◄ Job 31:15 ►
Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?
Study Bible
Did not He who made me
This phrase emphasizes the divine craftsmanship of God as the Creator. The Hebrew word for "made" is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which conveys the idea of fashioning or crafting with intention and purpose. In the context of Job, this highlights the belief that every human being is a deliberate creation of God, underscoring the inherent value and dignity of each person. This reflects the biblical theme that God is intimately involved in the creation of life, as seen in Genesis 1:27, where humanity is made in the image of God.

in the womb
The womb is often used in Scripture as a symbol of God's mysterious and miraculous work in creating life. The Hebrew term "בֶּטֶן" (beten) refers to the innermost part of a person, indicating a place of protection and formation. This phrase underscores the sanctity of life from its very inception, affirming that God's creative work begins even before birth. It aligns with passages like Psalm 139:13, where the psalmist acknowledges God's involvement in their formation in the womb.

make them as well?
Here, Job is drawing a parallel between himself and others, emphasizing equality before God. The Hebrew word "גַּם" (gam) means "also" or "as well," suggesting that the same care and intention God used in creating Job were applied to others. This challenges any notion of superiority or partiality, reinforcing the biblical principle that all humans are equal in the eyes of their Creator, as seen in Acts 17:26, which speaks of God making all nations from one blood.

Did not the same One
This phrase reiterates the unity and consistency of God's creative work. The Hebrew word "אֶחָד" (echad) means "one" or "same," emphasizing that there is no division or variation in God's nature or actions. It reflects the monotheistic belief central to the Judeo-Christian tradition that there is one God who is the source of all life. This unity is a call to recognize the shared humanity and divine image in every person.

form us both
The word "form" comes from the Hebrew "יָצַר" (yatsar), which means to shape or mold, like a potter with clay. This imagery is powerful, suggesting that God is the divine potter who carefully and skillfully shapes each individual. It speaks to the intentionality and artistry of God in creation, as seen in Isaiah 64:8, where God is described as the potter and humanity as the clay. This metaphor invites believers to trust in God's sovereign design and purpose for their lives.

in the womb?
Reiterating the earlier mention of the womb, this phrase serves as a bookend to the verse, reinforcing the sacredness of life from its earliest stages. It calls believers to a deep respect for life and a recognition of God's hand in the formation of every person. The repetition of this phrase underscores the continuity of God's creative work and the shared origin of all humanity, inviting a response of humility, gratitude, and reverence for the Creator.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, known for his patience and faithfulness amidst suffering.

2. God
The Creator, who Job acknowledges as the one who forms all human beings in the womb, emphasizing His sovereignty and creative power.

3. The Womb
A metaphorical place representing the beginning of life, where God forms each individual, highlighting the sanctity and equality of all human life.
Teaching Points
The Sanctity of Life
Every human being is crafted by God, which bestows inherent value and dignity upon each person, regardless of their status or background.

Equality Before God
Job’s rhetorical question underscores the equality of all people before God, challenging us to treat others with respect and fairness.

God’s Sovereignty in Creation
Recognizing God as the Creator should lead us to trust in His purposes and plans for our lives, even when we face trials.

Humility and Compassion
Understanding that we are all formed by the same Creator should foster humility and compassion towards others, especially those who are marginalized or oppressed.

Accountability in Relationships
Job’s reflection calls us to examine how we treat others, ensuring our actions align with the understanding that we are all made by God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does recognizing that God formed both you and others in the womb influence your view of human dignity and equality?

2. In what ways can acknowledging God’s role as Creator impact your interactions with people from different backgrounds or social statuses?

3. How does Job’s perspective on creation challenge you to reflect on your own attitudes and behaviors towards others?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to demonstrate humility and compassion in your daily relationships, based on the understanding that we are all made by God?

5. How can the truths found in Job 31:15 and related scriptures encourage you to trust in God’s sovereignty during difficult times?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:27
This verse speaks of God creating mankind in His own image, reinforcing the idea of equality and dignity for all humans as seen in Job 31:15.

Psalm 139:13-16
These verses echo the theme of God’s intimate involvement in the formation of life in the womb, similar to Job’s acknowledgment of God’s creative work.

Jeremiah 1:5
God’s knowledge and formation of Jeremiah before birth parallels Job’s understanding of God’s role in human creation.
Sermons
God the Universal CreatorHomilistJob 31:15
Man's Common RightsAlbert Barnes.Job 31:15
Guard the SensesGurnall, WilliamJob 31:1-32
Methods of Moral LifeJoseph Parker, D. D.Job 31:1-32
Solemn Assurances of InnocenceE. Johnson Job 31:1-40
The Consciousness of IntegrityR. Green Job 31:1-40
People
Abaddon, Adam, Job
Places
Uz
Topics
Bodies, Didn't, Fashion, Form, Mothers, Prepare, Within, Womb, Yea
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Job 31:15

     5061   sanctity of life
     5199   womb

Job 31:13-15

     5308   equality
     5404   masters

Library
Thou Shalt not Steal.
This Commandment also has a work, which embraces very many good works, and is opposed to many vices, and is called in German Mildigkeit, "benevolence;" which is a work ready to help and serve every one with one's goods. And it fights not only against theft and robbery, but against all stinting in temporal goods which men may practise toward one another: such as greed, usury, overcharging and plating wares that sell as solid, counterfeit wares, short measures and weights, and who could tell all the …
Dr. Martin Luther—A Treatise on Good Works

