Job 3:19
The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
Original Language Analysis
קָטֹ֣ן
The small
H6996
קָטֹ֣ן
The small
Strong's:
H6996
Word #:
1 of 7
abbreviated, i.e., diminutive, literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance)
וְ֭גָדוֹל
and great
H1419
וְ֭גָדוֹל
and great
Strong's:
H1419
Word #:
2 of 7
great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent
שָׁ֣ם
H8033
ה֑וּא
H1931
ה֑וּא
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
4 of 7
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demo
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern societies had rigid class structures with significant gaps between the powerful and powerless. Job's observation that death eliminates these distinctions was countercultural and radical.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the gospel's elimination of earthly distinctions provide comfort in suffering?
- What does Job's focus on death's equalizing effect reveal about the injustices he perceives in his current suffering?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Job declares, 'The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.' Death abolishes all earthly hierarchies and distinctions. The slave finds freedom from his master not through rebellion or manumission but through death's great leveling. For Job, whose wealth and status have vanished, this equality in death seems preferable to continued life with its painful reversals of fortune. This anticipates the gospel truth that in Christ, earthly distinctions fade (Galatians 3:28).