Will ¹  it ²  go down to the barred gates ³  of death? Will ⁴  we descend ⁵  together into the dust?”

biblegateway Job 17:16

"Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?"

Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust?

Will hope go down with me to the gates of the grave? Will my hope rest with me in the dust?"

biblegateway Job 17:16

Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?"

Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?"

bibleoremus Job 17:16

Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?"

I cannot take them with me down to Sheol, nor shall we descend together to the dust.

biblegateway Job 17:16

Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?"

They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when [our] rest together [is] in the dust.

biblegateway Job 17:16

Will ¹  it ²  go down to the barred gates ³  of death? Will ⁴  we descend ⁵  together into the dust?”

¹ sn It is natural to assume that this verse continues the interrogative clause of the preceding verse.

² tn The plural form of the verb probably refers to the two words, or the two senses of the word in the preceding verse. Hope and what it produces will perish with Job.

³ tn The Hebrew word בַּדִּים (baddim) describes the “bars” or “bolts” of Sheol, referring (by synecdoche) to the “gates of Sheol.” The LXX has “with me to Sheol,” and many adopt that as “by my side.”

⁴ tn The conjunction אִם (’im) confirms the interrogative interpretation.

⁵ tn The translation follows the LXX and the Syriac versions with the change of vocalization in the MT. The MT has the noun “rest,” yielding, “will our rest be together in the dust?” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) in Aramaic means “to go down; to descend.” If that is the preferred reading – and it almost is universally accepted here – then it would be spelled נֵחַת (nekhat). In either case the point of the verse is clearly describing death and going to the grave.