TRV
Translation
American Standard Version
There the wicked cease from troubling; And there the weary are at rest.
World English Bible Messianic
There the wicked cease from troubling. There the weary are at rest.
Geneva Bible (1599)
The wicked haue there ceased from their tyrannie, and there they that laboured valiantly, are at rest.
Young's Literal Translation
There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.
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In the KJVVerse 12,922 of 31,102
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Commentary on Job 3 verses 11–19
11 ¶ Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
Job, perhaps reflecting upon himself for his folly in wishing he had never been born, follows it, and thinks to mend it, with another, little better, that he had died as soon as he was born, which he enlarges upon in these verses. When our Saviour would set forth a very calamitous state of things he seems to allow such a saying as this, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the paps which never gave suck (Luk 23:29); but blessing the barren womb is one thing and cursing the fruitful womb is another! It is good to make the best of afflictions, but it is not good to make the worst of mercies. Our rule is, Bless, and curse not. Life is often put for all good, and death for all evil; yet Job here very absurdly complains of life and its supports as a curse and plague to him, and covets death and the grave as the greatest and most desirable bliss. Surely Satan was deceived in Job when he applied that maxim to him, All that a man hath will he give for his life; for never any man valued life at a lower rate than he did.
I. He ungratefully quarrels with life, and is angry that it was not taken from him as soon as it was given him (Job 3:11, Job 3:12): Why died not I from the womb? See here, 1. What a weak and helpless creature man is when he comes into the world, and how slender the thread of life is when it is first drawn. We are ready to die from the womb, and to breathe our last as soon as we begin to breathe at all. We can do nothing for ourselves, as other creatures can, but should drop into the grave if the knees did not prevent us; and the lamp of life, when first lighted, would go out of itself if the breasts given us, that we should suck, did not supply it with fresh oil. 2. What a merciful and tender care divine Providence took of us at our entrance into the world. It was owing to this that we died not from the womb and did not give up the ghost when we came out of the belly. Why were we not cut off as soon as we were born? Not because we did not deserve it. Justly might such weeds have been plucked up as soon as they appeared; justly might such cockatrices have been crushed in the egg. Nor was it because we did, or could, take any care of ourselves and our own safety: no creature comes into the world so shiftless as man. It was not our might, or the power of our hand, that preserved us these beings, but God's power and providence upheld our frail lives, and his pity and patience spared our forfeited lives. It was owing to this that the knees prevented us. Natural affection is put into parents' hearts by the hand of the God of nature: and hence it was that the blessings of the breast attended those of the womb. 3. What a great deal of vanity and vexation of spirit attends human life. If we had not a God to serve in this world, and better things to hope for in another world, considering the faculties we are endued with and the troubles we are surrounded with, we should be strongly tempted to wish that we had died from the womb, which would have prevented a great deal both of sin and misery.
He that is born today, and dies tomorrow,
Loses some hours of joy, but months of sorrow.
4.The evil of impatience, fretfulness, and discontent. When they thus prevail they are unreasonable and absurd, impious and ungrateful. To indulge them is a slighting and undervaluing of God's favour. How much soever life is embittered, we must say, "It was of the Lord's mercies that we died not from the womb, that we were not consumed." Hatred of life is a contradiction to the common sense and sentiments of mankind, and to our own at any other time. Let discontented people declaim ever so much against life, they will be loth to part with it when it comes to the point. When the old man in the fable, being tired with his burden, threw it down with discontent and called for Death, and Death came to him and asked him what he would have with him, he then answered, "Nothing, but to help me up with my burden."
