Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
Job's wish is that he had never lived, but had been as a stillbirth that perished unseen, as though he had never come into being. The hidden child that never saw light is a picture of death as a state without consciousness, awareness, or activity, in which the dead are as though they had not been. The dead lie still and quiet asleep in the grave, their house of darkness and dust, where the trouble and oppression of the living world are unknown. Sheol, the grave to which all go, is a place of secrecy and silence with no device, wisdom, or knowledge. There small and great lie together without distinction of rank, the wicked cease from troubling, the weary rest, and the servant is free from his master. This is sleep in the grave, not immediate life in heaven or hell, and without a resurrection the dead would never exist again, so they rest in silence until awakened at Christ's return by Him who lives and will call forth the work of His hands.
Job's Lament in Context
Job wished he had never lived, but had been as a hidden untimely birth or stillbirth, as infants which never saw light, as though he had not been. He wished he had died before birth, like a hidden miscarriage that never saw the light, and would then have lain in the quiet rest of death. Unborn children who never saw light are included among those he wished to be like, describing death as a common level where people of every rank meet.
The words were spoken in deep affliction and despair, when he longed to be hidden in the grave. They show how severely trouble can unsettle even a patient person and stir despair. They are classed with trial, despair, and rebellion.
They belong to the early part of Job that sets forth the great problems that have perplexed humanity through all ages, of overruling providence, and of sin and suffering. There God is disciplining Job by bringing him through the fire of affliction while his three friends charge him with sin and declare his sufferings are because of sin. This teaches readers not to misjudge fellow sufferers in the same way.
Death as Unconscious Rest
The hidden untimely birth that never saw light is an image of death and of the condition wished for in death. The death longed for is compared to a hidden stillbirth and to infants who never saw the light, presenting death as the absence of life rather than continued conscious existence, with the dead lying in the grave until they rise. As infants who never saw light had no consciousness, so the comparison presents death as unconsciousness. As those infants had no conscious experience, awareness, or activity, so the dead are without consciousness, without life, and as though they had not been.
The dead lie still, quiet, and at rest, asleep in the grave, and death in infancy is like being a hidden untimely birth that had not been, placed among the descriptions of the dead as at rest. The grave is their house, they have made their bed in darkness, and their rest together is in the dust in silence and darkness. Sheol or hades, the grave where the dead go, is a place of secrecy and silence with no device, wisdom, or knowledge, a state of profound silence and perfect unconsciousness where man rests until rescued by a resurrection. Death is a time of darkness and silence taking the place previously occupied by life.
In that rest the troubles and oppression of the living world are unknown, for the grave is a place of rest beyond them. Death is a common level without distinction of rank, where small and great lie together, including kings, counselors, princes, prisoners, friends and foes, and people of every rank and character. Differences of status no longer matter, the wicked cease from troubling, the weary rest, and the servant is free from his master. The dead in Sheol rest in silence and darkness, not living conscious lives.
The desire expressed is to lie still and quiet in the grave, where the wicked cease troubling and the weary rest, not a desire to die and go to heaven. Death is sleep in the grave, not immediate life in heaven or hell.
Resurrection the Only Hope
If Job had died as a hidden untimely birth, he would have been as though he had never existed, and so it is with the dead: they are as though they had not been, and without a resurrection they will never exist again. Death as Job pictures it is the absence of life, not a continued conscious existence, a state of repose without awareness or activity, the same for friends and foes. The dead lie in silence in the grave until they rise, until they are awakened at Christ's return. They wait there till the heavens be no more, for the grave is their house, they have made their bed in darkness, and their rest together is in the dust.
Job wished he had died before birth, like a hidden untimely birth that never saw light, describing death as lying still and sleeping without awareness, until the hope of seeing God in the flesh at the latter day. With the brevity of human life before him, the burden of his mind was whether recovery from that condition of darkness and silence that takes the place previously occupied by life was possible, leading to his question whether a man who dies shall live again and to his resolve to wait all his appointed time till his change would come at God's call and desire for the work of His hands through resurrection power. He calmly faced death as quiet unconsciousness in the grave for an appointed time because he knew his Redeemer lives and would call him forth at the set time, proving that resurrection is the only door of escape from eternal extinction and the only hope of life beyond the grave.
Sheol or hades, the grave where the dead go, is a place of secrecy and silence with no device, wisdom, or knowledge, a state of profound silence and perfect unconsciousness where man rests in death until rescued by a resurrection. That unconscious rest until rescued by a resurrection stands in wide contrast to paradise in heaven before the throne of God as a place of life, joy, peace and perfect bliss and the future home of the saints.
