Job 3:6

KJV

As [for] that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

KJV (with Strong's)

As for that night {H3915}, let darkness {H652} seize {H3947} upon it; let it not be joined {H2302} unto the days {H3117} of the year {H8141}, let it not come {H935} into the number {H4557} of the months {H3391}.

Complete Jewish Bible

"As for that night, may thick darkness seize it, may it not be joined to the days of the year, may it not be numbered among the months;

Berean Standard Bible

If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never be entered in any of the months.

American Standard Version

As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it: Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 3:6 powerfully articulates the depths of Job's profound despair, as he curses the very night of his conception or birth, wishing for its complete erasure from the fabric of time. Following seven days of silent agony, Job breaks his silence not with a prayer of submission, but with an intense, almost primal, lament that seeks to undo his existence. He expresses a desperate longing for oblivion over his unbearable suffering, desiring that the moment of his entry into a life of pain be consumed by primordial darkness and removed from all memory and temporal reckoning.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 3:6 is a pivotal verse within Job's initial lament, marking a dramatic and deeply human shift in his response to suffering. After enduring the catastrophic loss of his children, wealth, and health (Job 1-2), and silently mourning with his three friends for seven days, Job finally breaks his silence in chapter 3. Unlike his initial responses of profound faith and acceptance, as seen in his declaration, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" in [Job 1:21](/job/1-21 "Job 1:21 - Job's Initial Response to Suffering"), this chapter unleashes an outpouring of raw, unbridled despair. Job curses the day of his birth and the night of his conception, wishing he had never been born or had died at birth. This intense lament sets the emotional and theological stage for the subsequent lengthy dialogue between Job and his friends, establishing the profound depth of his suffering and his agonizing struggle with the nature of divine justice and his own innocence.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Job's lament reflects common ancient Near Eastern expressions of grief and despair, where cursing one's birth was a recognized, albeit extreme, form of expressing profound sorrow and a desire for non-existence. Such laments are not unique to Job; similar cries are found in other biblical texts, such as the prophet Jeremiah's poignant lament in [Jeremiah 20:14-18](/jeremiah/20-14 "Jeremiah 20:14-18 - Jeremiah Curses His Birth Day"). The concept of "darkness" seizing upon something often harks back to the primordial chaos before creation, as described in [Genesis 1:2](/genesis/1-2 "Genesis 1:2 - The Spirit Hovering Over the Waters"), implying a desire for a return to a state of void, un-creation, or permanent oblivion. Furthermore, the meticulous counting of days, months, and years was deeply significant in ancient cultures, tied to agricultural cycles, religious festivals, and the very fabric of personal and communal identity. Job's wish for his birth-night to be excluded from this ordered temporal framework underscores his desperate desire to be utterly erased from existence and memory, a radical rejection of his place within the divinely ordered cosmos.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several major themes within the book of Job and broader biblical theology. Firstly, it highlights **Profound Despair and the Legitimacy of Lament**, validating the raw, honest, and sometimes messy nature of human grief. Job's words demonstrate that even the righteous can express immense sorrow and question their very existence when overwhelmed by pain, providing a biblical precedent for authentic, unvarnished lament before God. Secondly, it explores the **Rejection of Time and Divine Order**. Job's desire to remove his birth-night from the calendar signifies a yearning to disrupt the divinely ordained cycles of time, reflecting his desperate wish for chaos and non-existence over his current reality. This theme implicitly underscores the value of life and the ordered flow of time as gifts from God, which Job, in his agony, wishes to undo. Thirdly, it touches on the **Longing for Non-Existence**, a stark contrast to the biblical affirmation of life as a divine gift and purpose. This extreme wish emphasizes the intensity of Job's suffering and his feeling of being utterly forsaken, leading him to desire oblivion as the only perceived escape from his unbearable pain.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Darkness (Hebrew, _ʼôphel'_):** This word (H652) refers to dusk or obscurity, but in biblical literature, it frequently carries strong connotations of chaos, evil, judgment, and death. In Job 3:6, Job wishes for a consuming, primordial darkness to "seize" the night of his birth, evoking a return to the pre-creation state of void and un-creation, or a state of permanent oblivion. It is a desire for the negation of light and life, a reversal of God's creative act that brought order out of chaos.
* **Seize (Hebrew, _lâqach'_):** This primitive root (H3947) means "to take" in a wide variety of applications, including to acquire, fetch, or receive. The verbal form used in the verse (yiqqāḥēhū') implies a forceful, permanent taking hold or removal. Job wishes for an ultimate, consuming power—personified as darkness—to violently and irreversibly envelop that specific night, suggesting its complete obliteration from time and memory.
* **Joined unto (Hebrew, _châdâh'_):** This primitive root (H2302) primarily means "to rejoice" or "to make glad," but in its derived forms, it can also mean "to be united" or "to be joined." The verbal form used in the verse (yiḥad') conveys Job's desire for that particular night to be utterly separated, disjoined, and excluded from the regular, rhythmic progression of days and the calendar year. It is a plea for disassociation from the continuum of existence and the divinely ordered cycles of time.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"As [for] that night":** This phrase directly refers to the specific night of Job's conception or birth, as established in [Job 3:3](/job/3-3 "Job 3:3 - Job Curses His Birth Day"). It pinpoints the precise moment of his entry into a life that has now become unbearable, marking it as the genesis of his current agony and the object of his curse.
* **"let darkness seize upon it":** This is a powerful, almost violent, imprecation. Job wishes for a return to a state of primeval chaos or utter oblivion to consume the night of his birth. It's a desire for the complete negation of that moment, as if it never existed, to be swallowed by an all-encompassing, annihilating darkness, reminiscent of the pre-creation void.
* **"let it not be joined unto the days of the year":** Here, Job expresses a longing for the night of his birth to be utterly separated from the regular, rhythmic progression of time. He desires that it should not be counted or recognized as part of the normal cycle of days that constitute a year, effectively wishing for its non-existence within the temporal order and its exclusion from all remembrance.
* **"let it not come into the number of the months":** This clause intensifies the previous one, further emphasizing Job's wish for absolute erasure and non-remembrance. He desires that this night be completely uncounted, unrecorded, and forgotten by time itself, never to be acknowledged within the monthly cycle. It's a plea for absolute oblivion for the moment of his origin, a wish for it to be utterly excised from the calendar of existence.

