איוב, פרק ז׳, פסוק ט׳

Job expresses a profound and absolute despair regarding human mortality, looking to the natural world to illustrate the finality of life. When a cloud drifts across the sky, it eventually scatters, fades, and completely disappears [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. It will never reform into that exact same cloud again. Human existence is viewed through this same lens of irreversible fading [מצודת דוד]. Upon death, the physical elements and moisture that make up the human body separate. They return to their original, unformed state, much like vapor evaporating into thin air [מלבי״ם, תקות אנוש]. Because of this complete physical dissolution, a person who descends into the grave can never return. The state of death is entirely permanent [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Through this vivid imagery, Job solidifies his perspective that there is no hope for human revival once the body's elements have drifted apart [מלבי״ם, תקות אנוש]. His rejection of any return to life is so absolute that the Sages concluded he actively denied the concept of the resurrection of the dead [מצודת דוד].

While this primary approach views the fading cloud as a reflection of the universal human condition, another perspective interprets it as a specific spiritual punishment reserved for the wicked. In this view, the complete vanishing of the cloud represents a distinct group of sinners. Their ultimate fate is total destruction, where their bodies waste away and their souls are burned. They are condemned to descend into the underworld, never to rise again [אלשיך].