II. He passionately applauds death and the grave, and seems quite in love with them. To desire to die that we may be with Christ, that we may be free from sin, and that we may be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven, is the effect and evidence of grace; but to desire to die only that we may be quiet in the grave, and delivered from the troubles of this life, savours of corruption. Job's considerations here may be of good use to reconcile us to death when it comes, and to make us easy under the arrest of it; but they ought not to be made use of as a pretence to quarrel with life while it is continued, or to make us uneasy under the burdens of it. It is our wisdom and duty to make the best of that which is, be it living or dying, and so to live to the Lord and die to the Lord, and to be his in both, Rom 14:8. Job here frets himself with thinking that if he had but died as soon as he was born, and been carried from the womb to the grave, 1. His condition would have been as good as that of the best: I would have been (says he, Job 3:14) with kings and counsellors of the earth, whose pomp, power, and policy, cannot set them out of the reach of death, nor secure them from the grave, nor distinguish theirs from common dust in the grave. Even princes, who had gold in abundance, could not with it bribe Death to overlook them when he came with commission; and, though they filled their houses with silver, yet they were forced to leave it all behind them, no more to return to it. Some, by the desolate places which the kings and counsellors are here said to build for themselves, understand the sepulchres or monuments they prepared for themselves in their life-time; as Shebna (Isa 22:16) hewed himself out a sepulchre; and by the gold which the princes had, and the silver with which they filled their houses, they understand the treasures which, they say, it was usual to deposit in the graves of great men. Such arts have been used to preserve their dignity, if possible, on the other side death, and to keep themselves from lying even with those of inferior rank; but it will not do: death is, and will be, an irresistible leveller. Mors sceptra ligonibus aequat - Death mingles sceptres with spades. Rich and poor meet together in the grave; and there a hidden untimely birth (Job 3:16), a child that either never saw light or but just opened its eyes and peeped into the world, and, not liking it, closed them again and hastened out of it, lies as soft and easy, lies as high and safe, as kings and counsellors, and princes, that had gold. "And therefore," says Job, "would I had lain there in the dust, rather than to lie here in the ashes!" 2. His condition would have been much better than now it was (Job 3:13): "Then should I have lain still, and been quiet, which now I cannot do, I cannot be, but am still tossing and unquiet; then I should have slept, whereas now sleep departeth from my eyes; then had I been at rest, whereas now I am restless." Now that life and immortality are brought to a much clearer light by the gospel than before they were placed in good Christians can give a better account than this of the gain of death: "Then should I have been present with the Lord; then should I have seen his glory face to face, and no longer through a glass darkly." But all that poor Job dreamed of was rest and quietness in the grave out of the fear of evil tidings and out of the feeling of sore boils. Then should I have been quiet; and had he kept his temper, his even easy temper still, which he was in as recorded in the two foregoing chapters, entirely resigned to the holy will of God and acquiescing in it, he might have been quiet now; his soul, at least, might have dwelt at ease, even when his body lay in pain, Psa 25:13. Observe how finely he describes the repose of the grave, which (provided the soul also be at rest in God) may much assist our triumphs over it. (1.) Those that now are troubled will there be out of the reach of trouble (Job 3:17): There the wicked cease from troubling. When persecutors die they can no longer persecute; their hatred and envy will then perish. Herod had vexed the church, but, when he became a prey for worms, he ceased from troubling. When the persecuted die they are out of the danger of being any further troubled. Had Job been at rest in his grave, he would have had no disturbance from the Sabeans and Chaldeans, none of all his enemies would have created him any trouble. (2.) Those that are now toiled will there see the period of their toils. There the weary are at rest. Heaven is more than a rest to the souls of the saints, but the grave is a rest to their bodies. Their pilgrimage is a weary pilgrimage; sin and the world they are weary of; their services, sufferings, and expectations, they are wearied with; but in the grave they rest from all their labours, Rev 14:13; Isa 57:2. They are easy there, and make no complaints; there believers sleep in Jesus. (3.) Those that were here enslaved are there at liberty. Death is the prisoner's discharge, the relief of the oppressed, and the servant's manumission (Job 3:18): There the prisoners, though they walk not at large, yet they rest together, and are not put to work, to grind in that prison-house. They are no more insulted and trampled upon, menaced and terrified, by their cruel task-masters: They hear not the voice of the oppressor. Those that were here doomed to perpetual servitude, that could call nothing their own, no, not their own bodies, are there no longer under command or control: There the servant is free from his master, which is a good reason why those that have power should use it moderately, and those that are in subjection should bear it patiently, yet a little while. (4.) Those that were at a vast distance from others are there upon a level (Job 3:19): The small and great are there, there the same, there all one, all alike free among the dead. The tedious pomp and state which attend the great are at an end there. All the inconveniences of a poor and low condition are likewise over; death and the grave know no difference.
Levelled by death, the conqueror and the slave,
The wise and foolish, cowards and the brave,
Lie mixed and undistinguished in the grave.
- Sir R. Blackmore
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 11–19. Public domain.
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Gregory the DialogistAD 604
66. We have already said above, that herein, viz. that the hearts of sinners are possessed with a tumult of desires, they are grievously oppressed by a host of goading thoughts, but in this light, which the ‘infants conceived’ never saw, the wicked are said to ‘cease from their disquietude' for this reason, that the coming of the Mediator, which the fathers under the Law had long waited for, the Gentiles found to the peace of their life, as Paul testifies, who saith, Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it. [Rom. 11, 7] In this light then ‘the wicked cease from disquietude,’ inasmuch as the minds of the untoward, when they have come to the knowledge of the truth, eschew the wearisome desires of the world, and find rest in the quiet haven of interior love. Does not the Light Itself call us to this rest when It says, Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon You and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto Your souls; For My yoke is easy, and My burthen is light. [Matt. 11, 28-30] For what heavy yoke does He put upon our mind's neck, Who bids us shun every desire that causes disquietude? What heavy burthen does He lay upon His followers, Who warns us to decline the wearisome ways of the world? Now, by the testimony of the Apostle Paul, Christ died for the ungodly; [Rom. 5, 6] and it was for this reason that the Light Itself condescended to die for the ungodly, that these might not continue in the disorderment of their state of darkness. So let the holy man consider with himself, that by the mystery of the Incarnation ‘the Light’ rescues the wicked from heavy toil, while It takes clean away all the aims of wickedness from their hearts; let him reflect how every converted person has already here below a taste, by inward tranquillity, of that rest which he desires to have throughout eternity, and let him say, There the wicked cease from, disturbance, and the weary in strength are at rest.
