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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Job 3:1–10. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Long was Job's heart hot within him; and, while he was musing, the fire burned, and the more for being stifled and suppressed. At length he spoke with his tongue, but not such a good word as David spoke after a long pause: Lord, make me to know my end, Psa 39:3, Psa 39:4. Seven days the prophet Ezekiel sat down astonished with the captives, and then (probably on the sabbath day) the word of the Lord came to him, Eze 3:15, Eze 3:16. So long Job and his friends sat thinking, but said nothing; they were afraid of speaking what they thought, lest they should grieve him, and he durst not give vent to his thoughts, lest he should offend them. They came to comfort him, but, finding his afflictions very extraordinary, they began to think comfort did not belong to him, suspecting him to be a hypocrite, and therefore they said nothing. But losers think they may have leave to speak, and therefore Job first gives vent to his thoughts. Unless they had been better, it would however have been well if he had kept them to himself. In short, he cursed his day, the day of his birth, wished he had never been born, could not think or speak of his own birth without regret and vexation. Whereas men usually observe the annual return of their birthday with rejoicing, he looked upon it as the unhappiest day of the year, because the unhappiest of his life, being the inlet into all his woe. Now,
I.This was bad enough.
The extremity of his trouble and the discomposure of his spirits may excuse it in part, but he can by no means be justified in it. Now he has forgotten the good he was born to, the lean kine have eaten up the fat ones, and he is filled with thoughts of the evil only, and wishes he had never been born. The prophet Jeremiah himself expressed his painful sense of his calamities in language not much unlike this: Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me! Jer 15:10. Cursed be the day wherein I was born, Jer 20:14, etc. We may suppose that Job in his prosperity had many a time blessed God for the day of his birth, and reckoned it a happy day; yet now he brands it with all possible marks of infamy. When we consider the iniquity in which we were conceived and born we have reason enough to reflect with sorrow and shame upon the day of our birth, and to say that the day of our death, by which we are freed from sin (Rom 6:7), is far better. Ecc 7:1. But to curse the day of our birth because then we entered upon the calamitous scene of life is to quarrel with the God of nature, to despise the dignity of our being, and to indulge a passion which our own calm and sober thoughts will make us ashamed of. Certainly there is no condition of life a man can be in in this world but he may in it (if it be not his own fault) so honour God, and work out his own salvation, and make sure a happiness for himself in a better world, that he will have no reason at all to wish he had never been born, but a great deal of reason to say that he had his being to good purpose. Yet it must be owned, if there were not another life after this, and divine consolations to support us in the prospect of it, so many are the sorrows and troubles of this that we might sometimes be tempted to say that we were made in vain (Psa 89:47), and to wish we had never been. There are those in hell who with good reason wish they had never been born, as Judas, Mat 26:24. But, on this side hell, there can be no reason for so vain and ungrateful a wish. It was Job's folly and weakness to curse his day. We must say of it, This was his infirmity; but good men have sometimes failed in the exercise of those graces which they have been most eminent for, that we may understand that when they are said to be perfect it is meant that they were upright, not that they were sinless. Lastly, Let us observe it, to the honour of the spiritual life above the natural, that though many have cursed the day of their first birth, never any cursed the day of their new-birth, nor wished they never had had grace, and the Spirit of grace, given them. Those are the most excellent gifts, above life and being itself, and which will never be a burden.
II.Yet it was not so bad as Satan promised himself.
Job cursed his day, but he did not curse his God - was weary of his life, and would gladly have parted with that, but not weary of his religion; he resolutely cleaves to that, and will never let it go. The dispute between God and Satan concerning Job was not whether Job had his infirmities, and whether he was subject to like passions as we are (that was granted), but whether he was a hypocrite, who secretly hated God, and if he were provoked, would show his hatred; and, upon trial, it proved that he was no such man. Nay, all this may consist with his being a pattern of patience; for, though he did thus speak unadvisedly with his lips, yet both before and after he expressed great submission and resignation to the holy will of God and repented of his impatience; he condemned himself for it, and therefore God did not condemn him, nor must we, but watch the more carefully over ourselves, lest we sin after the similitude of this transgression.
