Job 3:16

Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants [which] never saw light.

Or as an hidden {H2934} untimely birth {H5309} I had not been; as infants {H5768} which never saw {H7200} light {H216}.

Or I could have been like a hidden, miscarried child that never saw light.

Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?

Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, As infants that never saw light.

Commentary

Context

Job 3 marks a significant shift in the Book of Job. After enduring the catastrophic loss of his children, possessions, and health, and sitting in silence for seven days with his friends, Job finally breaks his silence not with praise, but with a profound lament. Chapter 3 is Job's initial outpouring of despair, where he curses the day of his birth, expressing a wish that he had never existed. This verse, Job 3:16, specifically voices his desire to have been stillborn or to have died at birth, believing this state would have spared him from his current agonizing suffering and the profound grief he experienced.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Profound Despair: This verse starkly illustrates the depth of Job's suffering and his overwhelming desire for non-existence as an escape from pain. It's a raw and honest expression of human agony when pushed to its limits.
  • Wish for Oblivion: Job sees the state of being an "untimely birth" or an "infant which never saw light" as a state of peaceful oblivion, free from the burdens of life and the torment he now experiences. This contrasts sharply with a desire for life, highlighting his extreme distress and the intensity of his lament.
  • Preferring Non-Existence to Suffering: The core message is Job's preference for never having lived, or for having died instantly and unnoticed, rather than enduring his current trials. This sentiment is echoed elsewhere in his laments, such as his longing for rest and an end to turmoil in Job 3:17.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "untimely birth" translates the Hebrew word נֵפֶל (nephel), which literally means a "fall" or "abortion," referring to a miscarriage or stillborn child. The imagery of "hidden" (טָמוּן, tamun) emphasizes the quiet, unnoticed nature of such a death, devoid of the world's light and the pain that comes with it. Job desires a state of complete absence from life's struggles, comparing himself to infants who never experienced the light of day, a common biblical metaphor for life itself (e.g., John 1:4). This vivid imagery underscores the depth of his desire for an escape from his unbearable existence.

Practical Application

Job's lament in Job 3:16, though extreme, resonates with anyone who has faced overwhelming suffering or profound grief. It acknowledges the human tendency to wish for an escape from pain, even to the point of desiring non-existence. This verse reminds us:

  • Validation of Suffering: It validates the deep, often unspoken, despair that can accompany intense physical or emotional pain. The Bible does not shy away from portraying the raw reality of human suffering, providing a space for honest lament.
  • The Need for Compassion: When others express such profound despair, it calls for empathy and understanding, not immediate judgment or trite answers. Job's friends initially sat with him in silence for seven days, a powerful act of presence and solidarity (cf. Job 2:13).
  • Hope Beyond Despair: While Job expresses deep despair here, the broader narrative of the Book of Job ultimately points to God's sovereignty, His wisdom, and the eventual restoration of Job, offering a powerful message of hope even in the darkest moments. This hope is often found in discovering God's presence and character, as Job himself ultimately realizes in Job 42:5.
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Cross-References

  • Psalms 58:8 (6 votes)

    As a snail [which] melteth, let [every one of them] pass away: [like] the untimely birth of a woman, [that] they may not see the sun.

  • Ecclesiastes 6:3 (4 votes)

    If a man beget an hundred [children], and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also [that] he have no burial; I say, [that] an untimely birth [is] better than he.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:8 (3 votes)

    And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.