#### Literary Devices
Job 3:6 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the profound depth of Job's despair and his radical rejection of his existence. The most prominent is **Hyperbole**, where Job uses exaggerated language to express the extremity of his emotional state; he doesn't merely wish he hadn't been born, but that the very *moment* of his birth be annihilated from existence and time, a cosmic undoing. **Personification** is evident as Job attributes agency to "darkness" to "seize" the night, as if darkness were an active force capable of consuming. Similarly, he personifies the night itself, wishing it would "not be joined" or "not come into the number," as if it could actively participate in its own erasure from the temporal continuum. The verse is rich in **Imagery**, painting vivid pictures of consuming darkness, temporal disruption, and a desire for a return to primordial chaos, evoking a sense of cosmic disorder. Finally, the entire passage is a prime example of **Lament**, a specific biblical genre where the sufferer pours out their grief, anger, and despair to God, often questioning divine justice and expressing a longing for death or non-existence, providing a raw and honest portrayal of human anguish.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 3:6, with its raw depiction of despair and its radical wish for non-existence, offers profound theological and thematic connections. It underscores the biblical recognition of the legitimate expression of human suffering, even to the point of wishing for un-creation. This lament challenges simplistic notions of piety, revealing that authentic faith can coexist with profound anguish, questioning, and even a desire for oblivion. The desire for the un-creation of a moment in time implicitly highlights the sacredness of life and the divinely ordered nature of time, both of which Job, in his agony, seeks to disrupt. Theologically, it prompts reflection on God's sovereignty over life and death, and the mystery of suffering that often defies human understanding or easy answers. Job's cry is a testament to the fact that the Bible does not shy away from the darkest corners of human experience, providing a framework for honest engagement with God amidst overwhelming pain.

* [Jeremiah 20:14-18](/jeremiah/20-14 "Jeremiah 20:14-18 - Jeremiah Curses His Birth Day")
* [Ecclesiastes 7:1-2](/ecclesiastes/7-1 "Ecclesiastes 7:1-2 - The Day of Death Better Than the Day of Birth")
* [Psalm 88:3-6](/psalms/88-3 "Psalm 88:3-6 - A Psalm of Utter Despair")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job's desperate cry in Job 3:6 offers a profound validation of the human experience of grief and despair. It teaches us that it is permissible, even for the righteous, to express profound sadness, anger, and a longing for escape when facing overwhelming suffering. The Bible does not sanitize human emotion but provides a sacred space for the rawest expressions of pain. This passage encourages us to embrace lament as a legitimate spiritual practice, a form of honest prayer that wrestles with God in the midst of pain, rather than suppressing difficult emotions or pretending to have answers we don't possess. While Job's words are born of extreme anguish, they implicitly highlight the preciousness of life and the ordered flow of time, which are gifts from God. His longing for their absence underscores their inherent value, prompting us to appreciate these gifts even amidst life's inevitable sorrows. Ultimately, Job's lament reminds us that God is big enough to handle our questions, our anger, and our despair, inviting us to bring our whole selves to Him, even in our darkest moments, trusting in His steadfast love and sovereignty.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do I typically express my deepest grief or despair? Do I feel it is permissible to be completely honest with God about my pain and doubts?**
* **In what ways might lament, as exemplified by Job, be a healthy and necessary part of my spiritual journey when facing suffering or unanswered questions?**
* **How does Job's desire to undo his birth challenge or affirm my own understanding of the preciousness of life and the gift of time from God?**

