Job 10:21 kjv
Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;
Job 10:21 nkjv
Before I go to the place from which I shall not return, To the land of darkness and the shadow of death,
Job 10:21 niv
before I go to the place of no return, to the land of gloom and utter darkness,
Job 10:21 esv
before I go ? and I shall not return ? to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
Job 10:21 nlt
before I leave ? never to return ?
for the land of darkness and utter gloom.
Job 10 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 7:9-10 | "As the cloud consumes... he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more..." | Finality of death from Sheol in Job's view. |
| Job 14:1-2 | "Man that is born of a woman... cometh forth like a flower... fleeth also as a shadow..." | Brevity and fragility of human life. |
| Job 14:7-12 | "For there is hope of a tree... But man dieth, and wasteth away..." | Contrast between renewal of nature and perceived finality of human death. |
| Psa 6:5 | "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" | Sheol as a place of silence, removed from God's praise. |
| Psa 39:13 | "O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more." | A similar plea for a brief reprieve before death. |
| Psa 49:19 | "He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light." | The dead in Sheol not experiencing light. |
| Psa 88:6 | "Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps." | Description of the grave as a dark and deep place. |
| Psa 88:10-12 | "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise thee...?" | The dead unable to praise God or declare His works. |
| Psa 115:17 | "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." | Emphasizes the silence and inactivity of the dead in Sheol. |
| Eccl 9:10 | "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do... for there is no work... in the grave, whither thou goest." | Finality and inactivity in the grave (Sheol). |
| Isa 38:18 | "For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee..." | Death as preventing praise and hope. |
| Lam 3:6 | "He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old." | Describing a state of utter darkness akin to the ancient dead. |
| Amo 9:2 | "Though they dig into hell (Sheol), thence shall mine hand take them..." | God's omnipresence extends even to Sheol, a theological counterpoint. |
| Psa 139:8 | "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell (Sheol), behold, thou art there." | God's presence everywhere, even in the depths of Sheol. |
| Joh 1:5 | "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." | Light's victory over spiritual darkness (contrasting Sheol's physical darkness). |
| Joh 8:12 | "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness..." | Christ as the bringer of spiritual light and freedom from darkness. |
| Joh 5:28-29 | "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice..." | New Testament revelation of a future resurrection for all in the grave. |
| 1 Cor 15:54-55 | "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption... then shall be brought to pass the saying... Death is swallowed up in victory." | Death is defeated through Christ's resurrection. |
| Php 1:21 | "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." | Death as a spiritual gain for the believer in Christ. |
| Heb 2:14-15 | "That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death... and deliver them who through fear of death..." | Christ freeing believers from the fear and power of death. |
| Rev 21:4 | "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death..." | Future hope where death is abolished. |
| Psa 23:4 | "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." | The tsalmavet (shadow of death) concept extended to perilous life situations. |
| Col 1:13 | "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son..." | Deliverance from the power/realm of spiritual darkness. |
Job 10 verses
Job 10 21 Meaning
Job 10:21 conveys Job's desperate plea for a moment of respite from his suffering before his inevitable departure to the land of the dead. He perceives death as a final, irreversible journey to a place of profound darkness and the very essence of gloom, reflecting the limited Old Testament understanding of the afterlife as a shadowy, silent abode of all departed spirits.
Job 10 21 Context
Job 10 forms a continuation of Job's deeply emotional and desperate complaint to God. Having just asserted his desire for vindication and expressed frustration over God's mysterious dealings (Job 9), Job 10 delves into a poignant lament where he directly addresses God. He questions the divine purpose in his suffering, feeling as if God is pursuing and actively destroying him (vs. 3, 16-17) despite having crafted him with such care (vs. 8-12). Job's view of death in verses 20-22 reflects a typical ancient Near Eastern and early Israelite understanding of Sheol – a land of no return, characterized by darkness and silence. This passage reveals Job's profound sense of despair and resignation to what he believes is his ultimate and inescapable fate. He is pleading for a brief respite, not for healing or a changed circumstance, but simply a temporary ease before entering the finality of the grave.
