Job 42:14 — The Names of Job's Three Daughters
After Job's fortunes are restored twofold, he names his three newborn daughters Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch.
Scripture
14And he called the name of the first, Jemimah: and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.
What this passage means
Verse 14 sits at the center of Job's restoration. After Job prays for his friends (42:10), Jehovah gives him twice what he had before: 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses (42:12), along with seven sons and three daughters (42:13). The verse then lists the three daughters by name, in order of birth: Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch.
The naming formula — 'he called the name of the first … the second … the third' — follows the standard Hebrew toledot (genealogical) pattern used to mark significant offspring (compare Genesis 4:1, 25; 5:3). By naming the daughters individually and in the same construction used for sons, the text treats their birth as a notable event within the restoration account.
The three daughters are named while the seven sons are not. This is unusual in the Old Testament's genealogical style and draws attention to these women specifically. The next verse (42:15) confirms their exceptional standing: 'in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job,' and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.
Context
Chapter 42 closes the book. Job answers Jehovah (42:1–6), repenting in dust and ashes after declaring 'now mine eye seeth thee.' Jehovah then turns to Eliphaz, condemns the friends for not speaking rightly, and instructs them to offer a burnt offering through Job, whom he will accept (42:7–9). Verse 10 marks the turn: 'Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before.' The verses that follow (42:11–17) describe the concrete restoration — relatives arriving with gifts, doubled livestock, seven sons and three daughters (vv. 13–14), the daughters' beauty and inheritance (v. 15), and Job's long life ending 'old and full of days' (vv. 16–17).
Within this closing block, verse 14 functions as the pivot between the enumeration of children (v. 13) and the note about the daughters' unique status (v. 15). The naming of Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch is the literary hinge that lets the text move from counting the children to commenting on the daughters' beauty and equal inheritance.
Common questions
Why does Job name his daughters but not his seven sons?
The text does not explain the omission. The naming of the three daughters in 42:14 stands out against the anonymity of the seven sons. The most common reading, based on the structure of 42:13–15, is that the author draws attention to the daughters because the next verse highlights their exceptional beauty and their right to inheritance among the brothers — points unique to them rather than to the sons.
Do the names Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch have meanings?
The passage itself does not state what the names mean. Various proposals exist — for example, 'day' or 'dove' for Jemimah, 'cassia' (a spice) for Keziah, and a phrase involving a horn or container of eye-paint for Keren-happuch — but the text of Job 42:14 does not confirm any of these, so they cannot be treated as part of what the verse says.
Are these the same daughters Job lost earlier?
No. Job 1:2 lists his first seven sons and three daughters (Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch are not named there), and 1:18–19 records the death of all his first children. The seven sons and three daughters in 42:13–14 are new children born after the restoration in 42:10, given to Job as part of the 'twice as much' blessing described in verse 12.