Job 10 22

Job 10:22 kjv

A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

Job 10:22 nkjv

A land as dark as darkness itself, As the shadow of death, without any order, Where even the light is like darkness.' "

Job 10:22 niv

to the land of deepest night, of utter darkness and disorder, where even the light is like darkness."

Job 10:22 esv

the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness."

Job 10:22 nlt

It is a land as dark as midnight,
a land of gloom and confusion,
where even the light is dark as midnight.'"

Job 10 verses

Job 10 22 Meaning

Job 10:22 describes the realm of death (Sheol/the grave) as Job envisions it, expressing the profound depths of his despair. It is portrayed as a "land of utter darkness," a place of absolute and overwhelming gloom. This realm lacks any inherent order or structure, being a chaotic void. Furthermore, the verse intensifies the sense of bleakness by stating that even light itself, should it exist, is transformed into darkness there. This image reflects Job's longing for cessation of his suffering, even if it means entering a state of absolute non-being, primordial chaos, and the absence of life's fundamental elements.

Job 10 22 Context

Job 10:22 concludes a significant section of Job's first response to his friends (chapters 9-10). Having defended his innocence and expressed his inability to contend with God's overwhelming power and mystery, Job shifts to a deep lament. He views his life as short and fleeting, yearning for a moment of peace before his ultimate departure. This verse is the climax of his despair, where he describes the final destination—Sheol or the grave—not as a place of peaceful rest as might be inferred elsewhere, but as a dreadful, chaotic, and lightless abyss. He wishes for a momentary respite (v. 20-21) before descending into this terrifying, primordial state of existence, which is paradoxically preferable to his current agony. His lament here expresses profound anguish and a sense of absolute hopelessness regarding his earthly existence, pushing the boundaries of traditional understanding of death.

Job 10 22 Word analysis

• A land ('eretz / אֶרֶץ): Refers here not to the physical earth of the living but metaphorically to the underworld, Sheol, the common grave for all humanity. In the Old Testament, the grave is often considered the "land" of no return.
• of utter darkness ('ôphel / אֹפֶל): Denotes the deepest, densest, most profound darkness or gloom. It implies obscurity so thick that it is palpable, often associated with chaos (like pre-creation darkness in Gen 1:2), divine judgment, or the netherworld. It signifies total absence of light.
• as darkness itself (kᵉ'ôphel / כָּמֹהוּ אֹפֶל): The prefix kᵉ (like, as) intensifies the preceding ôphel. This is a superlative expression, emphasizing that the darkness is absolute and inherent to the place. It's not merely dark but quintessentially darkness.
• and of the shadow of death (wᵉtsalmävet / וְצַלְמָוֶת): A composite Hebrew word, tsel (shadow) and mävet (death). It poetically describes the deepest gloom and misery associated with death, or the literal state of being dead/in the underworld. It indicates a place dominated by death's chilling presence.
• without any order (lō'-seder / לֹא סֶדֶר): Literally "no order." seder signifies arrangement, custom, structure, or procedure. Its absence implies complete disorganization, chaos, randomness, or formlessness. This starkly contrasts with the biblical depiction of God as a God of order who brought order out of primordial chaos. In this verse, Job implies that death undoes God's creative order.
• and where the light is as darkness (wᵉya'ēr kᵉ'ôphel / וַתֹּפַע אֹפֶל כָּמֹהוּ): This is a powerful, ironic, and almost oxymoronic statement. wᵉya'ēr comes from the root for "to shine" or "to be light." It suggests that in this land, even the quality or possibility of light (ya'ēr) would not alleviate the gloom but rather merge with it, appearing as profound darkness. This conveys a realm where fundamental principles are inverted, signifying the ultimate negation of life, joy, and divine presence.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "A land of utter darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death": This cumulative description paints Sheol as a realm defined solely by darkness and death. It layers adjectives of gloom to build an overwhelming picture of non-existence, absence of vitality, and cold finality. This portrays death not merely as the end of life but as an active, oppressive state.
• "without any order": This phrase highlights the antithesis of God's creative work. In Gen 1:2, the earth was "without form and void" (tohu wavohu) before God brought order. Job suggests Sheol is a return to this primordial chaos, devoid of structure, meaning, or the organizing hand of God. It reflects the despairing thought that even God's governing principles are absent there.
• "and where the light is as darkness": This chilling phrase pushes the description beyond simple darkness. It's not just the absence of light, but an active corruption of it. If any 'light' were to appear in Sheol, it would only serve to amplify the oppressive gloom, perverting its very nature. It suggests a complete inversion of reality, signifying absolute despair where even hope's flicker turns to desolation.

Job 10 22 Bonus section

The Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) cultural context is crucial for understanding Job's lament. Unlike the more developed Egyptian or Mesopotamian underworld myths with their often-structured realms, judges, and distinct pathways, the early Israelite concept of Sheol was much more nebulous and primitive: a general, unorganized "pit" of descent, often synonymous with silence, forgetfulness, and removal from God's active involvement in the land of the living. Job's depiction of a place "without any order" implicitly critiques or extends this understanding by emphasizing the antithesis of divine creation and order. It's a prime example of Old Testament anthropology's limited initial grasp of the afterlife, underscoring that for the Israelite, true life was in fellowship with God on Earth, not a vibrant afterlife. This sets the stage for the New Testament's radical revelations of life after death and victory over darkness through Christ, particularly as "the Light of the World."

Job 10 22 Commentary

Job 10:22 stands as one of the most poignant expressions of human despair in the biblical text. It presents Sheol not as a comforting resting place but as a terrifying void, the ultimate negation of all that God has established in His creation. Job, suffering beyond human endurance, longs for this terrifying realm, highlighting the extremity of his pain—death, even in its most horrifying description, is preferable to his current agony.

The portrayal of "utter darkness" and "shadow of death" aligns with common Ancient Near Eastern views of the underworld as a dim, dusty, and silent realm. However, Job elevates this despair further with "without any order" and "where the light is as darkness." This concept of absolute disorder, the opposite of God's meticulously ordered universe, indicates a place completely cut off from the divine. It suggests a return to tohu (chaos), implying a reversal of creation itself. The final phrase, an oxymoron, suggests that Sheol is not merely dark, but so inherently deprived that even the very essence of light is corrupted, yielding nothing but more darkness. This profound imagery underscores Job's sense of abandonment and his perception of his impending death as an escape into utter non-existence, untouched by the hand of a God who otherwise orders and illuminates creation. The verse vividly captures the spiritual and existential dread of a man overwhelmed by suffering, who sees death not as rest, but as a descent into primeval chaos and an absolute void of light and meaning.