67. For all they that are strong in this world are by their might in one way strong, not wearied out in strength; but they that are endued with might in the love of their Maker, the more they be strengthened in the love of God, which is their object of desire, become in the same degree powerless in their own strength, and the stronger their longing for the things of eternity, the more they are wearied as to earthly objects by a wholesome failure of their strength. Hence the Psalmist, being wearied with the strength of his love, said, My soul hath fainted in [al. toward as V.] Thy salvation. [Ps. 119, 81] For his soul did faint while making way in God's salvation, in that he panted with desire of the light of eternity, broken of all confidence in the flesh. Hence he says again, My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. [Ps. 84, 2] Now when he said ‘longeth,’ he added rightly, and ‘fainteth,’ since that longing for the Divine Being is little indeed, which is not likewise immediately followed by a fainting in one's self. For it is but meet that he who is inflamed to seek the courts of eternity, should be enfeebled in the love of this temporal state. So that he should be cold to the pursuit of this world, in proportion as he rises with soul more inflamed to the love of God. Which love if he completely grasps, he then at the same time completely quits the world, and the more entirely dies to temporal things, the higher he is made to soar after the life to come by the inspirations of Eternity. Had not that soul found itself wearied in its own strength, which exclaimed, My soul [so V.] was melted when he spake; [Cant. 5, 6] clearly in that while the soul is touched by the inspirations of the secret communication, weakened in the seat of its own strength, it is ‘melted’ by the desire wherewith it is swallowed up, and finds itself wearied in itself by the same step whereby it is brought to see that there is a might without itself to which it soars. Hence when the Prophet was telling that he had seen a vision of God, he adds, And I, Daniel fainted and was sick certain days; [Dan. 8, 27] for when the soul is held fast to the power of God, the flesh waxes faint in respect of its own strength. Thus Jacob, who held an Angel in his hold, immediately afterwards halted upon one foot; for he that regards things on high with a genuine love, already forswears to walk in this world with a doubleminded affection. For he rests upon one foot, who is strong in the love of God alone; and it must needs be that the other should wither, for when the virtue of the soul gains increase, it behoves assuredly that the strength of the flesh wax dull. Let blessed Job, then, review the deep recesses of the hearts of the faithful, and consider the haven of inward peace that they find, while in advancing unto God they are enfeebled in their own strength, and let him say, There the weary in strength be at rest. As if he taught in plain words, ‘there the repose of light is the reward of those, whom the advancement of inward restoration wearies here.’ Nor ought it to influence us, that after naming light he did not subjoin, in this, but there, for that which he beholds encompassing the Elect, he discovers to be our place as it were. Whence then the Psalmist, when contemplating the unchangeableness of Eternity, and saying, But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail; [Ps. 102, 28] proclaims that this is the place of the Elect, by adding, But the children of Thy servants shall dwell there. For God, Who without position containeth all things, remains a place without locality to us who come to Him. And when we reach this place, our eyes are opened to see, what infinite vexation even our very repose of mind was in this life, for though the righteous by comparison with the bad already enjoy rest, yet in estimating the inmost Rest, they are altogether not at rest.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
MORALS ON THE BOOK OF JOB 4.67-71
Those who are endued with might in the love of their Maker are those who are strengthened in the love of God as the object of their desire. Yet they become in the same degree powerless in their own strength. The more strongly they long for the things of eternity, the more they are disenchanted with earthly objects. The failure of their self-assertive strength is wholesome. Hence the psalmist, wearied by the strength of his love, said, “My soul has fainted in your salvation.” For his soul did faint while making way in God’s salvation, in that he panted with desire for the light of eternity, broken of all confidence in the flesh. Hence he says again, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord.” Now when he said “longs,” he added correctly, “and faints,” since that longing for the divine Being is small indeed if not similarly followed by a fainting in one’s self. For it is fitting that one who is inflamed to seek the courts of eternity should be weakened in his love of his temporal state. He should become cold to the pursuits of this world in proportion as he rises with a soul more inflamed to the love of God.… Who else is to be understood by the title of the “taskmaster” other than that insatiate prompter who for once bestowed the coin of deceit upon humanity and from that time has not ceased daily to claim the debt of death? Who lent the man in paradise the money of sin, and by the multiplying of wickedness is daily exacting it with usury? Concerning this taskmaster, the truth is spoken in the Gospel, “And the Judge deliver you to the officer.” Therefore, when we hear the voice of this accuser, we are struck with this temptation. But the temptation does not have effect if we resist the one who accuses us.