Job 7:10

KJV

He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

KJV (with Strong's)

He shall return {H7725} no more to his house {H1004}, neither shall his place {H4725} know {H5234} him any more.

Complete Jewish Bible

He will not return again to his house, and his home will know him no more.

Berean Standard Bible

He never returns to his house; his place remembers him no more.

American Standard Version

He shall return no more to his house, Neither shall his place know him any more.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 7:10 encapsulates the patriarch's profound despair and conviction regarding the irreversible finality of his earthly life. Amidst his agonizing suffering and perceived abandonment by God, Job articulates a deep sense of hopelessness, believing that death will bring an absolute end to his physical presence, memory, and connection to his former life and home. This verse powerfully conveys his limited understanding of the afterlife, viewing death as an ultimate and permanent separation from the realm of the living, with no prospect of return or restoration to his previous state of being.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 7:10 is embedded within Job's second soliloquy (Job 6-7), a deeply personal lament directed towards God, following the unhelpful and accusatory counsel of his friends Eliphaz, Bildas, and Zophar. Having endured unimaginable loss—his children, wealth, and health—Job expresses his overwhelming physical pain, mental anguish, and spiritual despondency. Chapter 7 specifically details his sleepless nights, the fleeting nature of his days, his longing for death as an escape, and his complaint that God is relentlessly pursuing him. This verse, "He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more," serves as a poignant summary of his conviction that his earthly existence is irrevocably concluded, with no possibility of recovery or re-entry into the life he once knew. It underscores his perception of death as a permanent and absolute severance from all earthly ties.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In the ancient Near East, the concept of death was generally understood as an irreversible departure to the grave, often referred to as Sheol in Hebrew thought. While there were vague notions of an afterlife, it was typically envisioned as a shadowy, subterranean realm, a place of mere existence rather than vibrant life or fellowship with God. The "house" (בַּיִת, _bayit_) in this context was more than just a dwelling; it represented one's lineage, legacy, social standing, and continuity. To "return no more to his house" signified a complete loss of all these aspects—a final break from family, community, and the physical world. The idea of one's "place" no longer "knowing" them is a poetic expression reflecting the ancient understanding of death as a total erasure from the earthly sphere of influence and memory, emphasizing the impermanence of human presence and the fading of earthly remembrance.
* **Key Themes:** Job 7:10 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the Book of Job. Primarily, it highlights the **frailty and brevity of human life**, a recurring motif throughout Job's laments, echoing sentiments found in [Psalm 90:10](/psalm/90-10 "Psalm 90:10 - The Brevity of Life") and [Ecclesiastes 1:4](/ecclesiastes/1-4 "Ecclesiastes 1:4 - Generations Come and Go"). Secondly, it underscores Job's profound **despair and hopelessness** in the face of suffering, as he sees no earthly remedy or future restoration. His perspective is limited to the physical realm, where death is the ultimate, unyielding barrier. This verse also touches upon the theme of **divine sovereignty and human helplessness**, as Job perceives himself utterly at the mercy of a God who seems to have forsaken him, leading him to accept the finality of his demise. The lament also foreshadows the broader theological struggle within the book regarding the nature of justice and suffering, and the limited understanding of the afterlife in the Old Testament compared to later revelation.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Return (שׁוּב, _shuv'_):** This Hebrew verb means "to turn back, to return, to restore." In Job 7:10, its negative usage ("shall return no more") emphasizes the absolute and irreversible nature of death from Job's perspective. It signifies a complete and permanent departure from his earthly dwelling, family, and former way of life, with no expectation of re-entry or reversal of his fate.
* **Know (יָדַע, _yada'_):** While often translated as simple cognition, _yada'_ can imply a deeper, more intimate recognition, familiarity, or even relational knowledge. When applied to "his place" (his home, community, physical environment), it personifies the location, suggesting that it will no longer have any intimate connection with, awareness of, or memory of Job. This highlights the absolute severance that death brings from earthly ties and the fading of one's physical presence from the world.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"He shall return no more to his house":** This clause expresses Job's conviction that his death will be a final, irreversible departure from his earthly home and all it represents—his family, his status, and his very existence within the human community. It signifies a complete break from his past life, emphasizing the permanence of his perceived end.
* **"neither shall his place know him any more":** This poetic parallel reinforces the first clause, extending the idea of irreversible absence to the very environment Job inhabited. By personifying "his place," the verse conveys that his physical surroundings, his community, and even the memory of his presence will utterly fade. It underscores a profound sense of oblivion and complete severance from the earthly realm, where his identity and presence will no longer be recognized or remembered.

