Job 3 15

Job 3:15 kjv

Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

Job 3:15 nkjv

Or with princes who had gold, Who filled their houses with silver;

Job 3:15 niv

with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

Job 3:15 esv

or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.

Job 3:15 nlt

I would rest with princes, rich in gold,
whose palaces were filled with silver.

Job 3 verses

Job 3 15 Meaning

Job 3:15 expresses Job's wish that he had died at birth, desiring to be buried among those of great wealth and power—princes who amassed vast riches of gold and silver. His longing is not to share their past luxurious lives, but to partake in their current state in death: a condition of silent repose and equality, where the distinctions of worldly status and suffering are obliterated. He sees death as an ultimate equalizer, where the mighty and the humble, the rich and the poor, lie together in the stillness of the grave, free from earthly travail.

Job 3 15 Context

Job 3:15 is part of Job’s desperate lament, which begins in chapter 3 after seven days of silent mourning (Job 2:13). Having lost everything—his children, wealth, and health—Job curses the day of his birth, wishing he had never been born or had died immediately after. He envisions different scenarios where death would have brought him relief. Specifically in this verse, he pictures being buried among "princes" and the fabulously wealthy. This context highlights Job’s profound despair and his view of death not as a tragic end, but as a desired refuge and an equalizer where all earthly suffering and status vanish. The historical and cultural context reflects a prevalent ancient Near Eastern understanding of Sheol (the grave/underworld) as a shadowy, quiet realm, where the deceased, regardless of their earthly status, existed in a state of diminished consciousness or total cessation of activity, unable to return or participate in earthly life. Job is not seeking a powerful position in the afterlife, but merely the cessation of his overwhelming suffering in the stillness of the grave shared by all, including the once-mighty.

Job 3 15 Word analysis

• Or: This conjunction (אוֹ - 'o) serves as a disjunctive, connecting Job's current desire with other alternatives already presented in the preceding verses (Job 3:11-14) for how he wished his life had ended. It indicates a continuation of his longing for the tranquility of death.
• with princes: The Hebrew term is שָׂרִים (sarim), the plural of שַׂר (sar), meaning "prince," "chief," "official," or "commander." This word refers to people of high status, authority, and often considerable wealth within a society. Job uses them as an archetype of power and societal prominence.
• who had gold: זָהָב (zahav), referring to gold, the ultimate symbol of wealth, luxury, and prestige in the ancient world. The possession of gold signified great affluence and influence. Job includes this to emphasize the greatness of their past earthly power, now rendered meaningless in death.
• who filled: The Hebrew verb is מָלְאוּ (male'u), perfect tense of מָלֵא (male'), meaning "to be full," "to fill," or "to be complete." Here, it implies an overwhelming abundance, a surplus beyond mere sufficiency, indicating an opulent lifestyle where wealth was amassed in vast quantities.
• their houses: בָתֵּיהֶם (bateyhem), the plural of בַּיִת (bayit), meaning "house," "household," or "palace," with the suffix for "their." This refers to their domiciles, often palatial residences indicative of their status and wealth, serving as storehouses for their riches.
• with silver: כֶּסֶף (kesef), meaning silver. Alongside gold, silver was a primary medium of wealth, commerce, and precious metal. Its inclusion further reinforces the magnitude of the wealth possessed by these princes, emphasizing their extreme opulence.

• "princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver": This phrase together describes the epitome of worldly power, wealth, and accumulated possessions. It is an image of the wealthiest and most influential individuals of their time. The irony is that Job, who was himself immensely wealthy, now yearns to be like them only in their death, where all these material distinctions vanish. It highlights the vanity and ephemeral nature of all earthly possessions and power when confronted with the finality of death. This state of death offers Job the desired respite, which is universal, shared even by the most exalted of men. In death, their stored gold and silver are meaningless, and they share the same fate as all humanity: silence and inactivity in the grave.

Job 3 15 Bonus section

The passage highlights an implicit polemic against the Ancient Near Eastern notion that material wealth and status could grant any advantage or special favor in the afterlife. While some cultures, like the Egyptians, meticulously prepared their dead with riches for an envisioned journey, the Israelite understanding of Sheol, as reflected in Job's words, portrayed a common, shadowy existence where earthly achievements and possessions held no sway. Job's desire is purely for the rest found in that undifferentiated state, a profound spiritual crisis leading him to see death as freedom from present torment, not a transition to reward. This contrasts sharply with New Testament understandings of death as leading to a specific judgment or communion with God for believers, revealing the boundary of Job's ancient perspective.

Job 3 15 Commentary

Job 3:15 presents Job's profound longing for the peaceful anonymity of the grave, desiring to be buried among those who once held supreme power and vast wealth. His lament is not a wish to emulate their earthly glory but to partake in their post-mortem equality. The imagery of "princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver" starkly contrasts the vibrant, active life of the opulent with the stillness and powerlessness of their present state in Sheol. Job envisions death as the ultimate leveler, stripping away all social distinctions and material possessions, rendering kings and commoners alike as silent occupants of the dust. This verse encapsulates a core theme of Job's despair: the yearning for a release from suffering that earthly privilege cannot prevent and the grave universally bestows, nullifying all status and achievement.