Job 3 4

Job 3:4 kjv

Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Job 3:4 nkjv

May that day be darkness; May God above not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it.

Job 3:4 niv

That day?may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine on it.

Job 3:4 esv

Let that day be darkness! May God above not seek it, nor light shine upon it.

Job 3:4 nlt

Let that day be turned to darkness.
Let it be lost even to God on high,
and let no light shine on it.

Job 3 verses

Job 3 4 Meaning

Job 3:4 expresses Job’s profound despair, a desire for the day of his birth to be eradicated, to be plunged into utter darkness and forgotten by divine providence. It is an extreme lament, where Job wishes that the very beginning of his existence could be undone, erased from time, and never be acknowledged or illuminated by God. This conveys his overwhelming suffering and the depths of his spiritual and emotional agony.

Job 3 4 Context

Job 3 marks a significant shift in the Book of Job. Following an initial period of patient endurance and worship despite immense loss (Job 1:21-22) and physical affliction (Job 2:10), Job's silence is finally broken. After seven days and nights of his friends sitting silently with him in empathy (Job 2:13), Job unleashes a torrent of anguish, beginning with a curse upon the day of his birth. This verse, therefore, inaugurates the cycles of dialogue between Job and his friends. His words here are not a direct theological treatise but a raw, poetic outpouring of a soul pushed to its utter limits by inexplicable suffering. It expresses the depth of human suffering when confronted with cosmic silence and immense pain, transitioning from reverent acceptance to an agonizing plea for non-existence. This initial lament sets the stage for the arguments regarding divine justice and human suffering that follow.

Job 3 4 Word analysis

• Let that day (י֣וֹם | yôm): The Hebrew term for "day" can denote a specific day, a period of time, or the day cycle itself. Here, in the context of "the day of my birth" from Job 3:1, it specifically targets the calendar date, the moment, and the significance of his very inception into existence. Job's curse aims at the existential root of his life.
• be darkness (חֹשֶׁךְ | choshek): This refers to profound, absolute darkness, not merely the absence of light but a thick, oppressive void often associated with primeval chaos (Gen 1:2) or divine judgment. It evokes the concept of non-creation, a reversal of order and goodness. In Job's mind, his birth should have been shrouded in this oppressive darkness, never coming into being or being perpetually concealed.
• let not God (אַל־יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ אֱלֹהַ֗ | ʾal-yiḏrašēhū ʾělōah):
  • אַל־ (ʾal-): A strong negative particle, expressing a prohibition or a fervent wish that something should not happen.
  • יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ (yiḏrašēhū): From the verb דָּרַשׁ (dāraš), which means to seek, search for, inquire about, care for, or take notice of. Here, it implies God's attentive observation, recognition, or benevolent regard. Job wishes that God would utterly neglect and ignore this day.
  • אֱלֹהַ֗ (ʾělōah): A divine name for God, less frequently used than 'Elohim' or 'Yahweh' in the Old Testament but notably prominent in the Book of Job and other poetic books (like Proverbs and Habakkuk). It often denotes God in His capacity as a supreme, powerful deity, and in this context, might convey a sense of a distant or universally potent divine figure from whom Job desperately wishes separation regarding his birth.
• from above (מִמַּ֥עַל | mippemaʿal): This preposition indicates "from above," emphasizing God's celestial dwelling and His position of authority, observation, and providential governance over all creation. Job wishes that this day be ignored even from God's divine, omniscient vantage point.
• nor let the light (וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע עָלָ֥יו נְהָרָֽה | wəʾal-tōwfaʿ ʿālāyw nĕhārāh):
  • וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע (wəʾal-tōwfaʿ): From the verb יָפַע (yāfaʿ), meaning to shine, radiate, or cause to appear. It's often used for divine manifestations or brilliance. Job pleads for the light not to manifest or illuminate the day of his birth.
  • נְהָרָֽה (nĕhārāh): This noun signifies light, brightness, or effulgence, sometimes implying a bright, glorious light. The term further specifies the kind of light Job wishes to be withheld: a radiant, life-giving illumination often associated with blessing, goodness, and divine favor.

• Words-Group Analysis:
  • "Let that day be darkness": This is an anti-creation statement. Instead of light (Gen 1:3), Job wishes for primordial chaos to reclaim his beginning. It's a desire for his existence to be nullified, pushed back into a state of unformed nothingness and absence of being. It's a radical reversal of the Genesis narrative of order emerging from chaos.
  • "let not God regard it from above": This conveys Job's wish for divine abandonment specifically concerning his genesis. For God not to "regard" or "take notice" of it means for it to be outside of God's providence, care, and memory. It signifies a profound sense of feeling forsaken by God, wishing that even God Himself would ignore and effectively "un-create" his birthday.
  • "nor let the light shine on it": This phrase functions as a parallel intensification of the curse. Light, universally symbolic of life, blessing, joy, and divine presence, is emphatically wished to be absent. It reinforces the desire for complete nullification and oblivion for his birth, preventing any blessing or mark of divine favor from ever touching that day.

Job 3 4 Bonus section

• Polemic against Creation: Job's desire for his birth day to return to "darkness" and be unregarded by "light" from God is a profound anti-creation wish. It reverses the biblical creation narrative in Gen 1, where God brings order from chaos, and light triumphs over darkness. Job's words embody a desire for un-creation, negating the goodness that God pronounced upon His creative acts.
• Lament as Theological Discourse: Job 3 inaugurates the laments of Job, a recognized genre in Hebrew poetry and an essential aspect of worship. Laments allow for radical honesty with God, voicing pain, anger, confusion, and even challenging God (though Job curses his day, not God, directly). This highlights that sincere faith can exist even amidst desperate questioning and anguish, providing a model for addressing overwhelming suffering honestly within a relationship with God.
• Distinction from Job's wife: While Job's wife suggests, "Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9), Job himself does not curse God. Instead, he curses the day of his birth. This subtle yet critical distinction preserves Job's integrity, even in his extreme anguish. He shifts the curse from the Giver of life to the very fact of his own life's beginning.

Job 3 4 Commentary

Job 3:4 is the lament of a man engulfed by unbearable suffering, a visceral cry that reveals the rawest edges of human despair. Instead of cursing God directly, Job curses the day of his birth, articulating an agonizing wish for his non-existence. This verse is not a theological claim but a profound expression of grief, where Job longs for his entry into the world to be negated—shrouded in primal darkness, beyond God's notice, and untouched by life-giving light. It illustrates the permissible limits of lament in the presence of God, where honest, albeit extreme, human emotion is voiced. This deep-seated longing for oblivion underscores Job's torment, contrasting starkly with the divine goodness associated with creation and light throughout Scripture, highlighting the severity of his plight where even existence itself feels like a curse.