1.The particular expressions which Job used in cursing his day are full of poetical fancy, flame, and rapture, and create as much difficulty to the critics as the thing itself does to the divines: we need not be particular in our observations upon them. When he would express his passionate wish that he had never been, he falls foul upon the day, and wishes,
(1.)That earth might forget it: Let it perish (Job 3:3); let it not be joined to the days of the year, Job 3:6. "Let it be not only not inserted in the calendar in red letters, as the day of the king's nativity useth to be" (and Job was a king, Job 29:25), "but let it be erased and blotted out, and buried in oblivion. Let not the world know that ever such a man as I was born into it, and lived in it, who am made such a spectacle of misery."
(2.)That Heaven might frown upon it: Let not God regard it from above, Job 3:4. "Every thing is indeed as it is with God; that day is honourable on which he puts honour, and which he distinguishes and crowns with his favour and blessing, as he did the seventh day of the week; but let my birthday never be so honoured; let it be nigro carbone notandus - marked as with a black coal for an evil day by him that determines the times before appointed. The father and fountain of light appointed the greater light to rule the day and the less lights to rule the night; but let that want the benefit of both." [1.] Let that day be darkness (Job 3:4); and, if the light of the day be darkness, how great is that darkness! how terrible! because then we look for light. Let the gloominess of the day represent Job's condition, whose sun went down at noon. [2.] As for that night too, let it want the benefit of moon and stars, and let darkness seize upon it, thick darkness, darkness that may be felt, which will not befriend the repose of the night by its silence, but rather disturb it with its terrors.
(3.)That all joy might forsake it: "Let it be a melancholy night, solitary, and not a merry night of music and dancing. Let no joyful voice come therein (Job 3:7); let it be a long night, and not see the eye-lids of the morning (Job 3:9), which bring joy with them."
(4.)That all curses might follow it (Job 3:8): "Let none ever desire to see it, or bid it welcome when it comes, but, on the contrary, let those curse it that curse the day. Whatever day any are tempted to curse, let them at the same time bestow one curse upon my birthday, particularly those that make it their trade to raise up mourning at funerals with their ditties of lamentation. Let those that curse the day of the death of others in the same breath curse the day of my birth." Or those who are so fierce and daring as to be ready to raise up the Leviathan (for that is the word here), who, being about to strike the whale or crocodile, curse it with the bitterest curse they can invent, hoping by their incantations to weaken it, and so to make themselves master of it. Probably some such custom might there be used, to which our divine poet alludes. "Let it be as odious as the day wherein men bewail the greatest misfortune, or the time wherein they see the most dreadful apparition;" so bishop Patrick, I suppose taking the Leviathan here to signify the devil, as others do, who understand it of the curses used by conjurors and magicians in raising the devil, or when they have raised a devil that they cannot lay.
2.But what is the ground of Job's quarrel with the day and night of his birth? It is because it shut not up the doors of his mother's womb, Job 3:10. See the folly and madness of a passionate discontent, and how absurdly and extravagantly it talks when the reins are laid on the neck of it. Is this Job, who was so much admired for his wisdom that unto him men gave ear, and kept silence at his counsel, and after his words they spoke not again? Job 29:21, Job 29:11. Surely his wisdom failed him,
(1.)When he took so much pains to express his desire that he had never been born, which, at the best was a vain wish, for it is impossible to make that which has been not to have been.
(2.)When he was so liberal of his curses upon a day and a night that could not be hurt, or made any the worse for his curses.
(3.)When he wished a thing so very barbarous to his own mother as that she had not brought him forth when her full time had come, which must inevitably have been her death, and a miserable death.
