Teks -- Job 3:6-26 (NET)

3:6 That night– let darkness seize it; let it not be included among the days of the year; let it not enter among the number of the months! 3:7 Indeed, let that night be barren; let no shout of joy penetrate it! 3:8 Let those who curse the day curse it– those who are prepared to rouse Leviathan. 3:9 Let its morning stars be darkened; let it wait for daylight but find none, nor let it see the first rays of dawn, 3:10 because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb on me, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes!

Job Wishes He Had Died at Birth

3:11 “Why did I not die at birth, and why did I not expire as I came out of the womb? 3:12 Why did the knees welcome me, and why were there two breasts that I might nurse at them? 3:13 For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace 3:14 with kings and counselors of the earth who built for themselves places now desolate, 3:15 or with princes who possessed gold, who filled their palaces with silver. 3:16 Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light? 3:17 There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. 3:18 There the prisoners relax together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor. 3:19 Small and great are there, and the slave is free from his master.

Longing for Death

3:20 “Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life to those whose soul is bitter, 3:21 to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasures, 3:22 who rejoice even to jubilation, and are exultant when they find the grave? 3:23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? 3:24 For my sighing comes in place of my food, and my groanings flow forth like water. 3:25 For the very thing I dreaded has happened to me, and what I feared has come upon me. 3:26 I have no ease, I have no quietness; I cannot rest; turmoil has come upon me.”

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Job 3:6 - Darkness

Constant and extraordinary darkness, without the least glimmering of light from the moon or stars.

Wesley: Job 3:6 - Be joined

Reckoned as one, or a part of one of them.

Wesley: Job 3:8 - The day

Their birth - day: when their afflictions move them to curse their own birth - day, let them remember mine also, and bestow some curses upon it.

Wesley: Job 3:8 - Mourning

Who are full of sorrow, and always ready to pour out their cries, and tears, and complaints.

Wesley: Job 3:9 - The stars

Let the stars, which are the glory and beauty of the night, be covered with thick darkness, and that both in the evening twilight, when the stars begin to shine; and also in the farther progress of the night, even 'till the morning dawns.

Wesley: Job 3:9 - Look

Let its darkness be aggravated with the disappointment of its expectations of light. He ascribes sense or reasoning to the night, by a poetical fiction, usual in all writers.

Wesley: Job 3:9 - Dawning

Heb.

Wesley: Job 3:9 - the eye

lids of the day, the morning - star which ushers in the day, and the beginning, and progress of the morning light, let this whole natural day, consisting of night and day, be blotted out of the catalogue of days.

Wesley: Job 3:10 - It

The night or the day: to which those things are ascribed which were done by others in them, as is frequent in poetical writings.

Wesley: Job 3:10 - Womb

That it might never have brought me forth.

Wesley: Job 3:10 - Nor hid

Because it did not keep me from entering into this miserable life, and seeing, or experiencing, these bitter sorrows.

Wesley: Job 3:12 - The knees

Why did the midwife or nurse receive and lay me upon her knees, and not suffer me to fall upon the bare ground, 'till death had taken me out of this miserable world, into which their cruel kindness hath betrayed me? Why did the breasts prevent me from perishing through hunger, or supply me that should have what to suck? Thus Job unthankfully despises these wonderful mercies of God towards poor helpless infants.

Wesley: Job 3:14 - Kings

I had then been as happy as the proudest monarchs, who after all their great achievements and enjoyments, go down into their graves.

Wesley: Job 3:14 - Built

Who to shew their wealth and power, or to leave behind them a glorious name, rebuilt ruined cities, or built new cities and palaces, in places where before there was mere solitude and wasteness.

Wesley: Job 3:16 - Hidden

Undiscerned and unregarded. Born before the due time.

Wesley: Job 3:16 - Been

In the land of the living.

Wesley: Job 3:17 - There

In the grave.

Wesley: Job 3:17 - The wicked

The great oppressors and troublers of the world cease from their vexations, rapins and murders.

Wesley: Job 3:17 - Weary

Those who were here molested and tired out with their tyrannies, now quietly sleep with them.

Wesley: Job 3:18 - The oppressor

Or, taskmaster, who urges and forces them to work by cruel threatenings and stripes. Job meddles not here with their eternal state after death, of which he speaks hereafter, but only their freedom from worldly troubles, which is the sole matter of his present discourse.

Wesley: Job 3:19 - Small and great

Persons of all qualities and conditions.

Wesley: Job 3:19 - Are there

In the same place and state, all those distinctions being forever abolished. A good reason, why those who have power should use it moderately, and those that are in subjection should take it patiently.

Wesley: Job 3:20 - Light

The light of life.

Wesley: Job 3:20 - Bitter

Unto those to whom life itself is bitter and burdensome. Life is called light, because it is pleasant and serviceable for walking and working; and this light is said to be given us, because it would be lost, if it were not daily renewed to us by a fresh gift.

Wesley: Job 3:21 - Dig

Desire with as much earnestness as men dig for treasure: but it is observable, Job durst not do anything to hasten or procure his death: notwithstanding all his miseries, he was contented to wait all the days of his appointed time, 'till his change came, Job 14:14.

Wesley: Job 3:22 - Glad, &c.

_To be thus impatient of life, for the sake of the trouble we meet with, is not only unnatural in itself, but ungrateful to the giver of life, and shews a sinful indulgence of our own passion. Let it be our great and constant care, to get ready for another world: and then let us leave it to God, to order the circumstances of our removal thither.

Wesley: Job 3:23 - Hid

From him; who knows not his way, which way to turn himself, what course to take to comfort himself in his miseries.

Wesley: Job 3:23 - Hedged in

Whom God hath put as it were in a prison, so that he can see no way or possibility of escape.

Wesley: Job 3:24 - Before, &c.

_Heb. before the face of my bread, all the time I am eating, I fall into sighing and weeping, because I am obliged to eat, and to support this wretched life, and because of my uninterrupted pains of body and of mind, which do not afford me one quiet moment.

Wesley: Job 3:24 - Roarings

My loud outcries, more befitting a lion than a man.

Wesley: Job 3:24 - Poured out

With great abundance, and irresistible violence, and incessant continuance, as waters flow in a river, or as they break the banks, and overflow the ground.

Wesley: Job 3:25 - Feared

Even in the time of my prosperity, I was full of fears, considering the variety of God's providences, the changeableness of this vain world, God's justice, and the sinfulness of all mankind. And these fears of mine, were not in vain, but are justified by my present calamities.

Wesley: Job 3:26 - Quiet

I did not misbehave myself in prosperity, abusing it by presumption, and security, but I lived circumspectly, walking humbly with God, and working out my salvation with fear and trembling. Therefore in this sense also, his way was hid, he knew not why God contended with him.

JFB: Job 3:6 - seize upon it

As its prey, that is, utterly dissolve it.

JFB: Job 3:6 - joined unto the days of the year

Rather, by poetic personification, "Let it not rejoice in the circle of days and nights and months, which form the circle of years."

JFB: Job 3:7 - solitary

Rather, "unfruitful." "Would that it had not given birth to me."

JFB: Job 3:8 - them . . . curse the day

If "mourning" be the right rendering in the latter clause of this verse, these words refer to the hired mourners of the dead (Jer 9:17). But the Hebrew for "mourning" elsewhere always denotes an animal, whether it be the crocodile or some huge serpent (Isa 27:1), such as is meant by "leviathan." Therefore, the expression, "cursers of day," refers to magicians, who were believed to be able by charms to make a day one of evil omen. (So Balaam, Num 22:5). This accords with UMBREIT'S view (Job 3:7); or to the Ethiopians and Atlantes, who "used to curse the sun at his rising for burning up them and their country" [HERODOTUS]. Necromancers claimed power to control or rouse wild beasts at will, as do the Indian serpent-charmers of our day (Psa 58:5). Job does not say they had the power they claimed; but, supposing they had, may they curse the day. SCHUTTENS renders it by supplying words as follows:--Let those that are ready for anything, call it (the day) the raiser up of leviathan, that is, of a host of evils.

JFB: Job 3:9 - dawning of the day

Literally, "eyelashes of morning." The Arab poets call the sun the eye of day. His early rays, therefore, breaking forth before sunrise, are the opening eyelids or eyelashes of morning.

JFB: Job 3:12 - Why did the knees prevent me?

Old English for "anticipate my wants." The reference is to the solemn recognition of a new-born child by the father, who used to place it on his knees as his own, whom he was bound to rear (Gen 30:3; Gen 50:23; Isa 66:12).

JFB: Job 3:13 - lain . . . quiet . . . slept

A gradation. I should not only have lain, but been quiet, and not only been quiet, but slept. Death in Scripture is called "sleep" (Psa 13:3); especially in the New Testament, where the resurrection-awakening is more clearly set forth (1Co 15:51; 1Th 4:14; 1Th 5:10).

JFB: Job 3:14 - With kings . . . which built desolate places for themselves

Who built up for themselves what proved to be (not palaces, but) ruins! The wounded spirit of Job, once a great emir himself, sick of the vain struggles of mortal great men, after grandeur, contemplates the palaces of kings, now desolate heaps of ruins. His regarding the repose of death the most desirable end of the great ones of earth, wearied with heaping up perishable treasures, marks the irony that breaks out from the black clouds of melancholy [UMBREIT]. The "for themselves" marks their selfishness. MICHAELIS explains it weakly of mausoleums, such as are found still, of stupendous proportions, in the ruins of Petra of Idumea.

JFB: Job 3:15 - filled their houses with silver

Some take this to refer to the treasures which the ancients used to bury with their dead. But see Job 3:26.

