Job 3:16-26

16 "Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants that never saw light.
17 "There the wicked cease from raging, And there the weary are at 1rest.
18 "The prisoners are at ease together; They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 "The small and the great are there, And the slave is free from his master.
20 "Why is 2light given to him who suffers, And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who 3long for death, but there is none, And dig for it more than for 4hidden treasures,
22 Who rejoice greatly, And exult when they find the grave?
23 "Why is light given to a man 5whose way is hidden, And whom 6God has hedged in?
24 "For 7my groaning comes at the sight of my food, And 8my cries pour out like water.
25 "For 9what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me.
26 "I 10am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes."

Job 3:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 3

In this chapter we have an account of Job's cursing the day of his birth, and the night of his conception; Job 3:1-3; first the day, to which he wishes the most extreme darkness, Job 3:4,5; then the night, to which he wishes the same and that it might be destitute of all joy, and be cursed by others as well as by himself, Job 3:6-9; The reasons follow, because it did not prevent his coming into the world, and because he died not on it, Job 3:10-12; which would, as he judged, have been an happiness to him; and this he illustrates by the still and quiet state of the dead, the company they are with, and their freedom from all trouble, oppression, and bondage, Job 3:13-19; but however, since it was otherwise with him, he desires his life might not be prolonged, and expostulates about the continuance of it, Job 3:20-23; and this by reason of his present troubles, which were many and great, and came upon him as he feared they would, and which had made him uneasy in his prosperity, Job 3:24-26.

Cross References 10

  • 1. Job 17:16
  • 2. Jeremiah 20:18
  • 3. Revelation 9:6
  • 4. Proverbs 2:4
  • 5. Job 19:6, 8, 12
  • 6. Job 19:8; Psalms 88:8; Lamentations 3:7
  • 7. Job 6:7; Job 33:20
  • 8. Job 30:16; Psalms 42:4
  • 9. Job 9:28; Job 30:15
  • 10. Job 7:13, 14

Footnotes 4

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