Job 5:7
ESV - 7 But man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.
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If you have ever built a fire outside at night, I am sure you have seen sparks floating upward into the darkness, especially when when you stoke the fire or add more wood. The book of Job may have chosen this simile because heat and poking both produce the effect. My guess is, The author is saying, basically, that just as a spark rising is a natural occurrence when fire is present, if a man is put in a heated situation and poked a little, a brawl is sure to follow. It is man's nature. More simply, that that is just the natural order of things. Probably another way of saying man has a sinful nature.
This verse takes us back to Genesis 3:17-19. "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast heartened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded their, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to their; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return." God has given man free will. There are certainties, however. If we deny sure things and go against the tide, we are certain to have trouble. Do sparks fly upward? As certain as rain comes down! Is a baby likely to cry? If I jump off a thirty story building because I want to fly, am I going to be in trouble? We are born in sin. We must accept this and face it and choose which way we go. We have to do battle with our nature every day. We cannot get through this life without some sparks flying. Quoting this verse from the New Jerusalem Bible- "It is people who breed trouble for themselves as surely as eagles fly to the height." The footnote for this verse says"who breeds, a conjunction for a Hebrew word meaning who is born. Eagles, according to some versions reads, sons of Resheph. Resheph, the God of thunder and lightening, May have had an eagle as a symbol. I think when I see lightening it looks like sparks up in the sky. Maybe that is why this comparison. However the bigger thing here is that the closer we remain to God, the better off we will be. In this life we are bound to have trouble, we better look to The One who knows the way through the wilderness.
This is an intriguing question, Gloria. Compare 2 alternate translations: ISV: "But mankind is born headed for trouble, just as sparks soar skyward.” VOICE: Still humankind is born into trouble, just as embers break loose and fly from the fire. Job 5:7 [man] is born to trouble means that, "All people sin and deserve punishment at times in their lives. Job’s experience is not unique." FSB Job 5:7 means this: "Troubles spring from man’s common sin by as necessary a law of natural consequences as sparks (Hebrew, “sons of coal”) fly upward. Troubles are many and fiery, as sparks (1 Pe 4:12; Is 43:2)." JFB
The words “man is born unto trouble” mean: “It is man’s nature through his sin to bring trouble upon himself; evil rises up out of his heart as naturally as the sparks fly up out of the flame.” (Cf) In the words of Christ, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” Though "the sparks fly up" is also a representation of man’s anger rising up. Shalom and much blessings in Yeshua Messiah.
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