JFB: Job 3:16 - untimely birth

(Psa 58:8); preferable to the life of the restless miser (Ecc 6:3-5).

JFB: Job 3:17 - the wicked

The original meaning, "those ever restless," "full of desires" (Isa 57:20-21).

JFB: Job 3:17 - the weary

Literally, "those whose strength is wearied out" (Rev 14:13).

JFB: Job 3:18 - There the prisoners rest

From their chains.

JFB: Job 3:19 - servant

The slave is there manumitted from slavery.

JFB: Job 3:20 - Wherefore giveth he light

Namely, God; often omitted reverentially (Job 24:23; Ecc 9:9). Light, that is, life. The joyful light ill suits the mourners. The grave is most in unison with their feelings.

JFB: Job 3:23 - whose way is hid

The picture of Job is drawn from a wanderer who has lost his way, and who is hedged in, so as to have no exit of escape (Hos 2:6; Lam 3:7, Lam 3:9).

JFB: Job 3:24 - my sighing cometh before I eat

That is, prevents my eating [UMBREIT]; or, conscious that the effort to eat brought on the disease, Job must sigh before eating [ROSENMULLER]; or, sighing takes the place of good (Psa 42:3) [GOOD]. But the first explanation accords best with the text.

JFB: Job 3:24 - my roarings are poured out like the waters

An image from the rushing sound of water streaming.

JFB: Job 3:25 - the thing which I . . . feared is come upon me

In the beginning of his trials, when he heard of the loss of one blessing, he feared the loss of another; and when he heard of the loss of that, he feared the loss of a third.

JFB: Job 3:25 - that which I was afraid of is come unto me

Namely, the ill opinion of his friends, as though he were a hypocrite on account of his trials.

JFB: Job 3:26 - I was not in safety . . . yet trouble came

Referring, not to his former state, but to the beginning of his troubles. From that time I had no rest, there was no intermission of sorrows. "And" (not, "yet") a fresh trouble is coming, namely, my friends' suspicion of my being a hypocrite. This gives the starting-point to the whole ensuing controversy.

Clarke: Job 3:6 - As for that night, let darkness seize upon it

As for that night, let darkness seize upon it - I think the Targum has hit the sense of this whole verse: "Let darkness seize upon that night; let it not be reckoned among the annual festivals; in the number of the months of the calendar let it not be computed."Some understand the word אפל ophel as signifying a dark storm; hence the Vulgate, tenebrosus turbo , "a dark whirlwind."And hence Coverdale, Let the darck storme overcome that night, let it not be reckoned amonge the dayes off the yeare, nor counted in the monethes. Every thing is here personified; day, night, darkness, shadow of death, cloud, etc.; and the same idea of the total extinction of that portion of time, or its being rendered ominous and portentous, is pursued through all these verses, from the third to the ninth, inclusive. The imagery is diversified, the expressions varied, but the idea is the same.

Clarke: Job 3:7 - Lo, let that night be solitary

Lo, let that night be solitary - The word הנה hinneh , behold, or lo, is wanting in one of De Rossi’ s MSS., nor is it expressed in the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, or Arabic. The word גלמוד galmud , which we translate solitary, is properly Arabic. From ghalama or jalama , signifying to cut off, make bare, amputate, comes jalmud , a rock, a great stone; and jalameedet , weight, a burden, trouble, from which we may gather Job’ s meaning: "Let that night be grievous, oppressive, as destitute of good as a bare rock is of verdure."The Targum gives the sense, In that night let there be tribulation

Clarke: Job 3:7 - Let no joyful voice come therein

Let no joyful voice come therein - Let there be no choirs of singers; no pleasant music heard; no dancing or merriment. The word רננה renanah signifies any brisk movement, such as the vibration of the rays of light, or the brisk modulation of the voice in a cheerful ditty. The Targum has, Let not the crowing of the rural or wild cock resound in it. Let all work be intermitted; let there be no sportive exercises, and let all animals be totally silent.

Clarke: Job 3:8 - Let them curse it that curse the day

Let them curse it that curse the day - This translation is scarcely intelligible. I have waded through a multitude of interpretations, without being able to collect from them such a notion of the verse as could appear to me probable. Schultens, Rosenmüller, and after them Mr. Good, have labored much to make it plain. They think the custom of sorcerers who had execrations for peoples, places, things, days, etc., is here referred to; such as Balaam, Elymas, and many others were: but I cannot think that a man who knew the Divine Being and his sole government of the world so well as Job did, would make such an allusion, who must have known that such persons and their pretensions were impostors and execrable vanities. I shall give as near a translation as I can of the words, and subjoin a short paraphrase: יקבהו אררי יום העתידימערר לויתן yikkebuhu orerey yom haathidim orer livyathan ; "Let them curse it who detest the day; them who are ready to raise up the leviathan."That is, Let them curse my birthday who hate daylight, such as adulterers, murderers, thieves, and banditti, for whose practices the night is more convenient; and let them curse it who, being like me weary of life, are desperate enough to provoke the leviathan, the crocodile, to tear them to pieces. This version is nearly the same as that given by Coverdale. Let them that curse the daye give it their curse also, then those that be ready to rayse up leviathan. By leviathan some understand the greatest and most imminent dangers; and others, the devil, whom the enchanters are desperate enough to attempt to raise by their incantations. Calmet understands the whole to be spoken of the Atlantes, a people of Ethiopia, who curse the sun because it parches their fields and their bodies; and who fearlessly attack, kill, and eat the crocodile. This seems a good sense.

Clarke: Job 3:9 - Let the stars of the twilight thereof

Let the stars of the twilight thereof - The stars of the twilight may here refer to the planets Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury, as well as to the brighter fixed stars

Clarke: Job 3:9 - Let it look for light

Let it look for light - Here the prosopopoeia or personification is still carried on. The darkness is represented as waiting for the lustre of the evening star, but is disappointed; and these for the aurora or dawn, but equally in vain. He had prayed that its light, the sun, should not shine upon it, Job 3:4; and here he prays that its evening star may be totally obscured, and that it might never see the dawning of the day. Thus his execration comprehends every thing that might irradiate or enliven it.

Clarke: Job 3:10 - Because it shut not up the doors

Because it shut not up the doors - Here is the reason why he curses the day and the night in which he was conceived and born; because, had he never been brought into existence, he would never have seen trouble. It seems, however, very harsh that he should have wished the destruction of his mother, in order that his birth might have been prevented; and I rather think Job’ s execration did not extend thus far. The Targum understands the passage as speaking of the umbilical cord, by which the fetus is nourished in its mother’ s womb: had this been shut up, there must have been a miscarriage, or he must have been dead born; and thus sorrow would have been hidden from his eyes. This seeming gloss is much nearer the letter and spirit of the Hebrew than is generally imagined. I shall quote the words: כי לא סגר דלתי בטני ki lo sagar dalthey bitni , because it did not shut up the doors of my belly. This is much more consistent with the feelings of humanity, than to wish his mother’ s womb to have been his grave.

Clarke: Job 3:11 - Why died I not from the womb

Why died I not from the womb - As the other circumstance did not take place, why was I not still-born, without the possibility of reviviscence? or, as this did not occur, why did I not die as soon as born? These three things appear to me to be clearly intended here: -

1.    Dying in the womb, or never coming to maturity, as in the case of an abortion

2.    Being still-born, without ever being able to breathe

3.    Or, if born alive, dying within a short time after. And to these states he seems to refer in the following verses.

Clarke: Job 3:12 - Why did the knees prevent me?

Why did the knees prevent me? - Why was I dandled on the knees? Why was I nourished by the breasts? In either of the above cases I had neither been received into a mother’ s lap, nor hung upon a mother’ s breasts.

Clarke: Job 3:13 - For now should I have lain still

For now should I have lain still - In that case I had been insensible; quiet - without these overwhelming agitations; slept - unconscious of evil; been at rest - been out of the reach of calamity and sorrow.

Clarke: Job 3:14 - With kings and counsellors of the earth

With kings and counsellors of the earth - I believe this translation to be perfectly correct. The counsellors, יעצי yoatsey , I suppose to mean the privy council, or advisers of kings; those without whose advice kings seldom undertake wars, expeditions, etc. These mighty agitators of the world are at rest in their graves, after the lives of commotion which they have led among men: most of whom indeed have been the troublers of the peace of the globe

Clarke: Job 3:14 - Which built desolate places

Which built desolate places - Who erect mausoleums, funeral monuments, sepulchral pyramids, etc., to keep their names from perishing, while their bodies are turned to corruption. I cannot think, with some learned men, that Job is here referring to those patriotic princes who employed themselves in repairing the ruins and desolations which others had occasioned. His simple idea is, that, had he died from the womb, he would have been equally at rest, neither troubling nor troubled, as those defunct kings and planners of wars and great designs are, who have nothing to keep even their names from perishing, but the monuments which they have raised to contain their corrupting flesh, moldering bones, and dust.

Clarke: Job 3:15 - Or with princes that had gold

Or with princes that had gold - Chief or mighty men, lords of the soil, or fortunate adventurers in merchandise, who got gold in abundance, filled their houses with silver, left all behind, and had nothing reserved for themselves but the empty places which they had made for their last dwelling, and where their dust now sleeps, devoid of care, painful journeys, and anxious expectations. He alludes here to the case of the covetous, whom nothing can satisfy, as an Asiatic writer has observed, but the dust that fills his mouth when laid in the grave - Saady.

Clarke: Job 3:16 - Or as a hidden untimely birth

Or as a hidden untimely birth - An early miscarriage, which was scarcely perceptible by the parent herself; and in this case he had not been - he had never had the distinguishable form of a human being, whether male or female

Clarke: Job 3:16 - As infants

As infants - Little ones; those farther advanced in maturity, but miscarried long before the time of birth.

