Job 3:3

KJV

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night [in which] it was said, There is a man child conceived.

KJV (with Strong's)

Let the day {H3117} perish {H6} wherein I was born {H3205}, and the night {H3915} in which it was said {H559}, There is a man child {H1397} conceived {H2029}.

Complete Jewish Bible

"Perish the day I was born and the night that said, 'A man is conceived.'

Berean Standard Bible

“May the day of my birth perish, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’

American Standard Version

Let the day perish wherein I was born, And the night which said, There is a man-child conceived.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 3:3 marks a profound shift in the book, moving from the prose narrative of Job's initial submission to God's sovereignty to the raw, poetic outpouring of his anguish. After seven days of silent suffering in the presence of his friends, Job breaks his silence not with a prayer of faith, but with a deeply personal curse upon the very day of his birth and the night of his conception. This verse encapsulates the depths of his despair, expressing a desire for non-existence as an escape from his unbearable physical and emotional pain, thereby setting the stage for the intense theological dialogues that comprise the bulk of the book.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 3:3 initiates the poetic dialogue section of the book, a significant transition from the prose prologue found in [Job 1-2](/job/1 "Job's Trials and Initial Response"). The preceding chapters establish Job's righteousness, his immense prosperity, and the catastrophic losses he endures, culminating in a severe physical affliction. His initial response in [Job 1:21](/job/1-21 "Job's Initial Response to Loss") and [Job 2:10](/job/2-10 "Job's Acceptance of Suffering") is one of worship and acceptance of God's sovereignty. However, after seven days of silent mourning with his three friends, Job's lament in chapter 3 signals a pivot from patient endurance to a desperate, questioning cry. This lament serves as the thematic foundation for the subsequent exchanges between Job and his friends, where the nature of suffering, divine justice, and human understanding are fiercely debated.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In the ancient Near East, birth was typically a cause for celebration, signifying the continuation of the family line and a blessing from the gods. To curse the day of one's birth, as Job does, was an extreme expression of despair, indicating a wish to undo the very foundation of one's existence. This sentiment can be paralleled in other ancient laments, such as those found in Mesopotamian literature, where individuals suffering greatly might express similar desires for non-being. The presence of Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, reflects the cultural expectation of offering comfort to the bereaved and afflicted. Their initial silent mourning for seven days was an appropriate act of solidarity, but Job's outburst here challenges their conventional theological frameworks, leading to a clash of perspectives on suffering and divine retribution.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully introduces and amplifies several key themes central to the Book of Job. Firstly, it highlights the theme of **Profound Despair and Anguish**, demonstrating the capacity for human suffering to reach such depths that one wishes for non-existence rather than continued pain. Secondly, it underscores the theme of **Lament and Complaint**, establishing that honest, even agonizing, cries to God are permissible within a faithful relationship, challenging the notion that piety requires stoic silence in the face of immense pain. This raw expression of grief is a foundational aspect of biblical lament, seen throughout the [Psalms](/psalms "The Book of Psalms") and prophetic books. Finally, Job's lament implicitly raises the theme of **Theodicy**, forcing a confrontation with the question of how a just and good God can allow such intense suffering for the righteous, a question that permeates the entire dialogue section of the book.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **אבד (Hebrew, _'abad'_):** This Hebrew verb, translated as "perish," is a strong term meaning "to be lost, destroyed, or annihilated." Job isn't merely wishing the day would be forgotten or pass away; he desires its utter obliteration from existence, as if it never occurred. This emphasizes the radical nature of his despair, seeking to undo the very moment of his beginning.
* **לילה (Hebrew, _laylah'_):** The word for "night" is significant here. While the "day" of birth is cursed, Job also curses the "night" in which he was conceived. This extends his curse beyond the visible moment of entry into the world to the hidden, intimate moment of his very formation. It suggests a desire to erase his entire personal history from its earliest, most fundamental origin.
* **הרה (Hebrew, _harah'_):** Translated as "conceived," this verb specifically refers to the act of conception, carrying a child in the womb. By cursing the night of his conception, Job targets the absolute beginning of his individual existence. This precision underscores the depth of his desire to negate his entire being, preferring never to have been formed than to endure his current agony.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Let the day perish wherein I was born":** Job begins with a powerful imprecation against the day of his birth. The imperative "Let... perish" (יֹאבַד) is a strong volitional statement, expressing a fervent wish or curse. He desires that the specific calendar day marking his entry into the world be utterly destroyed or annihilated. This is not a wish for death in the present, but a retroactive desire to undo the past, to erase the very moment his life began, implying that non-existence would be preferable to his current suffering.
* **"and the night [in which] it was said, There is a man child conceived":** Job extends his curse from the day of his birth to the night of his conception. The phrase "it was said" (וְהַלַּיְלָה אָמַר) can be interpreted as the announcement or recognition of his conception, perhaps the moment his parents realized a male child had been conceived. By cursing this specific night, Job targets the earliest possible point of his individual existence, demonstrating a comprehensive desire to negate his entire being from its very inception. The mention of "man child" (גֶּבֶר) highlights his specific identity as a male heir, which in ancient cultures was a source of great joy and blessing, now tragically transformed into a source of unbearable pain.

