What does Job 13:14 mean by "Why do I take my flesh in my teeth"? Canonical Text “Why do I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hands?” (Job 13:14) Immediate Literary Context Job, rebutting his friends’ incorrect theology of retribution (Job 13:1-13), resolves to approach God directly (vv. 15-22). Verse 14 signals the peril of challenging the Almighty: Job knows he is risking everything—yet he will plead his case. Idiomatic Force 1. “Take my flesh in my teeth” evokes the picture of an animal snatching its own flesh to flee—an act of desperate self-preservation that can easily fail. 2. “Put my life in my hands” parallels Judges 12:3; 1 Samuel 19:5; Psalm 119:109—Hebrew idioms describing life-threatening risk. Collectively, Job admits: “I am exposing myself to mortal danger.” Ancient Versions • Septuagint: “Why do I hold my flesh in my teeth and put my soul in my hands?”—retaining the raw literalism. • Dead Sea Scrolls 11Q10: identical wording, confirming textual stability more than a century before Christ. The agreement of Masoretic, LXX, and DSS manuscripts underscores the verse’s authenticity. Cultural Background Near-Eastern legal practice allowed a plaintiff to argue personally before a ruler; yet appearing uninvited before a king could be fatal (cf. Esther 4:11). Job likens his approach to God to that treacherous court scene. Theological Emphasis 1. Covenant Boldness: Even in risk, Job clings to the belief that God is just (Job 13:15-18). 2. Human Finitude: The imagery reminds the reader that life is fragile (Psalm 103:14). 3. Foreshadowing Ultimate Advocacy: Job’s willingness to risk all anticipates the sinless Mediator who truly bore flesh “in His teeth” (John 1:14) and placed His life “in His hands” (John 10:17-18), rising again as vindication (1 Corinthians 15:4). Practical Application Believers facing hostility may echo Job: truthful confession sometimes entails hazard (Matthew 10:32-39). Yet, because the risen Christ holds our lives (Revelation 1:18), the ultimate risk is already resolved. Summary “Why do I take my flesh in my teeth?” means, “Why am I knowingly embracing mortal danger?” Job’s vivid idiom conveys the extreme personal risk he assumes by confronting God directly, while simultaneously modeling courageous faith under trial. |
    |