Clarke: Job 3:17 - There the wicked cease

There the wicked cease - In the grave the oppressors of men cease from irritating, harassing, and distressing their fellow creatures and dependents

Clarke: Job 3:17 - And there the weary be at rest

And there the weary be at rest - Those who were worn out with the cruelties and tyrannies of the above. The troubles and the troubled, the restless and the submissive, the toils of the great and the labors of the slave, are here put in opposition.

Clarke: Job 3:18 - The prisoners rest together

The prisoners rest together - Those who were slaves, feeling all the troubles, and scarcely tasting any of the pleasures of life, are quiet in the grave together; and the voice of the oppressor, the hard, unrelenting task-master, which was more terrible than death, is heard no more. They are free from his exactions, and his mouth is silent in the dust. This may be a reference to the Egyptian bondage. The children of Israel cried by reason of their oppressors or task-masters.

Clarke: Job 3:19 - The small and great are there

The small and great are there - All sorts and conditions of men are equally blended in the grave, and ultimately reduced to one common dust; and between the bond and free there is no difference. The grave i

"The appointed place of rendezvous, where all These travelers meet.

Equality is absolute among the sons of men in their entrance into and exit from the world: all the intermediate state is disparity. All men begin and end life alike; and there is no difference between the king and the cottager

A contemplation of this should equally humble the great and the small

The saying is trite, but it is true: -

Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas

Regumque turres

Hor. Odar. lib. i., Od. iv., ver. 13

"With equal pace impartial Fat

Knocks at the palace as the cottage gate.

Death is that state,
"Where they an equal honor share
Who buried or unburied are.
Where Agamemnon knows no more
Than Irus he contemn’ d before.
Where fair Achilles and Thersites lie,
Equally naked, poor, and dry.

And why do not the living lay these things to heart

There is a fine saying in Seneca ad Marciam, cap. 20, on this subject, which may serve as a comment on this place: Mors-servitutem invito domino remittit; haec captivorum catenas levat; haec e carcere eduxit, quos exire imperium impotens vetuerat. Haec est in quo nemo humilitatem suam sensit; haec quae nulli paruit; haec quae nihil quicquam alieno fecit arbitrio. Haec, ubi res communes fortuna male divisit, et aequo jure genitos alium alii donavit, exaequat omnia . - "Death, in spite of the master, manumits the slave. It loosens the chains of the prisoners. It brings out of the dungeon those whom impotent authority had forbidden to go at large. This is the state in which none is sensible of his humiliation. Death obeys no man. It does nothing according to the will of another. It reduces, by a just law, to a state of equality, all who in their families and circumstances had unequal lots in life."

Clarke: Job 3:20 - Wherefore is light given

Wherefore is light given - Why is life granted to him who is incapable of enjoying it, or of performing its functions?

Clarke: Job 3:21 - Which long for death

Which long for death - They look to it as the end of all their miseries; and long more for a separation from life, than those who love gold do for a rich mine.

Clarke: Job 3:22 - Which rejoice exceedingly

Which rejoice exceedingly - Literally, They rejoice with joy, and exult when they find the grave. There is a various reading here in one of Kennicott’ s MSS., which gives a different sense. Instead of who rejoice, אלי גיל eley gil , with Joy, it has אלי גל eley gal , who rejoice at the Tomb, and exult when they find the grave.

Clarke: Job 3:23 - To a man whose way is hid

To a man whose way is hid - Who knows not what is before him in either world, but is full of fears and trembling concerning both

Clarke: Job 3:23 - God hath hedged in?

God hath hedged in? - Leaving him no way to escape; and not permitting him to see one step before him. There is an exact parallel to this passage in Lam 3:7, Lam 3:9 : He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone. Mr. Good translates the verse thus: To the man whose path is broken up, and whose futurity God hath overwhelmed. But I cannot see any necessity for departing from the common text, which gives both an easy and a natural sense.

Clarke: Job 3:24 - For my sighing cometh

For my sighing cometh - Some think that this refers to the ulcerated state of Job’ s body, mouth, hands, etc. He longed for food, but was not able to lift it to his mouth with his hands, nor masticate it when brought thither. This is the sense in which Origen has taken the words. But perhaps it is most natural to suppose that he means his sighing took away all appetite, and served him in place of meat. There is the same thought in Psa 42:3 : My tears have been my meat day and night; which place is not an imitation of Job, but more likely Job an imitation of it, or, rather, both an imitation of nature

Clarke: Job 3:24 - My roarings are poured out

My roarings are poured out - My lamentations are like the noise of the murmuring stream, or the dashings of the overswollen torrent.

Clarke: Job 3:25 - For the thing which I greatly reared

For the thing which I greatly reared - Literally, the fear that I feared; or, I feared a fear, as in the margin. While I was in prosperity I thought adversity might come, and I had a dread of it. I feared the loss of my family and my property; and both have occurred. I was not lifted up: I knew that what I possessed I had from Divine Providence, and that he who gave might take away. I am not stripped of my all as a punishment for my self-confidence.

Clarke: Job 3:26 - I was not in safety

I was not in safety - If this verse be read interrogatively, it will give a good and easy sense: Was I not in safety? Had I not rest? Was I not in comfort? Yet trouble came. It is well known that, previously to this attack of Satan, Job was in great prosperity and peace. Mr. Good translates, I had no peace; yea, I had no rest. Yea, I had no respite, as the trouble came on; and refers the whole to the quick succession of the series of heavy evils by which he was tried. There is a similar thought in the Psalmist: Deep crieth unto deep at the noise of thy water-spouts; all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me; Psa 42:7. One evil treads on the heels of another

In this chapter Job’ s conflict begins. Now, and not before, Satan appears to have access to his mind. When he deprived him of his property, and, what was still dearer, of his sons and his daughters, the hope of his family, he bore all with the most exemplary patience, and the deepest resignation to the Divine will. When his adversary was permitted to touch his body, and afflict it in the most grievous and distressing manner, rendered still more intolerable by his being previously deprived of all the comforts and necessaries of life; still he held fast his integrity; no complaint, no murmur was heard. From the Lord’ s hand he received his temporal good; and from that hand he received his temporal evil, the privation of that good. Satan was, therefore, baffled in all his attempts; Job continued to be a perfect and upright man, fearing God, and avoiding evil. This was Job’ s triumph, or rather the triumph of Divine grace; and Satan’ s defeat and confusion

It is indeed very seldom that God permits Satan to waste the substance or afflict the body of any man; but at all times this malevolent spirit may have access to the mind of any man, and inject doubts, fears, diffidence, perplexities, and even unbelief. And here is the spiritual conflict. Now, their wrestling is not with flesh and blood - with men like themselves, nor about secular affairs; but they have to contend with angels, principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickednesses in heavenly places. In such cases Satan is often permitted to diffuse darkness into the understanding, and envelope the heavens with clouds. Hence are engendered false views of God and his providence, of men, of the spiritual world, and particularly of the person’ s own state and circumstances. Every thing is distorted, and all seen through a false medium. Indescribable distractions and uneasiness are hereby induced; the mind is like a troubled sea, tossed by a tempest that seems to confound both heaven and earth. Strong temptations to things which the soul contemplates with abhorrence are injected; and which are followed by immediate accusations, as if the injections were the offspring of the heart itself; and the trouble and dismay produced are represented as the sense of guilt, from a consciousness of having, in heart, committed these evils. Thus Satan tempts, accuses, and upbraids, in order to perplex the soul, induce skepticism, and destroy the empire of faith. Behold here the permission of God, and behold also his sovereign control: all this time the grand tempter is not permitted to touch the heart, the seat of the affections, nor offer even the slightest violence to the will. The soul is cast down, but not destroyed; perplexed, but not in despair. It is on all sides harassed; without are fightings, within are fears: but the will is inflexible on the side of God and truth, and the heart, with all its train of affections and passions, follows it. The man does not wickedly depart from his God; the outworks are violently assailed, but not taken; the city is still safe, and the citadel impregnable. Heaviness may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning. Jesus is soon seen walking upon the waters. He speaks peace to the winds and the sea: immediately there is a calm. Satan is bruised down under the feet of the sufferer, the clouds are dispersed, the heavens re-appear, and the soul, to its surprise, finds that the storm, instead of hindering, has driven it nearer to the haven whither it would be

The reader who closely examines the subject will find that this was the case of Job. The following chapters show the conflict of the soul; the end of the book, God’ s victory and his exaltation. Satan sifted Job as wheat, but his faith failed not.

Defender: Job 3:25 - greatly feared

Job confesses that, even during his former days of prosperity and esteem, he had realized that things could change. God may bless a righteous man with prosperity, but it is all of grace. No man - not even righteous Job - deserves God's favor, for "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). Job realized he was innately a sinner, and offered sacrifices to cover his sins, as God had instructed, but he still realized God had every right to withhold His blessings."