Job 10 21 Word analysis
before (בטרם, beterem): This word indicates a temporal priority, suggesting a desire for something to happen now because the inevitable future is imminent. It signifies a short, limited timeframe, implying a last wish or opportunity.
I go (אלך, elekh): From the verb הָלַךְ (halak), meaning "to walk, go." It presents death as a journey or an irreversible departure from the realm of the living. It emphasizes Job's personal, direct movement toward this ultimate fate.
whence (ולא, v'lo): Here functioning to introduce the negative consequence, connecting the act of going with its irreversible outcome.
I shall not return (אשוב, ashuv): From שׁוּב (shuv), meaning "to turn, return." The absolute negation ("not return") signifies the finality and irreversibility of death from the Old Testament perspective regarding the physical departure to Sheol. It highlights a key aspect of Job's despair – there is no coming back from this specific destination.
unto the land (אל ארץ, el eretz):
- unto (אל, el): A preposition indicating direction, "to" or "towards."
- land (ארץ, eretz): While commonly "earth" or "country," here it is used metaphorically for the realm or domain of the dead. It refers to the physical place of burial and, by extension, Sheol, the common grave of humanity. It emphasizes a fixed, discernible place, albeit one beyond human experience.
of darkness (חשך, choshekh): Refers to profound darkness, a complete absence of light. In biblical thought, darkness is often associated with chaos, evil, ignorance, affliction, and importantly, death and the underworld. This word paints a picture of a bleak, unseen existence. The Hebrew concept is that light signifies life and God's presence, so choshekh means absence of that.
and the shadow of death (וצלמות, v'tsalmavet):
- and (ו, v'): Conjunction connecting the two descriptions of the land.
- shadow of death (צלמות, tsalmavet): This is a highly poetic and potent compound Hebrew word, combining צל (tsel, "shadow") and מות (mavet, "death"). It describes the deepest, densest form of darkness imaginable – "thick darkness," "gloom of death," or "deathly shadow." It's not just a physical absence of light but conveys the terrifying, overwhelming, and oppressive nature of death and the grave. It suggests a realm where the power of death reigns supreme, characterized by horror and desolation. This term underscores the depth of Job's perceived abyss.
Job 10 21 Bonus section
The repeated emphasis on darkness in Job 10:21 is significant. Choshekh (darkness) refers to a deep, literal darkness, but tsalmavet (shadow of death) goes beyond mere absence of light. It suggests an active, terrifying, and consuming darkness, representing the full horror and oppressiveness of the grave. This intensive description points to Job's profound existential dread, seeing the grave as a place devoid of God's sustaining light and life. The only light that will pierce this ultimate darkness, unbeknownst to Job in his suffering, is the light of God's future revelation and resurrection power, which transforms death from a feared end into a transitional passage for believers. Job's plea highlights the human perspective that longs for comfort in the face of absolute cessation.
Job 10 21 Commentary
Job's desperate appeal in verse 21 encapsulates his profound weariness and the limited theological framework through which he understands the afterlife. His perception of the grave as a "land of darkness and the shadow of death" (Sheol) is a consistent Old Testament portrayal of the destiny of all humanity before Christ's resurrection provided the fullness of revelation regarding life beyond the grave. The finality expressed by "I shall not return" underscores the deep sense of irreversible loss and the ultimate separation from the world of the living, a common lament across ancient cultures. Job seeks a small grace period, a "before I go," a fleeting moment to grasp at some relief, not questioning the inevitability of his fate, but seeking to mitigate its immediate oppressive weight. This verse profoundly highlights the human longing for a respite from suffering and the inherent fear of the unknown that death represents, a stark reality in Job's time that contrasts sharply with the hope and promise of eternal life revealed in the New Covenant through Christ Jesus.