… And it is well added that “the slave is free from his master.” For it is written, “Everyone that sins is the slave of sin.” For whoever yields himself up to evil desire bends the neck of his mind that previously was free to the dominion of wickedness. When we struggle against the evil by which we had been taken captive, when we forcibly resist the bad habit, when we tread under all such desires, we withstand this taskmaster. When we strike our sin with penitence and cleanse the pollution with our tears, we uphold the right of our inborn liberty against this slavery.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Job 3:17 encapsulates the profound despair and desperate longing for peace expressed by Job in the depths of his suffering. Following the catastrophic loss of his children, wealth, and health, Job curses the day of his birth and articulates a yearning for the quietude of death, portraying it not as an end, but as a serene refuge where all earthly afflictions, oppression, and weariness finally cease, offering a longed-for state of undisturbed repose.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 3:17 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey Job's profound despair and longing. The most prominent is Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, where the two clauses express similar ideas using different words ("the wicked cease from troubling" and "the weary be at rest"). This repetition reinforces the central theme of cessation and repose. Imagery is also vividly used, painting a picture of a tranquil, undisturbed realm of death, contrasting sharply with the turbulent and painful reality of Job's life. The phrase "the wicked cease from troubling" employs Personification by attributing active, malicious intent to "the wicked," whose cessation of activity is desired. Furthermore, the verse functions as a powerful Antithesis to Job's present suffering, presenting death as the ultimate escape from his current state of agitation and exhaustion. This creates a stark contrast between his unbearable present and his desired future in death.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 3:17, while reflecting a pre-resurrection understanding of death as a static realm, resonates deeply with universal human longings for peace, justice, and relief from suffering. The desire for a place where "the wicked cease from troubling" speaks to a fundamental human cry for divine justice and the ultimate triumph over evil. Similarly, the yearning for "rest" for the weary points to a profound need for solace that only God can ultimately provide. While Job's immediate context is his personal suffering, his lament foreshadows the biblical promise of a future where all injustice is rectified and all suffering is brought to an end, not through death as an escape, but through God's redemptive work. This longing finds its ultimate fulfillment in God's eschatological plan for His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 3:17 offers a profound validation of the human experience of suffering and the natural longing for relief. It reminds us that it is permissible to express deep anguish and a desire for peace when life's burdens become overwhelming. Job's raw honesty in his lament serves as a model for bringing our deepest pains and questions before God, even when we don't understand His ways. For believers, this verse can serve as a poignant reminder of the temporary nature of earthly suffering and the glorious, eternal rest promised in God's presence. It encourages us to trust in a sovereign God who, in His perfect timing and wisdom, will ultimately bring justice to the oppressed and provide true, lasting rest for every weary soul. Even in the midst of our present troubles, we can find solace in the knowledge that our ultimate peace is secured in Him.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Job 3:17 endorse a desire for death or suicide as a solution to suffering?
Answer: Job 3:17 reflects Job's profound despair and his human longing for an end to his unbearable suffering, viewing death as a cessation of pain and oppression. It is an expression of deep lament, not an endorsement of suicide or a theological statement about the desirability of death over life. The Book of Job presents Job's raw, honest emotions in the face of incomprehensible tragedy. While he expresses a wish to have never been born or to have died at birth, this is a cry from the depths of his anguish, highlighting the intensity of his affliction. The Bible consistently affirms the sanctity of life and does not promote death as an escape from suffering. Instead, it points to God as the ultimate source of comfort, strength, and hope, even in the darkest valleys, as seen in passages like Psalm 23:4 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Job's lament, rather than offering a solution, invites us to empathize with profound human suffering and to trust in God's sovereignty even when His ways are beyond our comprehension.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's desperate longing for a place where "the wicked cease from troubling" and "the weary be at rest" finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Job, in his pre-resurrection understanding, envisioned this rest in the quietude of death, the New Testament reveals that true and lasting rest from the world's troubles is found in Christ alone. Jesus Himself invites the burdened: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). He is the one who has definitively conquered sin, death, and the power of the wicked one (John 16:33; Colossians 2:15). The ultimate cessation of all troubling and the profound rest for the weary are not found in a neutral state of death, but in the new heavens and new earth, inaugurated by Christ's return, where God will wipe away every tear, and "death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). Thus, Job's ancient cry becomes a prophetic echo of the perfect peace and eternal rest secured for believers through the Lamb of God.