Job's wish is that he had never lived, but had been as a stillbirth that perished unseen, as though he had never come into being. The hidden child that never saw light is a picture of death as a state without consciousness, awareness, or activity, in which the dead are as though they had not been. The dead lie still and quiet asleep in the grave, their house of darkness and dust, where the trouble and oppression of the living world are unknown. Sheol, the grave to which all go, is a place of secrecy and silence with no device, wisdom, or knowledge. There small and great lie together without distinction of rank, the wicked cease from troubling, the weary rest, and the servant is free from his master. This is sleep in the grave, not immediate life in heaven or hell, and without a resurrection the dead would never exist again, so they rest in silence until awakened at Christ's return by Him who lives and will call forth the work of His hands.
Job's Lament in Context
Job wished he had never lived, but had been as a hidden untimely birth or stillbirth, as infants which never saw light, as though he had not been. He wished he had died before birth, like a hidden miscarriage that never saw the light, and would then have lain in the quiet rest of death. Unborn children who never saw light are included among those he wished to be like, describing death as a common level where people of every rank meet.
The words were spoken in deep affliction and despair, when he longed to be hidden in the grave. They show how severely trouble can unsettle even a patient person and stir despair. They are classed with trial, despair, and rebellion.
They belong to the early part of Job that sets forth the great problems that have perplexed humanity through all ages, of overruling providence, and of sin and suffering. There God is disciplining Job by bringing him through the fire of affliction while his three friends charge him with sin and declare his sufferings are because of sin. This teaches readers not to misjudge fellow sufferers in the same way.
Death as Unconscious Rest
The hidden untimely birth that never saw light is an image of death and of the condition wished for in death. The death longed for is compared to a hidden stillbirth and to infants who never saw the light, presenting death as the absence of life rather than continued conscious existence, with the dead lying in the grave until they rise. As infants who never saw light had no consciousness, so the comparison presents death as unconsciousness. As those infants had no conscious experience, awareness, or activity, so the dead are without consciousness, without life, and as though they had not been.
The dead lie still, quiet, and at rest, asleep in the grave, and death in infancy is like being a hidden untimely birth that had not been, placed among the descriptions of the dead as at rest. The grave is their house, they have made their bed in darkness, and their rest together is in the dust in silence and darkness. Sheol or hades, the grave where the dead go, is a place of secrecy and silence with no device, wisdom, or knowledge, a state of profound silence and perfect unconsciousness where man rests until rescued by a resurrection. Death is a time of darkness and silence taking the place previously occupied by life.
In that rest the troubles and oppression of the living world are unknown, for the grave is a place of rest beyond them. Death is a common level without distinction of rank, where small and great lie together, including kings, counselors, princes, prisoners, friends and foes, and people of every rank and character. Differences of status no longer matter, the wicked cease from troubling, the weary rest, and the servant is free from his master. The dead in Sheol rest in silence and darkness, not living conscious lives.
The desire expressed is to lie still and quiet in the grave, where the wicked cease troubling and the weary rest, not a desire to die and go to heaven. Death is sleep in the grave, not immediate life in heaven or hell.
Resurrection the Only Hope
If Job had died as a hidden untimely birth, he would have been as though he had never existed, and so it is with the dead: they are as though they had not been, and without a resurrection they will never exist again. Death as Job pictures it is the absence of life, not a continued conscious existence, a state of repose without awareness or activity, the same for friends and foes. The dead lie in silence in the grave until they rise, until they are awakened at Christ's return. They wait there till the heavens be no more, for the grave is their house, they have made their bed in darkness, and their rest together is in the dust.
Job wished he had died before birth, like a hidden untimely birth that never saw light, describing death as lying still and sleeping without awareness, until the hope of seeing God in the flesh at the latter day. With the brevity of human life before him, the burden of his mind was whether recovery from that condition of darkness and silence that takes the place previously occupied by life was possible, leading to his question whether a man who dies shall live again and to his resolve to wait all his appointed time till his change would come at God's call and desire for the work of His hands through resurrection power. He calmly faced death as quiet unconsciousness in the grave for an appointed time because he knew his Redeemer lives and would call him forth at the set time, proving that resurrection is the only door of escape from eternal extinction and the only hope of life beyond the grave.
Sheol or hades, the grave where the dead go, is a place of secrecy and silence with no device, wisdom, or knowledge, a state of profound silence and perfect unconsciousness where man rests in death until rescued by a resurrection. That unconscious rest until rescued by a resurrection stands in wide contrast to paradise in heaven before the throne of God as a place of life, joy, peace and perfect bliss and the future home of the saints.