(4.)When he despised the goodness of God to him in giving him a being (such a being, so noble and excellent a life, such a life, so far above that of any other creature in this lower world), and undervalued the gift, as not worth the acceptance, only because transit cum onere - it was clogged with a proviso of trouble, which now at length came upon him, after many years' enjoyment of its pleasures. What a foolish thing it was to wish that his eyes had never seen the light, that so they might not have seen sorrow, which yet he might hope to see through, and beyond which he might see joy! Did Job believe and hope that he should in his flesh see God at the latter day (Job 19:26), and yet would he wish he had never had a being capable of such a bliss, only because, for the present, he had sorrow in the flesh? God by his grace arm us against this foolish and hurtful lust of impatience.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
4 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Learn here the reason which led the Emmanuel to a new birth in the flesh. Certainly the sin of the world was the reason for the advent of Christ.
According to Job’s words, he desires that the moon or the stars might not illuminate his night but that it may be obscured by thick darkness, which Job calls the shadow of death. If one carefully examines the text’s meaning, Job demands through his prayers that sin may appear as it actually is in its great depravity, so that sin may not simulate virtue. Rather, after sin has been recognized as dark and deadly, it may be avoided and rejected.
7. This day shines as it were in the hearts of men, when the persuasions of his wickedness are thought to be for our good, and what they are within is never seen; but when his wickedness is seen as it is, the day of false promises is as it were dimmed by a kind of darkness spread before the eyes of our judgment, in this respect, that such as he is in intrinsic worth, such he is perceived to be in his beguilement, and so ‘the day becomes darkness,’ when we take as adverse even the very things, which he holds out as advantageous whilst persuading them. ‘The day becomes darkness,’ when our old enemy, even when lurking under the cloak of his blandishments, is perceived by us to be such as he is when ravening after us, that he may never mock us with feigned prosperity, as though by the light of day, dragging us by real misery to the darkness of sin. It proceeds;
Let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
8. As Almighty God was able to create good things out of nothing, so, when He would, He also restored the good things that were lost, by the mystery of His Incarnation. Now he had made two creations to contemplate Himself, viz. the Angelic and the human, but Pride smote both, and dashed them from the erect station of native uprightness. But one had the clothing of the flesh, the other bore no infirmity derived from the flesh. For an angelical being is spirit alone, but man is both spirit and flesh. Therefore when the Creator took compassion to work redemption, it was meet that He should bring back to Himself that creature, which, in the commission of sin, plainly had something of infirmity; and it was also meet that the apostate Angel should be driven down to a farther depth, in proportion as he, when he fell from resoluteness in standing fast, carried about him no infirmity of the flesh. And hence the Psalmist, when he was telling of the Redeemer's compassionating mankind, at the same time justly set forth the cause itself of His mercy, in these words, And he remembered that they were but flesh [Ps. 78, 39]. As if he said, ‘Whereas He beheld their infirmities, so He would not punish their offences with severity.’ There is yet another respect wherein it was both fitting that man when lost should be recovered, and impossible for the spirit that set himself up to be recovered, namely, in that the Angel fell by his own wickedness, but the wickedness of another brought man down. Forasmuch then as mankind is brought to the light of repentance by the coming of the Redeemer, but the apostate Angel is not recalled by any hope of pardon, or with any amendment of conversion, to the light of a restored estate, it may well be said, Let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. As though it were plainly expressed, ‘For that he hath himself brought on the darkness, let him bear without end what himself has made, nor let him ever recover the light of his former condition, since he parted with it even without being persuaded thereto.’ It goes on;
Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it.
9. By ‘the shadow of death,’ we must understand ‘oblivion,’ for as death ends life, so oblivion puts an end to memory. As therefore the apostate Angel is delivered over to eternal oblivion, he is overclouded with the shadow of death. Therefore let him say, Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; i.e. ‘So let him be overwhelmed with the blindness of error, that he never more rise up again to the light of repentance by recollection of God's regard. The words follow;
Let a cloud dwell upon it [Vulg.]: and let it be enveloped in bitterness.