TSK: Job 3:6 - let it not be joined unto the days

let it not be joined unto the days : or, let it not rejoice among the days

TSK: Job 3:7 - solitary

solitary : Isa 13:20-22, Isa 24:8; Jer 7:34; Rev 18:22, Rev 18:23

TSK: Job 3:8 - who are ready // their mourning

who are ready : 2Ch 35:25; Jer 9:17, Jer 9:18; Amo 5:16; Mat 11:17; Mar 5:38

their mourning : or, a leviathan, Job 41:1, Job 41:10

TSK: Job 3:9 - look for light // the dawning of the day

look for light : Job 30:26; Jer 8:15, Jer 13:16

the dawning of the day : Heb. the eye-lids of the morning, Job 41:18

TSK: Job 3:10 - it shut not // hid

it shut not : Job 10:18, Job 10:19; Gen 20:18, Gen 29:31; 1Sa 1:5; Ecc 6:3-5; Jer 20:17

hid : Job 6:2, Job 6:3, Job 10:1, Job 23:2; Ecc 11:10

TSK: Job 3:11 - died I // when I came

died I : Psa 58:8; Jer 15:10; Hos 9:14

when I came : Psa 22:9, Psa 22:10, Psa 71:6, Psa 139:13-16; Isa 46:3

TSK: Job 3:12 - the knees

the knees : Gen 30:3, Gen 50:23; Isa 66:12; Eze 16:4, Eze 16:5

TSK: Job 3:13 - then had I been at rest

then had I been at rest : Ecc 6:3-5, Ecc 9:10

TSK: Job 3:14 - kings // which built

kings : Job 30:23; 1Ki 2:10, 1Ki 11:43; Psa 49:6-10, Psa 49:14, Psa 89:48; Ecc 8:8; Isa 14:10-16; Eze 27:18-32

which built : Who erect splendid mausoleums, funeral monuments, etc. to keep their names from perishing, while their bodies are turned to corruption. Job 15:28; Isa 5:8; Eze 26:20

TSK: Job 3:15 - who filled their houses

who filled their houses : That is, ""the covetous, whom nothing can satisfy,""as the poet Saady has observed, ""but the dust that fills his mouth, when laid in the grave.""Job 22:25, Job 27:16; Num 22:18; 1Ki 10:27; Isa 2:7; Zep 1:18; Zec 9:3

TSK: Job 3:16 - an hidden

an hidden : Psa 58:8; 1Co 15:8

TSK: Job 3:17 - the wicked // the weary // at rest

the wicked : Job 14:13; Psa 55:5-8; Mat 10:28; Luk 12:4; 2Th 1:6, 2Th 1:7; 2Pe 2:8

the weary : Heb. the wearied in strength

at rest : Isa 57:1, Isa 57:2; Heb 4:9, Heb 4:11; Rev 14:13

TSK: Job 3:18 - they

they : Job 39:7; Exo 5:6-8, Exo 5:15-19; Jdg 4:3; Isa 14:3, Isa 14:4

TSK: Job 3:19 - The small // and the servant

The small : Job 30:23; Psa 49:2, Psa 49:6-10; Ecc 8:8, Ecc 12:5, Ecc 12:7; Luk 16:22, Luk 16:23; Heb 9:27

and the servant : Psa 49:14-20

TSK: Job 3:20 - Wherefore // light // the bitter

Wherefore : Job 6:9, Job 7:15, Job 7:16; Jer 20:18

light : Job 3:16, Job 33:28, Job 33:30

the bitter : Job 7:15, Job 7:16; 1Sa 1:10; 2Ki 4:27; Pro 31:6

TSK: Job 3:21 - long // dig

long : Heb. wait, Num 11:15; 1Ki 19:4; Jon 4:3, Jon 4:8; Rev 9:6

dig : Pro 2:4

TSK: Job 3:23 - whose way // hedged in

whose way : Isa 40:27

hedged in : Job 12:14, Job 19:8; Psa 31:8; Lam 3:7, Lam 3:9; Hos 2:6

TSK: Job 3:24 - my sighing // I eat // my roarings

my sighing : Job 7:19; Psa 80:5, Psa 102:9

I eat : Heb. my meat

my roarings : Psa 22:1, Psa 22:2, Psa 32:3, Psa 38:8; Isa 59:11; Lam 3:8

TSK: Job 3:25 - the thing

the thing : etc. Heb. I feared a fear and it came upon me, that which Job 1:5, Job 31:23

TSK: Job 3:26 - yet trouble came

yet trouble came : Job 27:9; Psa 143:11

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Job 3:6 - Let darkness seize upon it // Joined unto the days of the year // Let it not come into the number of the months

Let darkness seize upon it i. e. constant and extraordinary darkness, without the least glimmering of light from the moon or stars.

Joined unto the days of the year i.e. reckoned as one, or a part of one, of them. The night is distinguished from the artificial day, but it is a part of the natural day, which consists of twenty-four hours. Or rather, let it not rejoice among the days , &c. Joy here, and terror, Job 3:5 , are poetically and figuratively ascribed to the day or night with respect to men, who either rejoice or are affrighted in it. Let it be a sad, and as it were a funeral, day.

Let it not come into the number of the months i.e. to be one of those nights which go to the making up of the months.

Poole: Job 3:7 - Solitary // Let no joyful voice

Solitary i.e. destitute of all society of men meeting and feasting together, which commonly was done at night, suppers being the most solemn meals among divers ancient nations. See Mar 6:21 Luk 14:16 Joh 12:2 Rev 19:9,17 .

Let no joyful voice neither of the bride and bridegroom, nor any that celebrate their nuptials, or any other merry solemnity.

Poole: Job 3:8 - That curse the day // Who are ready to raise up their mourning

That curse the day i.e. their day, to wit, their birthday; for the pronoun is here omitted for the metre’ s sake; for this and the following chapters are written in verse, as all grant. So the sense is, when their afflictions move them to curse their own birthday, let them remember mine also, and bestow some curses upon it. Or the day of their distress and trouble, which sometimes is called simply the day, as Oba 1:12 . Or the day of the birth or death of that person, whose funerals are celebrated by the hired mourners, who in their solemn lamentations used to curse the day that gave them such a person, whom they should so suddenly lose; and therefore it had been better never to have enjoyed him, and to curse the day in which he died as an unlucky and execrable day. Or, the day , i.e. the daylight; which to some persons is a hateful thing, and the object of their curses, namely, to lewd persons and thieves, to whom the morning light is even as the shadow of death , Job 24:17 ; as also to persons oppressed with deep melancholy, as it is here implied, Job 3:20 . So the sense is this, They who use to curse the day only, but generally love and bless the night, yet let this night be as abominable and execrable to them as the day-time generally is.

Who are ready to raise up their mourning who are brimful of sorrow, and always ready to pour out their cries, and tears, and complaints, and with them curses, as men in great passions frequently do; or, such mourning men, or mourning women, whose common employment it was, and who were hired to mourn, and therefore were always ready to do so upon funeral occasions; of which see 2Ch 35:25 Jer 9:17,18,20 Eze 30:2 Joe 1:15 Amo 5:16 Mat 9:23 . And this sense suits with the use of the last word in Hebrew writers, of which a plain and pertinent instance is given by the learned Mercer. But because that word is commonly used in another sense for the leviathan, both in this book and elsewhere in Scripture, as Psa 74:14 104:26 Isa 27:1 , and because this very phrase of raising the leviathan is used afterward, Job 41:25 , others render the words thus, who are prepared or ready to raise the leviathan . It is evident that the leviathan was a great and dreadful fish, or sea monster, though there be some disagreement about its kind or quality, and that the raising of or endeavouring to catch the leviathan was a dangerous and terrible work, as is plain from Job 41 . And therefore those seamen who have been generally noted for great swearers and cursers, especially when their passions of rage or fear are raised, being now labouring to catch this sea monster, and finding themselves and their vessel in great danger from him, they fall to their old trade of swearing and cursing, and curse the day wherein they were born, and the day in which they ventured upon this most hazardous and terrible work. Others understand this leviathan mystically, as it is used Isa 27:1 , for the great enemy of God’ s church and people, called there also the dragon , to wit, the devil, whom the magicians both now do, and formerly did, use to raise with fearful curses and imprecations. Not as if Job did justify this practice, but only it is a rash and passionate wish, that they who pour forth so many curses undeservedly, would bestow their deserved curses upon this day.

Poole: Job 3:9 - Let the stars // be covered with thick darkness // Let it look for light, but have none // The dawning of the day

Let the stars which are the glory and beauty of the night, to render it amiable and delightful to men,

be covered with thick darkness nd that both in the evening twilight, as is here expressed, when the stars begin to arise and shine forth; and also in the further progress of the night, even till the morning begins to dawn, as the following words imply.

Let it look for light, but have none let its darkness be aggravated with the disappointment of its hopes and expectations of light. He ascribes sense or reasoning to the night, by a poetical fiction usual in all writers.

The dawning of the day Heb. the eyelids of the day , i.e. the morningstar, which ushers in the day, and the beginning, and consequently the progress, of the morning light, and the day following. Let this whole natural day, consisting of night and day, be blotted out of the catalogue of days, as he wished before.

Poole: Job 3:10 - Because it shut not up // Mother’ s // Nor hid sorrow from mine eyes

Because it shut not up to wit, the night or the day; to which those things are ascribed which were done by others in them, as is frequent in poetical writings, such as this is. Or, he , i.e. God; whom in modesty and reverence he forbears to name. Yet he doth not curse God for his birth, as the devil presaged, but only wisheth that the day of his birth might have manifest characters of a curse impressed upon it. Shut not up the doors ; that it might either never have conceived me, or at least never have brought me forth.

Mother’ s which word is here fitly supplied, both out of Job 1:21 31:18 , where it is expressed; and by comparing other places where it is necessarily to be understood, though the womb only be mentioned, as Job 10:19 Psa 58:3 Isa 48:8 Jer 1:5 .

Nor hid sorrow from mine eyes because it did not keep me from entering into this miserable life, and seeing, i.e. feeling, or experiencing, (as that word is oft used,) those bitter sorrows under which I now groan.

Poole: Job 3:11 - From the womb

From the womb i.e. as soon as ever I was born, or come out of the womb. And the same thing is expressed in other words, which is an elegancy usual both in the Hebrew and in other languages.

