Job 14:4
New International Version
Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!

New Living Translation
Who can bring purity out of an impure person? No one!

English Standard Version
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.

Berean Standard Bible
Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

King James Bible
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

New King James Version
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!

New American Standard Bible
“Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!

NASB 1995
“Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!

NASB 1977
“Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!

Legacy Standard Bible
Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!

Amplified Bible
“Who can make a clean thing out of the unclean? No one!

Christian Standard Bible
Who can produce something pure from what is impure? No one!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who can produce something pure from what is impure? No one!

American Standard Version
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Contemporary English Version
There's no way a human can be completely pure.

English Revised Version
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"If only an unclean person could become clean! It's not possible.

Good News Translation
Nothing clean can ever come from anything as unclean as human beings.

International Standard Version
Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean thing? No one!

Majority Standard Bible
Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one!

NET Bible
Who can make a clean thing come from an unclean? No one!

New Heart English Bible
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.

Webster's Bible Translation
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

World English Bible
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Who gives a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.

Young's Literal Translation
Who giveth a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Smith's Literal Translation
For who shall give a clean thing from an unclean? Not one.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed ? is it not thou who only art?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Who can make him clean who is conceived of unclean seed? Are you not the only one who can?

New American Bible
Can anyone make the unclean clean? No one can.

New Revised Standard Version
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one can.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Who will render the pure from the defiled? Not even one!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For who shall be pure from uncleanness? not even one;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Laments the Finality of Death
3Do You open Your eyes to one like this? Will You bring him into judgment before You? 4Who can bring out clean from unclean? No one! 5Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,…

Cross References
Psalm 51:5
Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Genesis 6:5
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Ecclesiastes 7:20
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Mark 7:21-23
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. / All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

Romans 7:18
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?

Ephesians 2:3
All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

Genesis 8:21
When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.

James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.


Treasury of Scripture

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Who can bring.

Job 15:14
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Job 25:4-6
How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? …

Genesis 5:3
And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

a clean

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

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Job 14
1. Job entreats God for favor, by the shortness of life, and certainty of death
7. He waits for his change
16. By sin the creature is subject to corruption














Who can bring
The phrase "Who can bring" suggests an inquiry into the capability or power of an individual or entity. In the Hebrew text, the word used here is "yitten," which implies giving or producing. This question reflects Job's deep understanding of human limitations and the divine nature of God. It is a rhetorical question that emphasizes the impossibility of humans achieving purity or righteousness on their own. In the broader biblical context, this points to the need for divine intervention and grace, as seen throughout Scripture, where God is the one who purifies and sanctifies.

out clean
The term "clean" in Hebrew is "tahor," which denotes purity, both in a physical and moral sense. In the Old Testament, cleanliness is often associated with ritual purity, necessary for worship and communion with God. The concept of cleanliness is deeply rooted in the Levitical laws, where specific guidelines were given to distinguish between clean and unclean. Spiritually, this cleanliness is symbolic of holiness and righteousness, qualities that are ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who cleanses believers from sin.

from unclean?
The word "unclean" is translated from the Hebrew "tame," which refers to impurity or defilement. This term is frequently used in the context of ceremonial law, where contact with certain objects or conditions rendered a person unclean. Theologically, it represents the fallen state of humanity, marred by sin and separation from God. The juxtaposition of clean and unclean highlights the chasm between God's holiness and human sinfulness, underscoring the need for redemption and the transformative power of God's grace.

No one!
This emphatic declaration, "No one," underscores the absolute impossibility of achieving purity through human effort. It reflects the doctrine of total depravity, which teaches that sin affects every part of human nature, rendering individuals incapable of attaining righteousness on their own. This statement points to the necessity of divine intervention, as only God can purify and redeem. In the New Testament, this is fulfilled through Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice makes it possible for the unclean to be made clean, offering hope and salvation to all who believe.

(4) Who can bring a clean thing . . .--How can man be clean that is born of woman, who is unclean? This question is reiterated by Bildad (Job 25:4). We ought perhaps, however, rather to render "Oh, that the clean could come forth from the unclean! but none can."

Verse 4. - Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. It is scarcely true to say that "the fact of original sin is thus distinctly recognized" ('Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 4. p. 61). Original uncleanness and infirmity are recognized; but the uncleanness is material, and removable by material expiation (Leviticus 12:2-8). It is rather man's weakness than his sinfulness that is here under discussion.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Who
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

can bring
יִתֵּ֣ן (yit·tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

clean
טָ֭הוֹר (ṭā·hō·wr)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2889: Clean, pure

out of unclean?
מִטָּמֵ֗א (miṭ·ṭā·mê)
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2931: Unclean

No
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

one!
אֶחָֽד׃ (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first


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OT Poetry: Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out (Jb)
Job 14:3
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