10. It is one thing that our old enemy suffers now, bound by the chains of his own wickedness, and another that he will have to suffer at the end. For in that he is fallen from the rank of the interior light, he now confounds himself within with the darkness of error; and hereafter he is involved in bitterness, in that by desert of a voluntary blindness, he is tortured with the eternal torments of hell. Let it be said then, ‘What is it that he, who has lost the calm of the light interior, now endures as the foretaste of his final punishment? Let a cloud dwell upon it. Moreover let that subsequent doom be added also, which preys upon him without end.’ Let him be folded up in bitterness; for every thing folded up, shows, as it were, no end any where, for as it shows not where it begins, so neither does it discover where it leaves off. The old enemy then is said to be folded up in bitterness, in that not only every kind of punishment, but punishment too without end or limit awaits his Pride; which same doom then receives its beginning when the righteous Judge cometh at the last Judgment; and hence it is well added,
26. For ‘the day becomes darkness,’ when in the very commencement of the enjoyment, we see to what an end of ruin sin is hurrying us. We ‘turn the day into darkness,’ whenever by severely chastising ourselves, we turn to bitter the very sweets of evil enjoyment by the keen laments of penance, and, when we visit it with weeping, whereinsoever we sin in gratification in our secret hearts. For because no believer is ignorant that the thoughts of the heart will be minutely examined at the Judgment, as Paul testifieth, saying, Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another; [Rom. 2, 15] searching himself within, he examines his own conscience without sparing before the Judgment, that the strict Judge may come now the more placably disposed, in that He sees his guilt, which He is minded to examine, already chastised according to the sin. And hence it is well added,
Let not God require it from above.
27. God requires the things, which He searches out in executing judgment upon them. He does not require those, which He so pardons as to let them be unpunished henceforth in His own Judgment. And so ‘this day,’ i.e. this enjoyment of sin, will not be required by the Lord, if it be visited with self-punishment of our own accord, as Paul testifies, when he says, For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord. [1 Cor. 11, 31] ‘God's requiring our day,’ then, is His proceeding against our souls at the Judgment by a strict examination of every instance of taking pleasure in sin, in which same ‘requiring’ He then smites him the harder, whom He finds to have been most soft in sparing himself. And it follows well, Neither let the light shine upon it. For the Lord, appearing at the Judgment, illumines with His light all that He then convicts of sin. For what is not then brought to remembrance of the Judge, is as it were veiled under a kind of obscurity. So it is written, But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. [Eph. 5, 13] It is as though a certain darkness hid the sins of penitents, of whom the Prophet saith, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. [Ps. 32, 1] Therefore, as every thing that is veiled is as it were hidden in darkness, that which is not searched out in vengeance, is not illumined with light at the Day of final account. For all those actions of ours, which He would not then visit with justice, the mercy of God in wotting of them still hideth in some sort from itself, but all is displayed in light, that is at that time manifest in the sight of all men. Let, then, this day be darkness, in this way, viz. that by penance we may smite the evil that we do. Let not the Lord require this day, neither let the light shine upon it, in this way, viz. that while we smite our own sin, He may not Himself fall thereupon with the visitations of the Final Judgment.
28. But the Judge will come Himself to pierce all things, and strike all things to the core. And because He is every where present, there is no place to flee to, where He is not found. But forasmuch as He is appeased by the tears of self-correction, he alone obtains a hiding-place from His face, who after the commission of a sin hides himself from Him now in penance.
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Summary
Job 3:4 encapsulates the raw, overwhelming despair of Job as he curses the very day of his birth. Following a period of profound loss—his children, wealth, and health—and seven days of silent, agonizing mourning, this verse initiates Job's anguished lament. He expresses an intense longing for the day he entered the world to be utterly obliterated from existence, shrouded in perpetual darkness, and completely overlooked by divine providence.