Poole: Job 3:12 - Why did the knees prevent me? // Why the breasts that I should suck?

Why did the knees prevent me? why did the midwife or nurse receive me, and lay me upon her knees, and did not suffer me to fall upon the bare ground, and there to lie, in a neglected and forlorn condition, till merciful death had taken me out of this miserable world, into which the cruel kindness of my mother and midwife hath betrayed me?

Why the breasts that I should suck? Why did the breasts prevent me, (which may be fitly understood out of the former member,) to wit, from perishing through hunger, or supply me, that I should have what to suck ? Seeing my mother had not a miscarrying womb, but did unhappily bring me forth why had she not dry breasts? or why were there any breasts for me which I might suck? Thus Job most unthankfully and unworthily despiseth and traduceth these wonderful and singular mercies of God towards poor helpless infants, because of the present inconveniencies which he had by means of them.

Poole: Job 3:13 - Quiet

Quiet free from all those torments of my body and mind which now oppress me.

Poole: Job 3:14 - With kings // Which built desolate places for themselves

With kings I had then been as happy as the proudest monarchs, who after all their great achievements and enjoyments go down into their graves, where I also should have been sweetly reposed.

Which built desolate places for themselves which, to show their great wealth and power, or to leave behind them a glorious name, rebuilt ruined cities, or built new cities and palaces, and other monuments, in places where before there was mere solitude and wasteness.

Poole: Job 3:16 - Hidden // Untimely birth // I had not been // As infants which never saw light

Hidden undiscerned and unregarded.

Untimely birth born before the due time, and therefore extinct.

I had not been to wit, in the land of the living, of which he here speaketh.

As infants which never saw light being stifled and dead before they were born.

Poole: Job 3:17 - There // The wicked cease from troubling // There the weary be at rest

There i.e. in the grave, which though not expressed, yet is clearly implied in the foregoing verses.

The wicked cease from troubling the great oppressors and troublers of the world cease from all those vexations, rapines, and murders which here they procured.

There the weary be at rest those who were here molested and tired out with their tyrannies, now quietly sleep with them, or by them.

Poole: Job 3:18 - The prisoners rest together // in like manner // The oppressor

The prisoners rest together i.e. one as well as another; they who were kept in the strongest chains and closest prisons, and condemned to the most hard and miserable slavery, rest as well as those who were captives in much better circumstances. Or,

in like manner ( as this word oft signifies,) as those oppressors and oppressed do.

The oppressor or, exacter, or taskmaster , who urgeth and forceth them by cruel threatenings and stripes to greater diligence in the works to which they are condemned. See Exo 3:7 5:6,10,13 . Job meddles not here with their eternal state after death, or the sentence and judgment of God against wicked men, of which he speaks hereafter; but only speaks of their freedom from worldly troubles, which is the only matter of his complaint and present discourse.

Poole: Job 3:19 - The small and great // Are there

The small and great i.e. persons of all qualifies and conditions, whether higher or lower.

Are there in the same place and state, all those kinds of distinctions and differences being for ever abolished.

Poole: Job 3:20 - Unto the bitter in soul

Heb. Wherefore (for what cause, or use, or good) doth he (i.e. God, though he forbear to name him, out of that holy fear and reverence which still he retained towards him) give light? either the light of the sun, which the living only behold, Ecc 6:5 7:11 ; or the light of life, as may seem both by the next words, and by comparing Psa 56:13 , and because death is off set forth by the name of darkness, as life by the name of light. These are strong expostulations with God, and quarrelling with his providence and with his blessings; but we must consider that Job was but a man, and a man of like passions and infirmities with other men, and now in grievous agonies, being not only under most violent, and yet continual, torments of body, but also under great disquietments of mind, and the deep sense of God’ s displeasure, and was also left to himself, that he might see what was in his heart, and that all succeeding ages might have in him an illustrious example of man’ s infirmity, and the necessity of God’ s grace to help them in time of need. And therefore it is no wonder if his passions boil up and break forth in same indecent and sinful expressions.

Unto the bitter in soul unto such to whom life itself is very bitter and burdensome. Why doth he obtrude his favours upon those who abhor them?

Poole: Job 3:21

i.e. Desire and pray for it with as much earnestness as men dig for treasure. But it is observable that Job durst not lay violent hands upon himself, nor do any thing to hasten or procure his death; but notwithstanding all his miseries and complaints, he was contented to wait all the days of his appointed time, till his change came , Job 14:14 .

Poole: Job 3:23 - Why is light given? // Whose way is hid // Whom God hath hedged in

Why is light given? these words are conveniently supplied out of Job 1:20 , where they are, all the following words hitherto being joined in construction and sense with them.

Whose way is hid to wit, from him who knows not his way , i.e. which way to turn himself, what course to take to comfort himself in his miseries, or to get out of them; what method to use to please and reconcile that God who is so angry with him, seeing his sincere and exact piety, to which God is witness, doth not satisfy him; or what the end of these calamities will be.

Whom God hath hedged in not with a hedge of defence, like that Job 1:10 , but of offence and restraint, i.e. whom God hath put as it were in prison or pound, or like cattle in grounds enclosed with a high and strong hedge, over or through which they cannot get; so that he can see no way nor possibility to escape, but all refuge fails him.

Poole: Job 3:24 - Before I eat // My roarings // Like the waters

Before I eat Heb. before the face of my bread , i.e. either when I am going to eat, or rather, all the time whilst I am eating, (for so this phrase is used Psa 72:5 , before the face of the sun , &c.; that is, as we translate it, as long as the sun endureth ,) I fall into bitter passions of sighing and weeping; partly because my necessity and duty obligeth me to eat, and so to support this wretched life, which I long to lose; and principally because of my uninterrupted pains of body, and horrors of my mind, which mix themselves with my very meat, and do not afford me one quiet moment. Compare Psa 102:9 .

My roarings i.e. my loud outcries, more befitting a lion than a man, which yet extremity of grief forceth from me. Compare Psa 22:1 32:3 .

Like the waters i.e. with great abundance, and irresistible violence, and incessant continuance, as waters flow in a river, or when they break the banks, and overflow the ground.

Poole: Job 3:25 - The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me

This is another reason why he is weary of his life, and why he repents that ever he was born, because he never enjoyed any solid and secure comfort.

The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me . Heb. I feared a fear , (i.e. a danger or mischief in one kind or other, the act being here put for the object, as joy and love are oft put for the things rejoiced in, or loved, and here fear for the thing feared. Or, I feared with fear , i.e. I feared greatly ,) and it came . Even in the time of my peace and prosperity I was full of fears, considering the variety of God’ s providences, the course and changeableness of this vain world, the infirmities and contingencies of human nature and life, God’ s justice, and the sinfulness of all mankind. And these fears of mine were not vain, but are justified by my present calamities. So that I have never enjoyed any sound tranquillity since I was born; and therefore it hath not been worth my while to live, since all my days have been evil, and full of vexation and torment, either by the fear of miseries, or by the sufferance of them.

Poole: Job 3:26 - Yet trouble came

The three expressions note the same thing, which also was signified in the next foregoing verse, to wit, that even in his prosperous days he never was secure or at rest from the torment of fear and anxiety. Others, I did not misbehave myself in prosperity, abusing it by presumption, and security, and voluptuousness, whereby I might have provoked God thus to afflict me; but I lived soberly and circumspectly, walking humbly with God, and working out my salvation with fear and trembling, little expecting that God would be so fierce an enemy against me.

Yet trouble came Heb. and trouble came , as I feared it would. So between fear and calamity my whole life hath been miserable, and I had reason to repent of it.

Haydock: Job 3:7 - Praise

Praise, by the appearance of the stars, chap. xxxviii. 7. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 3:8 - Day // Leviathan

Day. The nations of Ethiopia, under the line, curse the sun as their greatest enemy. (Strabo xvii.) (Pliny, [Natural History?] v. 8.) ---

They also brave the fury of the leviathan or crocodile, chap. xl. 27., and xli. 1., and Psalm lxxiii. 14. The natives of Tentyra, upon the Nile, were supposed to be a terror to that monster, or they were very courageous in entangling and pursuing it. (Seneca, q. 4. 2.) (Pliny viii. 25.) ---

Leviathan. Protestants, "their mourning." De Dieu rejects this interpretation, substituting "and thou, leviathan, rouse up," &c. The fathers generally understand the devil to be thus designated. Septuagint, "he who is about to seize the great whale," (Haydock) or fish, which they also explain of the conflict of Satan with Jesus Christ." (Origen, &c.)

Haydock: Job 3:10 - Nor took

Nor took. Septuagint, "for it would then have freed my eyes from labour."

Haydock: Job 3:11 - In the

In the. Hebrew, "from the womb," (Haydock) or as soon as I was born. (Calmet) ---

He seems to have lost sight of original sin, (ver. 1.) or there might be some method of having it remitted to children unborn, which we do not know. (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 3:12 - Knees

Knees, by my father or grandfather, Genesis xxx 3. (Homer, Iliad ix.) (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 3:14 - Consuls

Consuls. Hebrew, "counsellors," or any in great authority. Septuagint, "kings, the counsellors of the land, who rejoiced, boasting of their swords." The same word, choraboth, (Haydock) means both swords and solitudes. (Du Hamel) ---

Those great ones had prepared their own tombs, which were usually in solitary places; (Calmet) or they had filled all with their extensive palaces; and removed the people to a distance. (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 3:15 - Houses

Houses, while alive; (Calmet) or their tombs were thus enriched with silver, (Menochius) as this practice was not uncommon, ver. 22. (Josephus, [Antiquities?] xiii. 15.) ---

Marcian forbade it. St. Chrysostom complains it subsisted in his time. (Orat. Annæ.) (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 3:16 - Light

Light; dying in the womb. He expresses a desire that he had been thus prevented from feeling his present miseries and danger of sin. (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 3:17 - Tumult // In strength

Tumult. In the grave they can no longer disturb the world. (Menochius) ---

In strength. Septuagint, "in body." Both heroes and labourers then find rest, (Calmet) if they have lived virtuously. (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 3:18 - Bound

Bound in chains, like incorrigible slaves, (Calmet) or debtors. (Cocceius.) ---

These were formerly treated with great severity, Luke xii. 59. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 3:21 - Not

Not. The feel the same eagerness for death as those who seek for a treasure; (Calmet) and when death is at hand, they rejoice no less than those who discover a grave, in which they hope to find some riches, ver. 15, 22.

