Job 3:4
Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
Original Language Analysis
הַיּ֥וֹם
Let that day
H3117
הַיּ֥וֹם
Let that day
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
1 of 12
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
הַה֗וּא
H1931
הַה֗וּא
Strong's:
H1931
Word #:
2 of 12
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
יְֽהִ֫י
H1961
יְֽהִ֫י
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
3 of 12
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
חֹ֥שֶׁךְ
be darkness
H2822
חֹ֥שֶׁךְ
be darkness
Strong's:
H2822
Word #:
4 of 12
the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness
אַֽל
H408
אַֽל
Strong's:
H408
Word #:
5 of 12
not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ
regard
H1875
יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ
regard
Strong's:
H1875
Word #:
6 of 12
properly, to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication, to seek or ask; specifically to worship
מִמָּ֑עַל
it from above
H4605
מִמָּ֑עַל
it from above
Strong's:
H4605
Word #:
8 of 12
properly,the upper part, used only adverbially with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc
וְאַל
H408
וְאַל
Strong's:
H408
Word #:
9 of 12
not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
Historical Context
Cursing one's birth day parallels Ancient Near Eastern lament traditions (compare Jeremiah 20:14-18), representing permissible hyperbolic expression of grief rather than literal magical attempts to alter the past.
Questions for Reflection
- Have you experienced suffering so intense that you wished you'd never been born?
- How does Job's honest expression of his feelings model authentic relationship with God?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Job curses the day of his birth, wishing it had been darkness rather than light. The Hebrew 'choshek' (darkness) contrasts with creation's first day when God separated light from darkness (Genesis 1:3-4). Job's wish for his birth day to retroactively become darkness reveals his desire for non-existence rather than continued suffering. This doesn't constitute suicide—Job never takes action against his life—but expresses the legitimate feeling that death would be preferable to agony. Even this God permits in Scripture.