Context
Literary Context
Job 3:4 marks a dramatic shift in Job's demeanor, immediately following the narrative accounts of his catastrophic losses in Job 1 and Job 2. While Job initially responded to his calamities with remarkable worship and resignation to God's sovereign will, famously declaring, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21), the relentless physical pain, emotional torment, and the silent, unhelpful presence of his friends have worn him down to the point of utter despair. This verse is the opening salvo of his extended monologue, a deeply personal and visceral expression of suffering that sets the stage for the subsequent dialogues with his friends. His curse of his birth day is not a direct curse against God, but rather an agonizing wish for non-existence, a desperate attempt to escape the unbearable reality of his present suffering.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Book of Job is set in the land of Uz, a location generally believed to be in the Edomite or Arabian region, suggesting a patriarchal, pre-Mosaic era. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, one's birth was typically a cause for celebration and blessing, often associated with divine favor and the continuation of the family line. To curse the day of one's birth, as Job does here, was an extreme expression of sorrow and a profound rejection of one's very existence, signifying a state of suffering so immense that life itself had become a burden. This sentiment is echoed in other ancient laments and wisdom literature, where the absence of light or the return to chaos symbolized the antithesis of life and order. The concept of God "regarding" or "seeking out" a day also taps into ancient understandings of divine providence and active involvement in creation and human affairs.
Key Themes
Job 3:4 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the Book of Job and biblical theology. Foremost is the theme of Profound Despair and Lament, vividly portraying the depths of human suffering and the overwhelming desire to escape unbearable pain, even through a wish for non-existence. This verse also introduces the theme of Rejection of Existence, as Job's curse is a wish to undo his very beginning, reflecting a complete weariness with life under such circumstances. Furthermore, the Symbolism of Darkness vs. Light is central. Darkness (Hebrew: choshek) in biblical thought often signifies chaos, death, judgment, or the absence of God's blessing, reminiscent of the pre-creation state in Genesis 1:2. Job's wish for darkness is a desire for the complete antithesis of life and divine favor, a stark contrast to the divine act of creation where God spoke light into existence. Finally, the phrase "let not God regard it from above" introduces the theme of Longing for Divine Non-Regard, expressing a desperate plea for God to simply ignore or forget that day, removing it from His providential care and allowing it to remain in utter oblivion.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word (H2822, חשך) carries profound theological weight beyond a mere absence of light. In biblical cosmology, chôshek often represents chaos, the unformed void (as in Genesis 1:2), or a state of judgment and calamity (e.g., Exodus 10:21-23). Job's desire for the day of his birth to be chôshek is a wish for it to be consigned to a state of non-existence, a return to primordial chaos, or a place utterly devoid of divine blessing and life.
The verb dârash (H1875, דרש) means to seek, inquire, care for, or pay attention to. It implies active engagement and recognition. When Job pleads, "let not God regard it from above," he is asking for a complete withdrawal of divine attention, oversight, and providential care from that specific day. It's a desire for God to "un-see" or "un-acknowledge" his birth, effectively wishing for it to be erased from the divine record and memory, thereby negating his existence.
This term (H5105, נהרה), derived from a root meaning "to shine," specifically refers to daylight or the light of day. In Job's desperate lament, his wish that "the light shine not upon it" is a profound desire for the day of his birth to be deprived of the very essence of existence, vitality, and divine favor that light symbolizes. It's a plea for that day to be consigned to a state of perpetual gloom, devoid of the life-giving and blessing-imparting qualities associated with the sun's illumination and, by extension, God's providential care.
Verse Breakdown
"Let that day be darkness"
Job begins his curse by invoking a state of primordial chaos and non-existence upon the day of his birth. This is not simply a wish for the absence of sunlight, but for the day to be plunged into a metaphorical darkness that signifies the antithesis of life, order, and divine blessing. It is a desire for the day to be utterly devoid of any positive attribute or memory, effectively wishing it had never existed in the realm of creation.
"let not God regard it from above"
This clause expresses Job's desperate plea for divine non-intervention and non-acknowledgment. "From above" indicates God's heavenly dwelling and His sovereign oversight of creation. Job wishes for God to avert His gaze, to not "seek out" or "care for" that particular day, thereby removing it from His providential care and allowing it to remain in utter oblivion. It's a wish for the day to be forgotten by the very Creator who brought it into being.
