders it, glittering javelins, and Arius Montanus, sons of the live coal. It seems to me that our common version has expressed the true meaning. But the idea is not essentially varied whichever interpretation is adopted. It is, that as sparks ascend, or as birds fly upward – following the laws of their being – so is trouble the lot of man. It certainly comes; and comes under the direction of a Being who has fixed the laws of the inferior creation. It would be wise for man, therefore, to resign himself to God in the times when those troubles come. He should not sit down and complain at this condition of things, but should submit to it as the law of his being, and should have sufficient confidence in God to believe that he orders it aright.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Yet man is born unto trouble] leamal, to labour. He must toil and be careful; and if in the course of his labour he meet with trials and difficulties, he should rise superior to them, and not sink as thou dost.
As the sparks By upward.] ubeney resheph yagbihu uph; And the sons of the coal lift up their flight, or dart upwards. And who are the sons of the coal? Are they not bold, intrepid, ardent, fearless men, who rise superior to all their trials; combat what are termed chance and occurrence; succumb under no difficulties; and rise superior to time, tide, fate, and fortune? I prefer this to all the various meanings of the place with which I have met. Coverdale translates, It is man that is borne unto mysery, like as the byrde for to fle. Most of the ancient versions give a similar sense.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. He is so commonly exposed to many and various troubles, as if he were born to no other end. Affliction is become in some sort natural and proper to man, and it is, together with sin, transmitted from parents to children, as their most certain and constant inheritance; God having allotted this portion to mankind for their sins. And therefore thou takest a wrong course in complaining so bitterly of that which thou shouldst patiently bear, as the common lot of mankind; and thy right method is to seek unto God, who inflicts it, and who only can remove it.
As the sparks fly upward, i.e. as naturally and as generally as the sparks of fire fly upward, which do so universally and constantly. Heb. and the sparks, &c. But the particle and is oft used comparatively for as, as Job 12:11; 14:11; 34:3; Pro 25:21; Mar 9:49.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. Yetrather, “Truly,”or, But affliction does not come from chance, but is theappointment of God for sin; that is, the original birth-sin of man.Eliphaz passes from the particular sin and consequent suffering ofJob to the universal sin and suffering of mankind. Troubles springfrom man’s common sin by as necessary a law of natural consequencesas sparks (Hebrew, “sons of coal”) fly upward.Troubles are many and fiery, as sparks (1Pe 4:12;Isa 43:2). UMBREITfor “sparks” has “birds of prey;” literally,”sons of lightning,” not so well.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Yet man is born unto trouble,…. Or but b, after the negative follows the positive part of the assertion; before we have what is denied as the cause of affliction, here what it is affirmed to be, or what it is to be ascribed unto, even to the appointment of God for sin: to be born to it is to be appointed to it, as all men are appointed to death, and to everything previous and that leads on to it; and it signifies that affliction or trouble springs from the birth sin of man, from original sin, the sin of the first parent, and of his nature; as all sins arise from hence, and are streams from this fountain of pollution, so all disorders and diseases of body, all distresses and anguish of mind, and death in every sense, corporeal, spiritual, and eternal; and these are the lot and portion, the estate and inheritance, of the sons of men by nature, what they are born unto, and are full of, see Job 14:1; the same word is here used as in Job 5:6, and signifies labour, mischief, the mischief of sin, improbity, wickedness, moral evil; and man may be said to be born to sin, inasmuch as he is conceived, shapen, and born in it; and as he is born at once into a sinful state, and sins as soon as born, goes astray from the womb, is a transgressor from thence, and the imagination of his heart evil from his infancy and youth upwards, he becomes a slave to sin, and is a homeborn one; not that he is laid under a necessity of force to sin, or his will compelled to it; for he sins most freely, is a voluntary slave to it; he serves various lusts as pleasures, and gives himself up to work all iniquity with greediness; but there is such a connection between his birth, the circumstances of it, and sin, that sin is the certain consequence of it, and immediately, naturally, and necessarily follows upon it; that is, by a necessity of consequence, though not of coaction or force; it is as natural for man to sin as it is for a thirsty man to covet and drink water; or as for an Ethiopian to be born black, and a leopard with spots; or, as it follows,
as the sparks fly upward; which they do naturally and necessarily when coals are blown, and which are here called “the sons of coals” c; and to these, troubles and afflictions, the fruits and effects of sin, may be aptly compared; not only for the necessity of them, it is if needs be they are, but for the nature of them, being fiery and troublesome, hence called fiery trials, and signified by fires and flames of fire, 1Pe 4:12; and also for the number of them, being many, and very grievous: some interpret this of flying fowls, of young vultures, as the Septuagint; of young eagles, as others; Aben Ezra makes mention of this sense, as if it was, as a fowl is born to fly, so man is born to labour; to labour in the law, according to the Targum; or to labour for his bread; or rather, to labour and sorrow; that is, to affliction and trouble: a learned man d thinks the phrase, according to the use of it in the Arabic language, designs the more rapid cast of a dart, of the vibration of it, which is very quick.
