Job 3 12

Job 3:12 kjv

Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

Job 3:12 nkjv

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

Job 3:12 niv

Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?

Job 3:12 esv

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse?

Job 3:12 nlt

Why was I laid on my mother's lap?
Why did she nurse me at her breasts?

Job 3 verses

Job 3 12 Meaning

Job 3:12 expresses Job's profound lament and intense desire for non-existence. In his anguish, he questions the very circumstances of his birth and early survival. He asks why he was not permitted to die immediately, bypassing the paternal welcoming ritual of being received on the knees and the maternal act of being nursed, which signify entry into and sustenance of life. His words convey an overwhelming regret for ever having lived, given the unbearable suffering he now endures.

Job 3 12 Context

Job 3 marks a pivotal shift from silent endurance to fervent lament. After enduring immense loss, physical pain, and the arrival of his three friends who sit silently for seven days (Job 2:13), Job finally breaks the silence and curses the day of his birth. His initial words (Job 3:1-10) express a wish that he had never been conceived or that the night of his conception had remained dark. Verse 12 then extends this lament to the moments immediately after birth, wishing he had not been accepted into life. This outpouring of despair sets the stage for the lengthy dialogues between Job and his friends, as his deep suffering causes him to question the very meaning and purpose of his existence. Historically and culturally, children were highly valued as blessings and continuity of family, making Job's desire for non-existence, particularly as an infant, profoundly counter-cultural and indicative of his extreme anguish.

Job 3 12 Word analysis

• Why (לָמָּה, lamah): A rhetorical interrogative, not seeking a factual explanation, but expressing deep anguish, regret, and confusion over a divine allowance or omission. It conveys a desperate "Oh, if only it hadn't happened!"
• did the knees (בִרְכַּיִם, birkayim): Refers to the father's knees. In ancient Near Eastern culture, placing an infant on the father's knees symbolized acknowledgement, adoption, legitimization, and acceptance into the family and lineage (e.g., Gen 30:3, Gen 48:12). It was a ceremonial act of welcome.
• receive me (קִדְּמוּנִי, qidměmuni): From the root qadam (to meet, go before, anticipate). Here, it means to "receive" or "welcome." Job regrets this act of intentional reception into life.
• Or why (וּמַה, ummah): Similar to "why," linking the next aspect of his infant care to his overall lament.
• the breasts (שָׁדַיִם, shadayim): The dual form of "breast," indicating both. These are the source of life-sustaining milk. This represents the maternal nourishment and care crucial for an infant's survival.
• that I should nurse (אִינְקֶה, inqe): From the root yanaq (to suck). This refers to the act of an infant suckling for sustenance, a fundamental process of beginning life and physical growth. Job wishes he had been denied this vital act.

Words-group analysis:

• "Why did the knees receive me?": This phrase laments the initial social and familial acceptance into life. Job is regretting the ceremonial acknowledgement of his personhood and integration into the human community from a paternal perspective, wishing he had been an unacknowledged non-entity from the outset.
• "Or why the breasts that I should nurse?": This phrase laments the very physical sustenance and nurturing that ensured his survival post-birth. From a maternal perspective, Job regrets the biological processes that kept him alive, wishing he had been deprived of the essential nourishment.
• Juxtaposition of "knees" and "breasts": The verse contrasts the "knees" (symbolizing paternal welcome and societal legitimization) with the "breasts" (symbolizing maternal sustenance and biological survival). This covers the entire scope of a child's foundational experiences, demonstrating Job's comprehensive rejection of his entry into life from all angles—socially, legally, and biologically. It emphasizes the totality of his despair and desire for non-existence, regretting both being recognized as human and being nourished to live.

Job 3 12 Bonus section

• The rhetorical "Why?" implies that there is no satisfactory answer for Job in his current state, only an overwhelming sense of cosmic injustice and pain.
• Job's profound sorrow allows for an authentic lament, showcasing that deep emotional distress, even bordering on questioning life's intrinsic value, can be brought before the Divine.
• The detail of "knees" and "breasts" underscores that Job’s regret is comprehensive, covering every facet of his initial introduction to life—the social/familial welcoming and the basic physical means of survival. He leaves no stone unturned in expressing his wish to have never been.

Job 3 12 Commentary

Job 3:12 is a profoundly raw and honest expression of existential despair. It's not a direct accusation against God at this point, but a deeply personal curse on his own existence. Job feels his suffering is so unbearable that even non-existence, or death at the moment of birth, would have been infinitely preferable. His specific reference to the "knees" and "breasts" highlights the completeness of his regret: he wishes he had not been recognized and accepted into his family or sustained biologically as an infant. This underscores the intensity of his agony, as wishing for infant death contradicts the universal human instinct to preserve life and value new beginnings. His lament here prefigures deeper questions about the nature of suffering, justice, and divine sovereignty, serving as a powerful opening to the book's central theological dilemma. It offers comfort by showing that even a righteous man can vocalize such intense, desperate feelings to God without immediate condemnation.