"neither let the light shine upon it"
This final clause reinforces and intensifies the preceding wishes. "Light" here symbolizes life, joy, prosperity, and divine favor. By wishing for the absence of light, Job desires that his birth day be deprived of all that is good, blessed, and life-affirming. It is a comprehensive curse, seeking to strip the day of any positive association, consigning it to a state of perpetual gloom and unblessed existence, mirroring the depth of his own suffering.
Literary Devices
Job 3:4 is rich in literary devices that amplify Job's profound anguish. The most prominent is Apostrophe, where Job directly addresses an inanimate object—"that day"—as if it could hear and respond, allowing him to vent his despair without directly cursing God. Hyperbole is evident in the extreme nature of his wishes; he doesn't just wish for a bad day, but for its utter non-existence, a state of perpetual darkness and divine disregard. The verse also employs powerful Imagery of light and darkness, which are fundamental biblical symbols. Darkness here represents chaos, death, and the absence of blessing, while light signifies life, divine favor, and creation. This stark contrast underscores the severity of Job's suffering. Furthermore, there is a clear use of Parallelism, particularly synonymous parallelism, as the second and third clauses ("let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it") reiterate and intensify the initial wish for the day to be devoid of divine blessing and life. Finally, Personification is subtly present as Job attributes the capacity to "be darkness" or to "not have light shine upon it" to the day itself, treating it as an entity that can experience these conditions.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Job 3:4 profoundly articulates the human experience of suffering and despair, demonstrating that even the most righteous individuals can reach a point of utter brokenness where they long for non-existence. This lament challenges simplistic notions of divine justice and highlights the mystery of suffering, a central theme throughout the book. It underscores the biblical affirmation of human emotional reality, showing that honest, even agonizing, expressions of pain are permissible before God, even if they border on questioning His providence. The verse also implicitly contrasts the chaos Job wishes for with God's original act of creation, where light triumphed over darkness, setting the stage for a deeper theological exploration of God's ultimate control over life and death, light and darkness.
Reflection and Application
Job 3:4 offers a profound validation of the human experience of extreme suffering and despair. It reminds us that faith does not preclude anguish, and that even the most godly individuals can feel overwhelmed to the point of wishing for non-existence. This passage grants us permission to be honest with God about the depth of our pain, even when our words are raw, unrefined, or seemingly rebellious. It teaches us about the limits of human endurance and the profound need for divine grace and comfort when trials are unbearable. Rather than condemning Job, the text allows his lament to stand, inviting us to empathize with his suffering and to recognize that true spiritual maturity is not the absence of pain, but the willingness to bring all of our pain, even our darkest thoughts, before a God who is big enough to handle them. It encourages us to find solace not in the absence of suffering, but in the enduring presence of God through it, even when His presence feels like absence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Job's cursing of his birth day mean he is cursing God?
While Job's words are extreme and express a profound wish for non-existence, they are not a direct curse against God. In Job 1:21 and Job 2:10, Job explicitly refuses to curse God, even when prompted by his wife. His lament in Job 3 is directed at the day of his birth, expressing a desire to undo his existence as a means of escaping his unbearable suffering. It's an expression of utter despair and weariness with life, rather than outright rebellion against God's sovereignty. The book's narrative framework ensures that Job's integrity in not cursing God is maintained.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Job 3:4, with its profound cry for darkness and non-existence, finds a powerful, inverse fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Job longed for the light to be extinguished from his day, wishing for an oblivion that would end his suffering. Yet, Jesus is the very Light of the World, who came precisely to banish the darkness that Job yearned for. He entered into the ultimate "darkness" of human suffering and sin, experiencing abandonment and anguish far deeper than Job's, even crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" on the cross. Unlike Job's wish for God to "not regard" a day, Christ's suffering was fully "regarded" by God, a divine act of love that brought salvation. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus conquered the power of darkness and death, offering true light and life to all who believe, as prophesied in Isaiah 9:2 and proclaimed in John 1:4-5. Where Job sought to undo his beginning to escape pain, Christ's coming brought a new beginning, transforming the curse of sin and suffering into the glorious dawn of redemption, inviting us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son.