Job 17 13

Job 17:13 kjv

If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.

Job 17:13 nkjv

If I wait for the grave as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness,

Job 17:13 niv

If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,

Job 17:13 esv

If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness,

Job 17:13 nlt

What if I go to the grave
and make my bed in darkness?

Job 17 verses

Job 17 13 Meaning

Job 17:13 encapsulates Job's profound despair and resignation, revealing his complete abandonment of earthly hope. He no longer looks for recovery or restoration in life but firmly accepts the grave as his ultimate, permanent dwelling place. The imagery conveys a prepared surrender to death, seeing the darkness of the underworld as the only certain future for his suffering existence.

Job 17 13 Context

Job 17:13 falls within Job's third speech, a desperate monologue expressing profound suffering and a perceived lack of divine justice. Having been ridiculed and condemned by his friends, Job feels utterly alone, forsaken by both God and man. Earlier in chapter 17, Job laments his physical decay, the shattering of his hopes, and his intense isolation. He perceives his life's light turning to darkness (Job 17:12). In this verse, Job concludes that his ultimate hope and only remaining certainty is the grave. This reflects a period of immense psychological and spiritual agony, where death becomes not a feared end, but a settled and expected future dwelling. The broader context of the Book of Job questions why the righteous suffer, examining God's sovereignty and wisdom beyond human comprehension. For the ancient Israelite, Sheol (the grave) was generally understood as a shadowy, subterranean realm, the universal destination for the dead, devoid of activity, light, or interaction with God's world above. Job's resignation to this bleak reality underscores the depth of his suffering, as he prepares himself for an eternal "home" in the realm of absence.

Job 17 13 Word analysis

• If I wait: This translates the Hebrew Im aqqaveh (אִם־אֲקַוֶּ֖ה), which literally means "If I expect" or "If I hope." While "wait" emphasizes patience, "hope" conveys an underlying desire or anticipation. Here, it implies Job has ceased hoping for life and now directs his "hope" or expectation towards death as his only relief. This is a bitter inversion of the biblical concept of hoping in God.
• the grave: From the Hebrew Sheol (שְׁא֣וֹל), a key Old Testament term referring to the realm of the dead, the underworld. Unlike "grave" which can imply a specific burial place, Sheol is the universal dwelling for all the deceased, irrespective of their righteousness. It is depicted as a land of silence, darkness, and no return, representing the absence of earthly life and activity.
• is mine house: Beiti (בֵּיתִ֑י), meaning "my house" or "my home." This phrase denotes personal possession and permanency. Job speaks of Sheol not as a temporary resting place or a generic realm, but as his destined dwelling. This stark personal claim emphasizes his complete acceptance and resignation to this ultimate end, solidifying his identity with the dead.
• I have made my bed: Translated from the Hebrew Yatsati (יַצַּ֣עְתִּי), meaning "I have spread out," "I have prepared," or "I have laid." This action signifies active preparation and acceptance. The imagery of "making one's bed" suggests preparing for sleep, a common biblical metaphor for death (e.g., Ps 139:8). Job is not merely acknowledging death; he is actively embracing it as his final rest, having exhausted all other options for solace.
• in darkness: Bachôshekh (בַּחֹֽשֶׁךְ), refers to profound obscurity and absence of light. In biblical literature, darkness is frequently associated with chaos (Gen 1:2), judgment (Exo 10:21), and the grave (Job 10:21-22). Here, it reinforces the grim reality of Sheol, emphasizing its desolate nature, utterly devoid of the warmth, activity, and clarity of life.

Words-group analysis:

• "If I wait for the grave as my home": This phrase expresses a complete reorientation of Job's life. His future vision is no longer earthly restoration but death's domain as his secure residence. This redefines "hope" not as looking for deliverance from suffering, but as an expectation of final release through death.
• "and make my bed in darkness": This complements the previous thought by illustrating Job's physical and psychological preparation for this inevitable end. "Making my bed" shows acceptance, a readiness for the final 'sleep' of death. "In darkness" powerfully portrays the lifeless, bleak, and silent nature of his anticipated abode. Together, these phrases depict a soul consumed by despair, finding its only solace in the total oblivion of the grave.

Job 17 13 Bonus section

This verse starkly contrasts with Job's earlier, albeit brief, expressions of hope for a future vindication beyond death (Job 14:13-14) or a clear vision of his Redeemer (Job 19:25-27). At this point in Job 17, his present suffering has so overwhelmed him that these flickerings of transcendent hope are overshadowed by an immediate, desperate desire for relief through the universal destiny of humanity: the grave. This oscillating faith underscores the authenticity of Job's struggle, showcasing that even righteous individuals can experience such profound spiritual and psychological distress that death appears to be the only escape. This raw honesty is a core aspect of the book's profound engagement with the reality of suffering.

Job 17 13 Commentary

Job 17:13 presents a desolate portrait of a man utterly consumed by suffering, whose earthly hopes have evaporated entirely. Job, exhausted by his physical afflictions and the incessant, unsympathetic arguments of his friends, articulates his complete resignation to death. He views the grave (Sheol) not as a feared endpoint but as his inevitable and, perhaps, even desired, "home"—a place of permanent residence where his torment will finally cease. The act of "making his bed in darkness" underscores his active mental preparation for this end, symbolizing a ready acceptance of the grim reality of the underworld as his final resting place. This verse is a poignant expression of profound human despair when hope for life has dwindled to nothing, finding its only certain outcome in the silent, dark embrace of the tomb.