Haydock: Job 3:22 - Grave

Grave, full of stores, or the place where they may repose. (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 3:23 - To

To. Why is life given to? &c. The uncertainty whether a man be worthy of love or hatred, (Ecclesiastes ix. 1.) and whether he will persevere to the end, is what fills Job with distress; though we must trust that God will suffer none to be tempted above their strength, 1 Corinthians x. 13. ---

He finds himself surrounded with precipices, and in the dark. (Calmet) ---

So God often tries this faithful servants. (Du Hamel)

Haydock: Job 3:24 - Sigh

Sigh, through difficulty of swallowing, (Pineda) or sense of misery. (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 3:25 - Fear

Fear. In prosperity he feared the assaults of pride. Now he is in danger of yielding to impatience and despair. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 3:26 - Dissembled

Dissembled my sufferings, making no complaint, not only during the seven days that his friends had been with him, but long before. Hebrew and Septuagint, "I was not in safety, nor at rest; neither was I indolent: (Haydock; in the administration of affairs. Calmet) yet trouble came." (Haydock) ---

I have enjoyed no peace, since the wrath of the Lord has found me. (Calmet) ---

In such a situation, Job might well beg to be delivered, (Haydock) and to pray that those things which obstructed his repose in God might be removed; considering them not so much as the works of God, as the effects of sin. (Pineda) (Worthington) ---

In this light he cursed his birth-day, and will no longer look upon it as a joyful and happy day. (Du Hamel)

Gill: Job 3:6 - 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

As for that night,.... The night of conception; Job imprecated evils on the day he was born, now on the night he was conceived in, the returns of it:

let darkness seize upon it; let it not only he deprived of the light of the moon and stars, but let an horrible darkness seize upon it, that it may be an uncommon and a terrible one:

let it not be joined unto the days of the year; the solar year, and make one of them; or, "let it not be one among them" ^c, let it come into no account, and when it is sought for, let it not appear, but be found wanting; "or let it not joy" or "rejoice among the days of the year" ^d, as Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and others interpret it, or be a joyful one, or anything joyful done or enjoyed in it:

let it not come into the number of the months; meaning not the intercalated months, as Sephorno, nor the feasts of the new moon, as others, but let it not serve to make up a month, which consists of so many days and nights, according to the course of the moon; the sense both of this and the former clause is, let it be struck out of the calendar.

Gill: Job 3:7 - Lo, let that night be solitary // let no joyful voice come therein

Lo, let that night be solitary,.... Let there be no company for journeys, or doing any business; no meetings of friends, neighbours, or relations on it, for refreshment, pleasure, and recreation, after the business of the day is over, as is frequently done; let there be no associations of this kind, or any other: in the night it was usual to have feasts on various accounts, and especially on account of marriage; but now let there be none, let there be as profound a silence as if all creatures, men and beasts, were dead, and removed from off the face of the earth, and nothing to be heard and seen on it: or, "let it be barren" or "desolate" ^e, so R. Simeon bar Tzemach interprets it, and refers to Isa 49:21; that is, let no children be born in it, and so no occasion for any joy on that account, as follows; let it be as barren as a flint ^f:

let no joyful voice come therein; which some even carry to the nocturnal singing of saints in private or in public assemblies, and to the songs of angels, those morning stars in heaven; but it seems rather to design natural or civil joy, or singing on civil accounts; as on account of marriage, and particularly on account of the birth of a child, and especially his own birth, and even any expressions of joy on any account; and that there might not be so much as the crowing of a cock heard, as the Targum has it.

Gill: Job 3:8 - Let them curse it that curse the day // who are ready to raise up their mourning

Let them curse it that curse the day,.... Their own day, either their birthday, or any day on which evil befalls them; and now such as are used to this, Job would have them, while they were cursing their own day, to throw some curses upon his; or that curse the daylight in general, as adulterers and murderers, who are said to rebel against the light, see Job 24:13; and as some Ethiopians, who lived near Arabia, and so known to Job, who supposed there was no God, and used to curse the sun when it rose and set, as various writers relate ^g, called by others ^h Atlantes; or it may design such persons who were hired at funerals, to mourn for the dead, and who, in their doleful ditties and dirges, used to curse the day on which the person was born whom they lamented; or it may be rather the day on which he died; hence it follows:

who are ready to raise up their mourning; who were expert at the business, and who could raise up a howl, as the Irish now do, or make a lamentation for the dead when they pleased; such were the mourning women in Jer 9:17; and those that were skilful of lamentation, Amo 5:16; some render the words, "who are ready to raise up Leviathan" ⁱ, and interpret it either of the whale, which, when raised up by the fishermen, they are in danger of their vessels being overturned, and their lives lost, and then they curse the day that ever they entered into such service, and exposed themselves to such danger; or of fish in general, and of fishermen cursing and swearing when they are unsuccessful: some understand this of astrologers, magicians, and enchanters, raising spirits, and particularly the devil, who they think is meant by Leviathan; but it seems best with a little alteration from Gussetius, and Schultens after him, to render the words thus,"let the cursers of the day fix a name upon it; let those that are ready "to anything, call it" the raiser up of Leviathan;''that is, let such who either of themselves are used to curse days, or are employed by others to do it, brand this night with some mark of infamy; let them ascribe all dreadful calamities and dismal things unto it, as the source and spring of them; which may be signified by Leviathan, that being a creature most formidable and terrible, of which an account is given in the latter part of this book; but many Jewish writers ^k render it "mourning", as we do.

Gill: Job 3:9 - Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark // let it look for light, but have none // neither let it see the dawning of the day

Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark,.... Either of the morning or evening twilight; both may be meant, rather the latter, because of the following clause; the sense is, let not these appear to adorn the heavens, and to relieve the darkness of the night, and make it more pleasant and delightful, as well as to be useful to travellers and sailors:

let it look for light, but have none; that is, either for the light of the moon and stars, to shine in the night till daybreak, or for the light of the sun at the time when it arises; but let it have neither; let the whole time, from sun setting to sunrising, from one twilight to another, be one continued gross and horrible darkness; here, by a strong and beautiful figure, looking is ascribed to the night:

neither let it see the dawning of the day; or, "let it not see the eyelids of the morning" ^l, or what we call "peep of day"; here, in very elegant language, the dawn of morning light is expressed, which is like the opening of an eye and its lids, quick and vibrating, when light is let in and perceived; or this may be interpreted of the sun, the eye of the morning and of light, and of its rays, which, when first darted, are like the opening of the eyelids.

Gill: Job 3:10 - Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb // nor hid sorrow from mine eyes

Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb,.... Or "of my belly" ^m, or "womb"; which Aben Ezra interprets of the navel, by which the infant receives its food and nourishment before it is born, and which, if closed, he must have died in embryo; but rather it is to be understood of his mother's womb, called his, because he was conceived and bore in it, and was brought forth from it; and the sense is, that he complains of the night, either that it did not close his mother's womb, and hinder the conception of him, as Gersom, Sephorno, Bar Tzemach, and others, and is the usual sense of the phrase of closing the womb, and which is commonly ascribed to God, Gen 20:17 1Sa 1:5; which Job here attributes to the night, purposely avoiding to make mention of the name of God, that he might not seem to complain of him, or directly point at him; or else the blame laid on that night is, that it did not so shut up the doors of his mother's womb, that he might not have come out from thence into the world, wishing that had been his grave, and his mother always big with him, as Jarchi, and which sense is favoured by Jer 20:17; a wish cruel to his mother, as well as unnatural to himself:

nor hid sorrow from mine eyes; which it would have done, had it done that which is complained of it did not; had it he could not have perceived it experimentally, endured the sorrows and afflictions he did from the Chaldeans and Sabeans, from Satan, his wife, and friends; and had never known the trouble of loss of substance, children, and health, and felt those pains of body and anguish of mind he did; these are the reasons of his cursing the day of his birth, and the night of his conception.

Gill: Job 3:11 - Why died I not from the womb // why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly

Why died I not from the womb?.... That is, as soon as he came out of it; or rather, as soon as he was in it, or from the time that he was in it; or however, while he was in it, that so he might not have come alive out of it; which sense seems best to agree both with what goes before and follows after; for since his conception in the womb was not hindered, he wishes he had died in it; and so some versions render it to this sense ⁿ:

why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? since he died not in the womb, which was desirable to him, he wishes that the moment he came out of it he had expired, and is displeased because it was not so, see Jer 20:17; thus what is the special favour of Providence, to be taken out of the womb alive, and preserved, he wishes not to have enjoyed, see Psa 22:9.