### FAQ

**Is it sinful for Job to curse his birth?**

Answer: While Job's words are extreme and born of intense anguish, the biblical narrative does not condemn him for expressing these feelings. Instead, it validates the raw, honest, and sometimes messy nature of human grief. Job is not cursing God directly, but rather the circumstances of his existence and the moment of his entry into a life that has become unbearable. His lament is an outpouring of profound pain, not a rejection of God's sovereignty or goodness. The book of Job ultimately affirms Job's righteousness despite his questioning and despair, suggesting that honest wrestling with suffering, even to this extent, is part of a genuine relationship with God. It serves as a model for bringing our deepest, most uncomfortable emotions to God in prayer, rather than suppressing them.

**How does this verse relate to other biblical laments or expressions of despair?**

Answer: Job 3:6 is a prime example of a biblical lament, a common genre found throughout the Psalms and prophetic books. It resonates strongly with [Jeremiah 20:14-18](/jeremiah/20-14 "Jeremiah 20:14-18 - Jeremiah Curses His Birth Day"), where the prophet Jeremiah similarly curses the day of his birth due to his suffering and persecution. Other examples include the deep despair expressed in [Psalm 88](/psalms/88 "Psalm 88 - A Psalm of Utter Despair"), where the psalmist feels utterly forsaken and near death, or the lament of the exiles in [Psalm 137](/psalms/137 "Psalm 137 - By the Rivers of Babylon"). These passages collectively demonstrate that the Bible does not shy away from depicting the depths of human sorrow and the honest, sometimes shocking, ways in which individuals express their pain to God. They provide a framework for understanding that lament is a legitimate and often necessary part of faith, allowing sufferers to pour out their hearts without pretense, trusting that God hears their cries.

**What does "let darkness seize upon it" mean in a broader theological sense?**

Answer: The phrase "let darkness seize upon it" carries significant theological weight, reaching beyond a simple wish for night. It evokes the primordial darkness described in [Genesis 1:2](/genesis/1-2 "Genesis 1:2 - The Spirit Hovering Over the Waters") before God brought order and light into creation. Job's wish is for a reversal of creation, for the moment of his birth to be plunged back into that state of chaos, void, and non-existence. Theologically, it represents a desire for ultimate oblivion, a complete undoing of the divine act that brought him into being. It highlights the profound contrast between Job's desire for un-creation and God's original act of creation, which was declared "good." It underscores the intensity of his suffering, where non-existence is preferred over his current reality, a stark theological statement on the perceived value of life when overwhelmed by pain.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's desperate longing for the night of his birth to be consumed by darkness and erased from time finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. Job's wish for oblivion is a cry from a fallen world, yearning for an escape from the curse of sin and death that permeates existence, a curse that makes life itself feel unbearable. Jesus, the [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), entered into this cursed world not to escape suffering, but to fully embrace it, even to the point of experiencing the ultimate darkness and separation on the cross. On Calvary, as the sun was darkened ([Luke 23:44-45](/luke/23-44-45 "Luke 23:44-45 - Darkness Over the Land")), Jesus cried out, "[My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?](/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction")", a lament echoing Job's despair, as He bore the full weight of humanity's sin and its consequences. However, unlike Job's wish for an undoing, Christ's death was a purposeful act of redemption, a willing descent into the darkness of death to conquer it. His resurrection from the dead on the third day fundamentally reverses the curse of death and the longing for non-existence. He is the [light of the world](/john/8-12 "John 8:12 - Jesus, the Light of the World"), who has overcome the very darkness Job wished for. Through His victory, time itself is redeemed, and suffering, though still present, is imbued with purpose for those who are in Him ([Romans 8:28](/romans/8-28 "Romans 8:28 - God Works All Things for Good")). Where Job sought to erase his beginning, Christ offers a new beginning, a new creation ([2 Corinthians 5:17](/2_corinthians/5-17 "2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Creation in Christ")), and eternal life that transcends the limitations and sorrows of this fallen world ([John 3:16](/john/3-16 "John 3:16 - God So Loved the World")). Job's lament, therefore, foreshadows the ultimate solution to human suffering found not in oblivion, but in the redemptive work of Christ, who transforms darkness into everlasting light and despair into unshakeable hope.

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.