Job 3:3-7

3 “May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’
4 That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it.
5 May gloom and utter darkness claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm it.
6 That night—may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.
7 May that night be barren; may no shout of joy be heard in it.

Job 3:3-7 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 4

  • 1. ver 11,16; Job 10:18-19; Ecclesiastes 4:2; Ecclesiastes 6:3; Jeremiah 20:14-18; Matthew 26:24
  • 2. Job 10:21,22; Job 34:22; Job 38:17; Psalms 23:4; Psalms 44:19; Psalms 88:12; Jeremiah 2:6; Jeremiah 13:16
  • 3. Job 23:17; Job 30:26
  • 4. Psalms 20:5; Psalms 33:3; Psalms 65:13; Isaiah 26:19; Jeremiah 51:48
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