Gill: Job 3:12 - Why did the knees prevent me // or why the breasts that I should suck

Why did the knees prevent me?.... Not of the mother, as Jarchi, but of the midwife, who received him into her lap, and nourished and cherished him, washed him with water, salted, and swaddled him; or it may be of his father, with whom it was usual to take the child on his knees as soon as born, see Gen 50:23; which custom obtained among the Greeks and Romans ^o; hence the goddess Levana ^p had her name, causing the father in this way to own his child; his concern is, that he did not fall to the ground as he came out of his mother's womb, and with that fall die; and that he was prevented from falling by the officious knees of the midwife; that he was not suffered to fall, and be left there, without having any of the usual things done to him for the comfort and preservation of life, which was sometimes the case, Eze 16:4,

or why the breasts that I should suck? since a miscarrying womb was not given, and death did not seize him immediately upon birth, but all proper care was taken to prevent it, he asks, why was there milk in the breasts of his mother or nurse to suckle and nourish him? why were there not dry breasts, such as would afford no milk, that so he might have been starved? thus he wishes the kindest things in nature and Providence had been withheld from him.

Gill: Job 3:13 - For now should I have lain still, and been quiet // I should have slept // then had I been at rest

For now should I have lain still, and been quiet,.... Signifying, that if the above had been his case, if he had died as soon as born, or quickly after, then he would have been laid in the grave, where he would have lain as still as on a bed; for such is the grave to dead bodies as a bed is to those that lie down and sleep upon it; a place of ease and quiet, where there is freedom from all care and thought, from all trouble, anxiety, and distress; nay, more so than on a bed, where there is often tossing to and fro, and great disquietude, but none to the body in the grave, that is still and silent, where there is no uneasiness nor disturbance, see Job 17:13,

I should have slept; soundly and quietly, which persons do not always upon their beds; sometimes they cannot sleep at all, and when they do, they are frequently distressed with uneasy thoughts, frightful dreams, and terrifying visions, Job 4:13; but death is a sound sleep until the resurrection morn, which Job had knowledge of, and faith in, and so considered the state of the dead in this light; death is often in Scripture expressed by sleeping, Dan 12:2; which refers not to the soul, which in a separate state is active and vigorous, and always employed; but to the body, which, as in sleep, so in death, is deprived of the senses, and the exercise of them; on which account there is a great likeness between sleep and death, and out of which a man awakes brisk and cheerful, as the saints will at the time of their resurrection, which will be like an awaking out of sleep:

then had I been at rest; from all toil and labour, from all diseases and pains of body, from all troubles of whatsoever kind, and particularly from those he now laboured under; see Gill on Job 3:17.

Gill: Job 3:14 - With the kings and counsellors of the earth // which built desolate places for themselves

With the kings and counsellors of the earth,.... From whom he might descend, he being a person of great distinction and figure; and so, had he died, he would have been buried in the sepulchres of his ancestors, and have lain in great pomp and state: or rather this he says, to observe that death spares none, that neither the power of kings, who have long hands, nor the wisdom of counsellors, who have long heads, can secure them from death; and that after death they are upon a level with others; and even he suggests, that children that die as soon as born, and have made no figure in the world, are equal to them:

which built desolate places for themselves; either that rebuilt houses and cities that had lain in ruins, or built such in desolate places, where there had been none before, or formed colonies in places before uninhabited; and all this to get a name, and to perpetuate it to posterity: or rather sepulchral monuments are meant, such as the lofty pyramids of the Egyptians, and superb mausoleums of others; which, if not built in desolate places, yet are so themselves, being only the habitations of the dead, and so they are called the desolations of old, Eze 26:20; and this is the sense of many interpreters ^q; if any man desires, says Vansleb ^r, a prospect and description of such ancient burying places, let him think on a boundless plain, even, and covered with sand, where neither trees, nor grass, nor houses, nor any such thing, is to be seen.

Gill: Job 3:15 - Or with princes that had gold // who filled their houses with silver

Or with princes that had gold,.... A large abundance of it while they lived, but now, being dead, were no longer in the possession of it, but on a level with those that had none; nor could their gold, while they had it, preserve them from death, and now, being dead, it was no longer theirs, nor of any use unto them; these princes, by this description of them, seem to be such who had not the dominion over any particular place or country, but their riches lay in gold and silver, as follows:

who filled their houses with silver; had an abundance of it, either in their coffers, which they hoarded up, or in the furniture of their houses, which were much of it of silver; they had large quantities of silver plate, as well as of money; but these were of no profit in the hour of death, nor could they carry them with them; but in the grave, where they were, those were equal to them, of whom it might have been said, silver and gold they had none.

Gill: Job 3:16 - Or as an hidden untimely birth // I had not been // as infants which never saw light

Or as an hidden untimely birth,.... Or "hid, as one born out of time", as Mr. Broughton reads it; the Septuagint use the same word as the apostle does, when he says the like of himself, 1Co 15:8; the word has the signification of "falling" ^s, and designs an abortive, which is like to fruit that falls from the tree before it is ripe; and this may be said to be "hidden", either in the belly, as the Targum, or however from the sight of man, it being not come to any proper shape, and much less perfection; now Job suggests, that if he had not lain with kings, counsellors, and princes, yet at least he should have been as an abortion, and that would have been as well to him: then

I had not been; or should have been nothing, not reckoned anything; should not have been numbered among beings, but accounted as a nonentity, and should have had no subsistence or standing in the world at all:

as infants which never saw light; and if not like an untimely birth, which is not come to any perfection, yet should have been like infants, which, though their mothers have gone their full time with them, and they have all their limbs in perfection and proportion, yet are dead, or stillborn, their eyes have never been opened to see any light; meaning not the light of the law, as the Targum, but the light of the sun, or the light of the world, see Ecc 6:3; infants used to be buried in the wells or caves of the mummies ^t.

Gill: Job 3:17 - There the wicked cease from troubling // and there the weary be at rest

There the wicked cease from troubling,.... At death, and in the grave; such who have been like the troubled sea, that cannot rest, have always been either devising or doing mischief while living, in the grave can do neither; there is no work nor device there; such who are never easy, and cannot sleep unless they do mischief, when dead have no power to do any, and are quite still and inactive; such who have been troublers of good men, as profane persons by their ungodly lives, false teachers by their pernicious doctrines and blasphemies, cruel persecutors by their hard speeches, bitter calumnies and reproaches, and severe usage; those, when they die themselves, cease from giving further trouble, or when the righteous die, they can disturb them no more; yea, a good man at death is not only no more troubled by wicked men, but no more by his own wicked heart, nor any more by that wicked one Satan; there and then all these cease from giving him any further molestation:

and there the weary be at rest; wicked men, either who here tire and weary themselves with committing sin, to which they are slaves and drudges, and especially with persecuting and troubling the saints, shall rest front such acts of sin and wickedness, of which they will be no more capable; or else good men, who are weary of sin, and long to be rid of it, to whom it is a burden, and under which they groan, and are weary of the troubles and afflictions they meet with in the world; and what with one thing and another are weary of their lives, and desire to depart and be with Christ; these at death and in the grave are at rest, their bodies from toil and labour, and from all painful disorder, and pressing afflictions, and from all the oppressions and vexations of wicked and ungodly men; their souls rest in the arms of Jesus, from sin and all consciousness of it, from the temptations of Satan, from all doubts and fears, and every spiritual enemy, by whom they can be no more annoyed: some render the words, "there rest the labours of strength" ^u: such toils are over that break the strength of men; or "the labours of violence" ^w, which are imposed upon them through violence, by cruel and imperious men; but at death and in the grave will cease and be no more, even labour of all sorts; see Rev 14:13.

Gill: Job 3:18 - There the prisoners rest together // they hear not the voice of the oppressor

There the prisoners rest together,.... "Are at ease", as Mr. Broughton renders the words; such who while they lived were in prison for debt, or were condemned to the galleys, to lead a miserable life; or such who suffered bonds and imprisonment for the sake of religion, at death their chains are knocked off, and they are as much at liberty, and enjoy as much ease, as the dead that never were prisoners; and not only rest together with those who were their fellow prisoners, but with those who never were in prison, yea, with those who cast them into it; for there the prisoners and those that imprisoned them are upon a level, enjoying equal ease and liberty:

they hear not the voice of the oppressor; or "exactor" ^x; neither of their creditors that demanded their debt of them, and threatened them with a prison, or that detained them in it; nor of the jail keeper that gave them hard words as well as stripes; nor of cruel taskmasters, who kept them to hard service in prison, and threatened them severely if they did not perform it, like the taskmasters in Egypt, Exo 5:11; but, in the grave, the blustering, terrifying, voice of such, is not heard.

Gill: Job 3:19 - The small and great are there // and the servant is free from his master

The small and great are there,.... Both as to age, and with respect to bulk and strength of body, and also to estate and dignity; children and men, or those of low and high stature, or in a mean or more exalted state of life, as to riches and honour, these all come to the grave without any difference, and lie there without any distinction ^y "little and great are there all one"; as Mr. Broughton renders the words, see Rev 20:12,

and the servant is free from his master; death dissolves all relations among men, and takes away the power that one has legally over another, as the husband over the wife, who at death is loosed from the law and power of her husband, Rom 7:2; and so parents over their children, and masters over their servants; there the master and the servant are together, without any superiority of the one to the other: the consideration of all the above things made death and the state of the dead in the grave appear to Job much more preferable than life in his present circumstances; and therefore, since it had not seized on him sooner, and as soon as he before had wished it had, he desires it might not be long before it came upon him, as in Job 3:20.

