Chapter Overview
Summary
Job 3 opens the POETIC-DIALOGUES with Job's lament — his cursing of the day-of-his-birth (vv. 1–10), his wishing-he-had-died-at-birth (vv. 11–19), and his question 'why is light given to a man whose way is hidden?' (vv. 20–26). Jeremiah 20:14–18 directly-models on this Job-lament; the two are the Bible's deepest curses-of-one's-own-birth.
Notable Variants
3:3–10 cursing-the-day-of-birth // Jer 20:14–18; 3:8 'who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan' chaos-monster invocation; 3:23 'why is light given to a man whose way is hidden?' suffering-without-explanation.
Structural Notes
MT Job 3 = LXX Job 3. 26 verses. Opens the POETIC-DIALOGUES.
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
'After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth' tracks MT. JOB-OPENS-HIS-MOUTH — the seven-day silence broken.
Job spoke and said:
'And Job said' tracks MT.
Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said, 'A man-child is conceived.'
'Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night that said: A man is conceived' tracks MT. CURSE-THE-DAY-OF-BIRTH. Jeremiah 20:14–18 directly-imitates this Job-pattern.
Let that day be darkness. Let God above not seek it out. Let no light shine upon it.
'Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it' tracks MT. ANTI-GENESIS-1 vocabulary — Job invoking the un-creation of his birthday.
Let darkness and deep shadow claim it. Let a cloud settle over it. Let the blackness of day terrify it.
'Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it' tracks MT.
That night — let thick darkness seize it. Let it not rejoice among the days of the year. Let it not enter the count of the months.
'That night — let thick darkness seize it! Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months' tracks MT.
Let that night be barren. Let no cry of joy come into it.
'Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful cry enter it' tracks MT.
Let those who curse days curse it — those skilled in rousing Leviathan.
'Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan' tracks MT. ROUSE-UP LEVIATHAN — chaos-monster cursing-imagery. Job 41 will return to Leviathan in detail.
Let the stars of its twilight go dark. Let it wait for light, but find none. Let it never see the eyelids of the dawn.
'Let the stars of its dawn be dark; let it hope for light, but have none, nor see the eyelids of the morning' tracks MT.
Because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb and hide suffering from my eyes.
'Because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb, nor hide trouble from my eyes' tracks MT.
Why did I not die at birth, perish as I came from the womb?
'Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?' tracks MT. WHY-DID-I-NOT-DIE-AT-BIRTH. The wished-for stillbirth lament.
Why were there knees to receive me, or breasts for me to nurse?
'Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?' tracks MT.
For then I would be lying down in quiet, I would be asleep — then I would have rest.
'For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest' tracks MT. LIE-DOWN-AND-BE-QUIET — death-as-rest. The Sheol-as-quiet theology.
With kings and counselors of the earth who built ruins for themselves —
'With kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves' tracks MT.
or alongside princes who possessed gold, who filled their houses with silver.
'Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver' tracks MT.
Or like a stillborn child, hidden away, I would not exist — like infants who never saw the light.
'Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light?' tracks MT.
There the wicked cease their raging, and there the weary find rest.
'There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest' tracks MT. WICKED-CEASE / WEARY-AT-REST — Sheol as universal-equalizer.
There prisoners are at ease together; they do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
'There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster' tracks MT.
Small and great are there alike, and the slave is free from his master.
'The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master' tracks MT. SMALL-AND-GREAT in death — Hebrews 9:27 ('it is appointed for man to die once') extends. Revelation 20:12's 'I saw the dead, the great and the small' echoes.
Why is light given to one who suffers, and life to those bitter in spirit?
'Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul?' tracks MT. WHY-LIGHT-TO-MISERY — the theodicy-question.
They long for death, but it does not come; they dig for it more than for hidden treasure.
'Who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures' tracks MT. LONGING-FOR-DEATH-AS-TREASURE — the despair-of-protracted-suffering.
They rejoice to the point of exultation; they are glad when they find the grave.
'Who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave?' tracks MT.
Why give light to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
'Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?' tracks MT. HEDGED-IN — bitter inversion of 1:10's 'hedge-of-protection.' The same divine-hedging now functions as confinement.
For my groaning comes before my food, and my cries pour out like water.
'For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water' tracks MT.
For the thing I dreaded has come upon me; what I feared has overtaken me.
'For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me' tracks MT. THE-THING-I-FEARED-COMES — Job's previous-anxiety realized. Anticipates 1 Pet 5:7's anxiety-casting.
I have no ease, no quiet, no rest — only turmoil comes.
'I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes' tracks MT. NO-REST closure — Matthew 11:28's 'I will give you rest' Christologically-answers.