#### Literary Devices
Job 3:3 is rich in literary devices that amplify Job's profound despair. The most prominent is **Hyperbole**, as Job expresses an exaggerated wish for the day of his birth to be annihilated, an impossible feat. This extreme language vividly conveys the intensity of his suffering, suggesting that his pain is so great that he desires to undo his very existence. **Personification** is also present in the phrase "Let the day perish," as the day itself is given agency, capable of being destroyed. This imbues the moment of his birth with a malevolent quality, as if it were an entity responsible for his suffering. There is a strong sense of **Irony** here, as birth, typically a joyous occasion, is cursed, turning a moment of celebration into one of profound regret. This reversal highlights the tragic nature of Job's circumstances. Finally, the entire verse functions as a powerful example of **Lament**, a literary genre characterized by expressions of grief, complaint, and questioning directed towards God or fate, demonstrating the biblical allowance for raw, unfiltered human emotion in the face of overwhelming pain.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 3:3 stands as a stark reminder of the reality of profound human suffering and the biblical permission for honest, even agonizing, lament. It challenges simplistic theological frameworks that equate suffering solely with sin, pushing the reader to grapple with the mystery of pain in the lives of the righteous. Theologically, it affirms that God is big enough to handle our deepest despair and our most challenging questions. Job's curse is not an act of rebellion against God's sovereignty in the sense of abandoning faith, but rather an intense wrestling within it, a desperate cry from a soul pushed to its absolute limits. This lament, while extreme, is an act of continued engagement with the divine, refusing to suffer in silence and instead bringing his brokenness directly before the heavens. It teaches us that faith can coexist with profound doubt, anger, and sorrow, and that true spiritual health often involves acknowledging and articulating our pain rather than suppressing it.

* [Jeremiah 20:14](/jeremiah/20-14 "Jeremiah's Lament")
* [Psalm 88:1-18](/psalms/88 "Psalm 88 - A Psalm of Utter Despair")
* [Ecclesiastes 4:2-3](/ecclesiastes/4-2 "Ecclesiastes on the Futility of Life")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 3:3 offers profound insights for navigating our own suffering and ministering to others in pain. It validates the raw, often uncomfortable, reality of human anguish, assuring us that it is permissible to express profound despair, even to the point of wishing for non-existence, without it necessarily being a sign of faithlessness. This verse reminds us that the journey of faith is not always linear or stoic; it often involves wrestling with God, questioning His ways, and articulating our deepest sorrows. For those witnessing suffering, Job's friends' initial silence is instructive: sometimes the most compassionate response is simply to be present in the pain, offering silent solidarity rather than immediate theological explanations or platitudes. This verse calls us to cultivate radical empathy, recognizing that the depths of another's despair may be unfathomable to us, and that their cries, however unsettling, are a legitimate expression of their humanity and a form of continued engagement with God.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Job's lament challenge your assumptions about what "faith" looks like in the midst of extreme suffering?**
* **When have you felt a desire to "undo" a painful experience or moment in your life? How did you process that feeling?**
* **What does Job 3:3 teach us about the importance of authentic expression of emotion, even negative ones, in our relationship with God?**
* **How can we better minister to those who are experiencing such profound despair that they might wish they had never been born?**