Gill: Job 3:20 - Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery // and life unto the bitter in soul

Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,.... That labours under various calamities and afflictions, as Job did, being stripped of his substance, deprived of his children, and now in great pain of body and distress of mind; who, since he died not so soon as he wished he had, expostulates why his life is protracted; for that is what he means by light, as appears from the following clause, even the light of the living, or the light of the world; which though sweet and pleasant to behold to a man in health, yet not to one in pain of body and anguish of mind, as he was, who chose rather to be in the dark and silent grave; this he represents as a gift, as indeed life is, and the gift of God: the words may be rendered, "wherefore does he give light?" ^y that is, God, as some ^z supply it, who is undoubtedly meant, though not mentioned, through reverence of him, and that he might not seem to quarrel with him; the principle of life is from him, and the continuance and protraction of it, and all the means and mercies by which it is supported; and Job asks the reasons, which he seems to be at a loss for, why it should be continued to a person in such uncomfortable circumstances as he was in; though these, with respect to a good man as he was, are plain and obvious: such are continued in the world under afflictions, both for their own good, and for the glory of God, that their graces may be tried, their sins purged away or prevented, and they made more partakers of divine holiness; and be weaned from this world, and fitted for another, and not be condemned with the world of the ungodly:

and life unto the bitter in soul; whose lives are embittered to them by afflictions, comparable to the waters of Marah, and to wormwood and gall, which occasion bitterness of spirit in them, and bitter complaints from them; see Job 13:26.

Gill: Job 3:21 - Which long for death, but it cometh not // and dig for it more than for hid treasures

Which long for death, but it cometh not,.... Who earnestly desire, wistly look out, wish for, and expect it, and with open mouth gape for it, as a hungry man for his food, or as the fish for the bait, or the fishermen for the fish, as some ^a observe the word may signify; but it comes not to their wish and expectation, or so soon as they would have it; the reason is, because the fixed time for it is not come, otherwise it will certainly come at God's appointed time, and often in an hour not thought of; death is not desirable in itself, being a dissolution of nature, or as it is the sanction of the law, or the wages of sin, or a penal evil; and though it is and may be lawfully desired by good men, that they may be free from sin, and be in a better capacity to serve the Lord, and that they may be for ever with him; yet such desires should be expressed with submission to the divine will, and the appointed time should be patiently waited for, and should not be desired merely to be rid of present afflictions and troubles, which was the case of Job, and of those he here describes; see Rev 9:6,

and dig for it more than for hid treasures; which are naturally hid in the earth; as gold and silver ore, with other metals and precious stones; or which are of choice concealed there from the plunder of others; the former seems rather to be meant, and in digging for which great pains, diligence, and industry, are used, see Pro 2:4; and is expressive of the very great importunity and strong desire of men in distressed circumstances after death, seeking diligently and pressing importunately for it; the sin of suicide not being known, or very rare, in that early time, or however was shunned and abhorred even by those that were most weary of their lives: some render it, "who dig for it out off hid treasures" ^b; out of the bowels of the earth, and the lowest parts of it, could they but find it there: but the Targum, Jarchi, and others, understand it comparatively, as we do.

Gill: Job 3:22 - Which rejoice exceedingly // and are glad when they can find the grave

Which rejoice exceedingly,.... Or, "which joy till they do skip again", as Mr. Broughton renders it, and to the same purport others ^d; are so elated as to skip and dance for joy:

and are glad when they can find the grave; which is to be understood either of those who dig in the earth for hid treasure, such as is laid there by men; when they strike and hit upon a grave where they expect to find a booty; it being usual in former times to put much riches into the sepulchres of great personages, as Sanctius on the place observes; so Hyrcanus, opening the sepulchre of David, found in it three thousand talents of silver, as Josephus ^e relates: or rather this is said of the miserable and bitter in soul, who long for death, and seek after it; who, when they perceive any symptoms of its near approach, are exceedingly pleased, and rejoice at it, as when they observe the decays of nature, or any disorder and disease upon them which threaten with death; for this cannot be meant of the dead carrying to the grave, who are insensible of it, and of their being put into it.

Gill: Job 3:23 - Why is light given to a man whose way is hid // and whom God hath hedged in

Why is light given to a man whose way is hid,.... Some of the Jewish writers connect this with Job 3:22, thus; "who rejoice and are glad when they find a grave for a man", &c. but it should be observed that such are said to rejoice at finding a grave, not for others, but for themselves; the words stand in better connection with Job 3:20, from whence the supplement is taken in our version and others; and so it is a continuation or repetition of the expostulation why light and life, or the light of the living, should be given to persons as before described, and here more largely; and Job himself is principally designed, as is generally thought, whose way, according to him, was hid from the Lord, neglected and not cared for by him but overlooked and slighted, and no regard had to the injuries done him, as the church also complains, Isa 40:27; or front whom the way of the Lord was hid; his way in the present afflictive dispensations of Providence, the causes and reasons of which he could not understand; not being conscious of any notorious sin committed, indulged, and continued in, that should bring these troubles on him: or the good and right way was hid from him in which he should walk; he was at a loss to know which was that way, since by his afflictions he was ready to conclude that the way he had been walking in was not the right, and all his religion was in vain; and according to this sense he laboured under the same temptation as Asaph did, Psa 73:13; or his way of escape out of his present troubles was unknown to him; he saw no way open for him, but shut up on every side: or there was no way for others to come to him, at least they cared not for it; he who had used to have a large levee, some to have his counsel and advice, and to be instructed by him, others to ask relief of him, and many of the highest rank and figure to visit, caress, and compliment him; but now all had forsaken him, his brethren and acquaintance, and his kinsfolk and familiar friends kept at a distance from him, as if they knew not the way to him:

and whom God hath hedged in? not with the hedge of his power, providence, and protection, as before; but with thorns and afflictions, and in such manner as he could not get out, or extricate himself; all avenues and ways of escape being blocked up, see Lam 3:7; though, after all, the words may be considered as a concession, and as descriptive of a man the reverse of himself, and be supplied thus; "indeed light may be given to a man", a mighty man, as the word ^e signifies, a man strong, hale, and robust; "whose way is hid", or "covered" ^f; who is hid in the secret of God's presence, and in the pavilion of his power; who dwells in his secret place, and under the shadow of the Almighty, Psa 31:20; who is under the shelter of his providence, preserved from diseases of body, and protected from the plunder and depredations of enemies, and enjoys great affluence and prosperity, as his three friends about him did, and whom he may point at: "and whom God hath hedged in"; as he had formerly set a hedge about him in his providence, though now he had plucked it up; see Job 1:10.

Gill: Job 3:24 - For my sighing cometh before I eat // and my roarings are poured out like the waters

For my sighing cometh before I eat,.... Or, "before my bread", or "food" ^g; before he sat down to eat, or had tasted of his food, there were nothing but sighing and sobbing, so that he had no appetite for his food, and could take no delight in it; and, while he was eating, his tears mingled with it, so that these were his meat and his drink continually, and he was fed with the bread and water of affliction; and therefore what were light and life to such a person, who could not have the pleasure of one comfortable meal?

and my roarings are poured out like the waters; he not only wept privately and in secret, and cried more publicly both to God and in the presence of men, but such was the force and weight of his affliction, that he even roared out, and that like a lion; and his afflictions, which were the cause of these roarings, are compared to waters and the pouring of them out; for the noise these waterspouts made, and for the great abundance of them, and for their quick and frequent returns, and long continuance, one wave and billow rolling upon another.

Gill: Job 3:25 - For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me // and that which I was afraid of is come unto me

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,.... Some refer this to his fears about his children, lest they should sin and offend God, and bring down his judgments on them, and now what he feared was come to pass, Job 1:5; others take in all his sorrows and troubles; which, through the changeableness of the world, and the uncertainty of all things in it, and the various providences of God, he feared would come upon him at one time or another; and this he mentions to justify his expostulation, why light and life should be continued to such a man, who, by reason of his fear and anxiety of mind, never had any pleasure in his greatest prosperity, destruction from the Almighty being a terror to him; Job 31:23; but I think it is not reasonable to suppose that a man of Job's faith in God, and trust in him, should indulge such fears to such a degree; nor indeed that he could ever entertain such a thought in him, nor even surmise that such shocking calamities and distresses should come upon him as did: but this is to be understood not of his former life, in prosperity, but of the beginning of his afflictions; when he heard of the loss of one part of his substance, he was immediately possessed with a fear of losing another; and when he heard of that, he feared the loss of a third, and even of all; then of his children, and next of his health:

and that which I was afraid of is come unto me: which designs the same, in other words, or a new affliction; and particularly the ill opinion his friends had of him; he feared that through these uncommon afflictions he should be reckoned an ungodly man, an hypocrite; and as he feared, so it was; this he perceived by the silence of his friends, they not speaking one word of comfort to him; and by their looks at him, and the whole of their behaviour to him.

Gill: Job 3:26 - I was not in safety // neither had I rest, neither was I quiet // yet trouble came

I was not in safety,.... This cannot refer to the time of his prosperity; for he certainly then was in safety, God having set an hedge about him, so that none of his enemies, nor even Satan himself, could come at him to hurt him:

neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; which also was not true of him before his afflictions, for he did then enjoy great peace, rest, and quietness; he lay in his nest at ease, and in great tranquillity; and thought and said he should die in such a state, see Job 29:18, &c. nor is the sense of these expressions, that he did not take up his rest and satisfaction in outward things, and put his trust and confidence in his riches, and yet trouble came upon him; but this relates to the time of the beginning of his troubles and afflictions, from which time he was not in safety, nor had any rest and peace; there was no intermission of his sorrows; but as soon as one affliction was over, another came:

yet trouble came; still one after another, there was no end of them; or, as Mr. Broughton renders it, "and now cometh a vexation"; a fresh one, a suspicion of hypocrisy; and upon this turns the whole controversy, managed and carried on between him and his friends in the following part of this book.