b “sed”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius Schmidt, so Broughton. c , “tilii prunae”, Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator, Cocceius, Bolducius, Schmidt. d Hinckelman. Praefat. ad Alcoran. p. 29. So Schultens renders it, “tela corusea”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7. Yet Not an adversative, as Dillman, Hitzig, and others would read, but for; thus Conant, Evans, etc. This verse is also argumentative.
The sparks Bene resheph sons of fire, just as arrows are called sons of the bow. Umbreit translates: “Even as the bird of prey rises high in its flight.” Jerome beautifully expresses it, “Man is born to labour and the bird to flight.” The version of the text is better. That the evils of life are many, and “in close succession rise,” is implied in the figurative word “sparks.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
Ver. 7. Yet man is born unto trouble ] Which is the natural fruit of his sin; and a piece of the curse. He hath in him a , a common seminary of all sin, and this he brings into the world with him; what wonder, then, though troubles come trooping in upon him on every side, as if he were born for no other end but to suffer, and that as naturally as fire ascendeth? Sure it is, that sin doth as naturally and ordinarily draw and suck judgments to it as the loedestone doth iron, or turpentine fire. Some read the words thus, Man is born to sin, and so consequently to trouble; for sin usually ends tragicly and troublesomely. Hence the same word, both here and that in the former verse, signifies both sin and sorrow; and man, by reason of his birth blot, hath a birthright to them both, he is even born to them. The devil, when he speaketh lies, speaketh of his own, Joh 8:44 . And we, when either we do evil, we work de nostro et secundum hominem, of our own, and according to men, 1Co 3:3 ; or when we suffer evil, we suffer nothing but what is human and incident to men, 1Co 10:13 . The very heathen could say as much; witness that of Xenophon, , It behoveth him that is no more than a man to expect all sorts of troubles; and that of Demosthenes, It is fit for men to hope the best, but bravely to bear the worst, as that which is common to all mankind; and that of Isocrates, O , &c., He that remembereth that he is a man will not be discontented at whatsoever trouble befalleth him; and that of Herodotus, , every man is miserable. For this it was likely that God, to keep Ezekiel lowly in the abundance of revelations, calleth him so oft son of man. And when the French king, being prisoner to Charles V, saw written upon the wall that emperor’s motto, plus ultra, more beyond, further yet, and underwrote, Hodie mihi, cras tibi, Today for me, tomorrow for you, I am now thy prisoner, thou mayest hereafter be mine; the emperor came after him, and subscribed, I confess I am a man, and may soon suffer anything incident to mankind, Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto (J. Manl. loc. com. 175).
As the sparks fly upward
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
man. Hebrew. ‘Adam. App-14.
born unto trouble, &c. Figure of speech Paroemia. App-6.
sparks. Hebrew sons of flame.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
man: Job 14:1, Gen 3:17-19, Psa 90:8, Psa 90:9, 1Co 10:13
trouble: or, labour, Ecc 1:8, Ecc 2:22, Ecc 5:15-17
sparks fly upward: Heb. sons of the burning coal lift up to fly
Reciprocal: Psa 78:33 – years Ecc 2:23 – all Mat 11:28 – all Mar 9:21 – How
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 5:7. Yet man is born to trouble, &c. He is so commonly exposed to various troubles, as if he were born to no other end: affliction is become natural to man, and is transmitted from parents to children, as their constant inheritance; God having allotted this portion to mankind for their sins. And therefore thou takest a wrong course in complaining so bitterly of that which thou shouldst patiently bear, as the common lot of mankind. As As naturally, and as generally, as the sparks of fire fly upward Why then should we be surprised at our afflictions, as strange, or quarrel with them, as hard? This last clause, literally translated from the Hebrew, is, As the sons of the burning coal raise themselves up to fly. Instead, however, of sparks, or the sons of the coal, the author of the Vulgate writes, Homo nascitur ad laborem, et avis ad volatum, man is born for labour, (or trouble,) and the bird for flying; reading, , gnoph, a bird, for gnuph, to fly. To the same purpose is the interpretation of the LXX., Syr. and Arab.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:7 Yet man is born unto {i} trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
(i) Which declares that sin is always in our corrupt nature: for before sin it was not subject to pain and affliction.