#### Literary Devices
Job 7:10 employs several powerful literary devices to convey Job's deep despair and the finality of his perceived demise. The most prominent is **Parallelism**, specifically **Synonymous Parallelism**, where the second clause ("neither shall his place know him any more") reiterates and intensifies the meaning of the first clause ("He shall return no more to his house"). Both express the same core idea of irreversible departure and complete absence, but the second clause adds a layer of oblivion, suggesting that even the memory of his presence will vanish. Additionally, the verse utilizes **Personification** by attributing the human quality of "knowing" to an inanimate object, "his place." This vivid imagery emphasizes the absolute detachment that death brings, portraying the very ground and surroundings as having lost all intimate connection with the deceased. This personification deepens the sense of isolation and the profound finality of Job's perceived end.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 7:10 powerfully articulates the ancient Israelite understanding of death as a definitive and irreversible separation from the land of the living, a concept deeply rooted in the Old Testament's limited revelation concerning the afterlife. For Job, death means a complete cessation of earthly existence and the fading of all memory and connection to his former life. This lament reflects a common human experience of mortality and the stark reality of physical impermanence. It highlights the profound despair that can arise when one's hope is confined solely to the earthly realm, where suffering seems endless and death is the ultimate barrier. The verse serves as a poignant reminder of the brevity of life and the transient nature of human presence in the world, setting the stage for the later, more robust theological developments regarding resurrection and eternal life.

* [Psalm 103:16](/psalm/103-16 "Psalm 103:16 - The Fleeting Nature of Man"): "For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more." This psalm echoes Job's lament, emphasizing the transient nature of human existence and the ultimate impermanence of our earthly presence.
* [Ecclesiastes 9:5-6](/ecclesiastes/9-5 "Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 - The Dead Know Nothing"): "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." This passage further underscores the Old Testament perspective on death as a state of oblivion, where earthly activities and relationships cease.
* [Job 14:7-12](/job/14-7 "Job 14:7-12 - Man's Hope is Cut Off"): "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again... But man dieth, and wasteth away... till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job himself elaborates on this theme of irreversible death, contrasting human mortality with the resilience of nature.

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 7:10, steeped in the anguish of a man facing what he perceives as his final earthly moments, invites us to confront the universal reality of human mortality. For Job, this verse was a cry of utter despair, reflecting a worldview where death was the ultimate, unyielding end to suffering and existence. His longing for death was not for a glorious afterlife, but for oblivion, a cessation of pain. For us today, while the physical reality of death remains, our understanding is profoundly transformed by the fuller revelation of God's plan for redemption and resurrection. This verse can serve as a sober reminder of the preciousness and brevity of our earthly lives, urging us to live with intentionality, stewarding our time and relationships wisely. It also highlights the stark contrast between Job's limited hope and the glorious hope offered in Christ, where death is not the final word but a transition. It compels us to consider where our ultimate hope lies: in transient earthly comforts or in the eternal promises of God.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Job's perspective on death in this verse challenge or affirm your own understanding of mortality?**
* **In what ways does a belief in resurrection hope transform the despair expressed by Job in this verse?**
* **How might the transient nature of earthly life, as depicted by Job, motivate you to live more purposefully today?**
* **What "place" or earthly connections do you hold most dear, and how does the idea of their eventual "not knowing" you impact your perspective?**

### FAQ
**Did Job have any hope of an afterlife when he spoke these words?**

Answer: When Job uttered the words of Job 7:10, his perspective on the afterlife appears to be one of profound despair and finality, largely consistent with the prevailing understanding of death in the ancient Near East and much of the Old Testament. He saw death as an irreversible departure to Sheol, a shadowy realm from which there was no return to the land of the living or to his "house." While later in the book (e.g., [Job 19:25-27](/job/19-25 "Job 19:25-27 - Job's Redeemer Lives")), Job expresses a glimmer of hope in a Redeemer and a future vindication, at this point in chapter 7, his immediate experience of suffering has led him to view death as a complete and permanent end to his earthly existence, with no prospect of a joyful resurrection or restoration. His hope, if any, was for cessation of pain, not for a glorious future.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 7:10, with its lament of irreversible death and the fading of earthly memory, stands in stark contrast to the triumphant reality of Christ's resurrection and the hope it offers. Job's despair, rooted in a limited understanding of the afterlife, speaks to the universal human condition under the curse of sin, where death reigns supreme and brings ultimate separation. However, Jesus Christ definitively conquered death, transforming its meaning from a permanent end into a doorway to eternal life. He is the [Resurrection and the Life](/john/11-25 "John 11:25 - Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life"), promising that "whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Through His atoning sacrifice and victorious resurrection, Christ has secured for believers a future where our "place" with God is not one of oblivion but of eternal fellowship and intimate knowledge. Unlike Job's lament that his place would "know him no more," believers are assured that in Christ, we are eternally known by God, and our true "house" is in the [new heavens and new earth](/revelation/21-1 "Revelation 21:1-4 - New Heaven and New Earth"), where death and sorrow are no more. The finality Job feared is swallowed up in Christ's victory, offering a glorious expectation of resurrection and unending life with our Redeemer, where we will truly "return" to our eternal home.

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

Job 8:18

If he destroy him from his place, then [it] shall deny him, [saying], I have not seen thee.

Psalms 103:16

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

Job 20:9

The eye also [which] saw him shall [see him] no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.

Job 27:23

[Men] shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 27:21

The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.