How does Job 15:14 relate to the doctrine of original sin? Text of Job 15:14 “What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?” Immediate Literary Setting Job 15 records Eliphaz’s second response to Job. Eliphaz assumes Job’s suffering must arise from personal sin, so he presses the point that, by nature, no human can be righteous. While Eliphaz’s application to Job’s circumstances is misguided (cf. Job 42:7), the premise he cites—that humanity is inherently sinful—is consistent with the wider biblical witness. Canonical Parallels on Universal Sinfulness Genesis 6:5; Psalm 51:5; Psalm 143:2; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10–18—all declare that no human is innately righteous. Job 15:14 harmonizes with these passages. Original Sin Defined Original sin refers to the inherited corruption and guilt that entered humanity through Adam’s fall (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12–19). It is not merely a tendency but a judicial reality: “through one trespass, condemnation came to all men” (Romans 5:18). Job 15:14 mirrors that verdict centuries before Paul. Inter-Testamental and Qumran Witness 4QJob (Qumran, late 2nd c. BC) preserves essentially the same Hebrew wording, underscoring textual stability. Ben Sira 25:24 (“From a woman sin had its beginning”) and 4QInstruction likewise assume hereditary sin, reflecting a Jewish consensus continuous with Job. New Testament Amplification Romans 5:12: “sin entered the world through one man.” Ephesians 2:3: “by nature children of wrath.” 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” These verses explicate what Job 15:14 states implicitly: every human needs divine grace. Patristic Reception • Augustine (On Original Sin 24.28) cites Job 15:14 as proof that “no one born of woman is righteous apart from grace.” • Chrysostom (Homily on Repentance 3) connects the verse with Romans 3:23. The early church read Job 15:14 as affirming original sin, not denying human worth but exposing universal need for redemption. Systematic Theological Integration Anthropology: Humanity bears God’s image (Genesis 1:27) yet is corrupted (Jeremiah 17:9). Hamartiology: Job 15:14 contributes to the doctrine that guilt and corruption are inherited. Soteriology: Because none is righteous, atonement through Christ’s resurrection becomes essential (Romans 4:25). Eschatology: Glorification will finally purge this inherited corruption (1 Corinthians 15:49). Exegetical Caveats Job records human speeches. Inspiration guarantees their accurate reportage, not their every assertion. However, the specific assertion in 15:14 is validated elsewhere in Scripture, evidencing coherence rather than contradiction. Conclusion Job 15:14 echoes and prepares the full biblical doctrine of original sin: every person descends from Adam, is born corrupt, and therefore requires the redemptive work of the sinless Second Adam, Jesus Christ. |
    |