### FAQ
**Is Job's curse on his birth day considered sinful?**

Answer: While Job's words are extreme and express deep despair, they are generally not interpreted as sinful in the sense of rebellion or blasphemy. Instead, they are understood as a raw, honest lament, a cry of anguish from a man pushed to his absolute limits. The biblical narrative presents Job's lament as part of his wrestling with God, not an abandonment of God. Unlike outright cursing God (which his wife suggested in [Job 2:9](/job/2-9 "Job's wife tells him to curse God")), Job curses the *day* of his birth, expressing a wish for non-existence as an escape from suffering. This distinction is crucial; it's a desperate cry for relief, not an act of defiance against the divine. The Book of Job ultimately affirms Job's righteousness despite these intense expressions of pain, demonstrating that God allows for such honest outpouring from His suffering children.

**How does Job's lament in Job 3:3 relate to his initial responses to suffering in Job 1-2?**

Answer: Job 3:3 marks a dramatic shift from Job's initial responses. In [Job 1:21](/job/1-21 "Job's Initial Response to Loss"), after losing his children and possessions, Job famously declared, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Similarly, in [Job 2:10](/job/2-10 "Job's Acceptance of Suffering"), when afflicted with boils, he rebuked his wife, saying, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" These initial responses demonstrate remarkable piety and submission to divine sovereignty. However, after seven days of silent, agonizing suffering in the presence of his friends, the physical and emotional toll becomes unbearable. Job 3:3 represents the breaking point, where Job's internal anguish can no longer be contained. It's a progression from stoic acceptance to raw, unfiltered lament, showing the human capacity for endurance can be exhausted, and that even the most righteous can reach a state of profound despair.

**What is the significance of Job cursing both the "day" and the "night" of his birth/conception?**

Answer: By cursing both the "day" of his birth and the "night" of his conception, Job is expressing a comprehensive desire to negate his entire existence from its absolute earliest point. The "day" of birth is the public, celebrated moment of entry into the world. The "night" of conception, however, is the hidden, intimate moment of his very formation. By cursing both, Job leaves no stone unturned in his wish for non-being. It's not just that he wishes he hadn't been born, but that he wishes he had never even been conceived. This dual curse emphasizes the utter totality of his despair and his longing for complete erasure from time and space, demonstrating the depth of his suffering and his desire to escape it at its very origin.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's profound lament in [Job 3:3](/job/3-3 "Job's Lament"), a desperate cry for non-existence in the face of unbearable suffering, finds its ultimate answer and transformation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Job wishes he had never been born to escape pain, Christ willingly embraced the full spectrum of human suffering, including the deepest anguish and abandonment, not to escape it, but to conquer it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus himself experienced a profound agony that led Him to pray, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" ([Matthew 26:39](/matthew/26-39 "Jesus' Prayer in Gethsemane")). This echoes Job's wrestling, but with a perfect submission that Job, in his brokenness, could not fully achieve. On the cross, Jesus bore the ultimate curse of sin, becoming sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God ([2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "Christ Became Sin for Us")). Job's desire for his "day" to perish is tragically fulfilled in Christ's death, but that death is immediately followed by resurrection, ushering in a new "day" of hope and new creation. In Christ, the curse of suffering and death is swallowed up in victory ([1 Corinthians 15:54](/1_corinthians/15-54 "Death Swallowed Up in Victory")). For those who are "in Christ," Job's longing for an undoing of existence is replaced by the promise of a glorious new birth and eternal life, where "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, 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](/revelation/21-4 "No More Tears, Death, or Pain")). Thus, Job's lament, though deeply human, points forward to the divine solution found only in the Lamb of God, who transforms even the desire for non-being into the promise of abundant, everlasting life.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Jeremiah 15:10

¶ Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; [yet] every one of them doth curse me.

Jeremiah 20:14

¶ Cursed [be] the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.

Jeremiah 20:18

Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?

Job 10:18

Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!

Job 10:19

I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.