Job 14:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"Although a man may endure punishment," he remarks, "even with many sons, he remains unaware of it. For after his passing, he often misses the blessings he could have experienced in his lifetime. What benefit is there in leaving behind children if you have already departed?" He emphasizes the fleeting nature of human existence and the inevitability of not being able to return. "Imagine," he continues, "that he has left sons behind, yet he is oblivious to his own blessings. Whether few or many heirs remain, he is ignorant of it. How tragic it is for a man to be unaware of his own well-being, departing alone while fully conscious of his own hardships? And should any good occur after his death, he neither perceives it nor acknowledges it, but is only aware of the suffering of his flesh and the turmoil of his soul."

You have granted him strength for a brief time, allowing him to endure here momentarily. Job 14:20. A LITERAL EXPLICATION OF 24. In this transient existence, humanity is fortified for a season, but must ultimately transition to a realm beyond, liberated from the constraints of mortality. In this brief span where he has received strength, he becomes aware that in the everlasting realm he will experience either unending joy or eternal retribution. Therefore, it is rightly noted: You will alter his countenance and send him away. 25. A person’s appearance transforms when death depletes their form; however, “he is sent away” because he must depart from what he has cherished, entering the eternal realm against his wishes. While he is carried away from everything he has clung to for so long, he remains unaware of the fate that awaits these cherished aspects of his former life. Hence, it continues:

Although humanity resembles a tree that, when cut down, can sprout new shoots from its roots—one might have hope for resurrection; this expectation is insufficient to support an individual through their trials, leading them to wish for a swift end to their afflictions. Just as the most resilient stones are ultimately worn away by the persistent action of water, so too is human endurance tested (7-12, 13-22).