Question of the Active Life
I. Do all Acts of the Moral Virtues come under the Active Life? II. Does Prudence pertain to the Active Life? III. Does Teaching belong to the Active or to the Contemplative Life? IV. Does the Active Life continue after this Life? I Do all Acts of the Moral Virtues come under the Active Life? S. Isidore says[407]: "In the active life all the vices are first of all to be removed by the practice of good works, so that in the contemplative life a man may, with now purified mental gaze, pass to the …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Whether virtue is in us by Nature?
Objection 1: It would seem that virtue is in us by nature. For Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii, 14): "Virtues are natural to us and are equally in all of us." And Antony says in his sermon to the monks: "If the will contradicts nature it is perverse, if it follow nature it is virtuous." Moreover, a gloss on Mat. 4:23, "Jesus went about," etc., says: "He taught them natural virtues, i.e. chastity, justice, humility, which man possesses naturally." Objection 2: Further, the virtuous good consists …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether after Christ, it was Proper to the Blessed virgin to be Sanctified in the Womb?
Objection 1: It would seem that it was proper for the Blessed Virgin, after Christ, to be sanctified in the womb. For it has been said [4131](A[4]) that the Blessed Virgin was sanctified in the womb, in order that she might be worthy to be the mother of God. But this is proper to her. Therefore she alone was sanctified in the womb. Objection 2: Further, some men seem to have been more closely connected with Christ than Jeremias and John the Baptist, who are said to have been sanctified in the womb. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Corporal Alms are of More Account than Spiritual Alms?
Objection 1: It would seem that corporal alms are of more account than spiritual alms. For it is more praiseworthy to give an alms to one who is in greater want, since an almsdeed is to be praised because it relieves one who is in need. Now the body which is relieved by corporal alms, is by nature more needy than the spirit which is relieved by spiritual alms. Therefore corporal alms are of more account. Objection 2: Further, an alms is less praiseworthy and meritorious if the kindness is compensated, …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Confession is According to the Natural Law?
Objection 1: It would seem that confession is according to the natural law. For Adam and Cain were bound to none but the precepts of the natural law, and yet they are reproached for not confessing their sin. Therefore confession of sin is according to the natural law. Objection 2: Further, those precepts which are common to the Old and New Law are according to the natural law. But confession was prescribed in the Old Law, as may be gathered from Is. 43:26: "Tell, if thou hast anything to justify …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether one Can, Without a Mortal Sin, Deny the Truth which Would Lead to One's Condemnation?
Objection 1: It would seem one can, without a mortal sin, deny the truth which would lead to one's condemnation. For Chrysostom says (Hom. xxxi super Ep. ad Heb.): "I do not say that you should lay bare your guilt publicly, nor accuse yourself before others." Now if the accused were to confess the truth in court, he would lay bare his guilt and be his own accuser. Therefore he is not bound to tell the truth: and so he does not sin mortally if he tell a lie in court. Objection 2: Further, just as …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Advanced Christian Reminded of the Mercies of God, and Exhorted to the Exercise of Habitual Love to Him, and Joy in Him.
1. A holy joy in God, our privilege as well as our duty.--2. The Christian invited to the exercise of it.--3. By the consideration of temporal mercies.--4. And of spiritual favors.--5. By the views of eternal happiness.--6. And of the mercies of God to others, the living and the dead.--7. The chapter closes with an exhortation to this heavenly exercise. And with an example of the genuine workings of this grateful joy in God. 1. I WOULD now suppose my reader to find, on an examination of his spiritual …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

Trials of the Christian
AFFLICTION--ITS NATURE AND BENEFITS. The school of the cross is the school of light; it discovers the world's vanity, baseness, and wickedness, and lets us see more of God's mind. Out of dark afflictions comes a spiritual light. In times of affliction, we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God. The end of affliction is the discovery of sin; and of that, to bring us to a Saviour. Doth not God ofttimes even take occasion, by the hardest of things that come upon us, to visit …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan

The Christian Business World
Scripture references: Proverbs 22:29; Romans 12:11; Psalms 24:1; 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; Psalm 49:6,10,16,17; 62:10; Matthew 13:22; Mark 10:23,24; Job 31:24-26; Proverbs 3:9; Matthew 25:14-30; 24:45-51; 6:19-21; Luke 12:16-21. THE IDEAL IN THE BUSINESS WORLD There is often a wide difference between the methods actually employed in doing business and when they should be. Good men who are in the thick of the battle of competition and rivalry with other firms in the same line of trade, are the quickest …
Henry T. Sell—Studies in the Life of the Christian

The Seventh Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Exod 20: 14. God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
WHEN St. Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his duty as a minister, he mentioned young men as a class requiring peculiar attention. After speaking of aged men and aged women, and young women, he adds this pithy advice, "Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded" (Tit. 2:6). I am going to follow the Apostle's advice. I propose to offer a few words of friendly exhortation to young men. I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most …
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times

Thoughts Upon Worldly-Riches. Sect. Ii.
TIMOTHY after his Conversion to the Christian Faith, being found to be a Man of great Parts, Learning, and Piety, and so every way qualified for the work of the Ministry, St. Paul who had planted a Church at Ephesus the Metropolis or chief City of all Asia, left him to dress and propagate it, after his departure from it, giving him Power to ordain Elders or Priests, and to visit and exercise Jurisdiction over them, to see they did not teach false Doctrines, 1 Tim. i. 3. That they be unblameable in …
William Beveridge—Private Thoughts Upon a Christian Life

Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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