Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
We are here led to think, I. Of the original of human life. God is indeed its great original, for he breathed into man the breath of life and in him we live; but we date it from our birth, and thence we must date both its frailty and its pollution. 1. Its frailty: Man, that is born of a woman, is therefore of few days, Job 14:1.
Commenting on Job 14:1-6
He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down,.... As the flower comes from the earth, so does man; as it comes out of the stalk, so man out of his mother's womb; as the flower flourishes for a while, and looks gay and beautiful, so man while in youth, in health and prosperity.
Job 14:1-3 1 Man that is born of a woman, Short of days and full of unrest, 2 Cometh forth as a flower and is cut down; He fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not. 3 Moreover, Thou openest Thine eyes upon him, And Thou drawest me before Thy tribunal.
Commenting on Job 14:1-3