Job 10:21-22 | KingComments | STEP | What Job says in reinforces what he said in Job 3. Here he attributes his birth explicitly – and rightly so, of course – to God ( ; cf. ). However, he is not thankful to God for this act, but complains to Him about it. He should never have allowed his birth to take place. If only he had died in the womb, no eye would ever have seen him in the wretched circumstances in which he now finds himself. Then it would be as if he had never been there ( ). He would have been brought from the womb to the tomb, nameless, and would be buried. Then he would never have known of the torments he now undergoes (cf. ). But he is still alive, and he experiences that life as a long path of suffering on which he has been consciously placed by God. He has only a few days left and then his life is over ( ; ). He wishes that God would stop tormenting him, that He would not continue to do so to the very last moment of his life. He would like to have some rest and joy in the few remaining days before he leaves this life forever (cf. ). If he leaves this life, he will be in the tomb and will never return to earth ( ). The tomb is in “the land of darkness and deep shadow”. It is “the land of utter gloom as darkness [itself]” where darkness is lord and master and “the deep shadow” covers everything ( ). In that darkness every order is lacking, just as it was before the days of creation ( ). There is no order of day and night or summer and winter or heat and cold. There is also no order by age or gender or rank or status. The bones of the dead are gathered together without anyone knowing who they belong to except the omniscient God. The darkness shines there as if it were light. If the light is darkness, how great is the darkness! The light reveals everything, but if the light is darkness, then the darkness itself is extremely dark. The darkness is impenetrable. Nothing is visible in it, there are not even vague contours perceptible so that there might be some recognition.

‏ Job 10:21-22

Job’s Longing for Death

What Job says in Job 10:18-19 reinforces what he said in Job 3. Here he attributes his birth explicitly – and rightly so, of course – to God (Job 10:18; cf. Psa 22:9a). However, he is not thankful to God for this act, but complains to Him about it. He should never have allowed his birth to take place. If only he had died in the womb, no eye would ever have seen him in the wretched circumstances in which he now finds himself. Then it would be as if he had never been there (Job 10:19). He would have been brought from the womb to the tomb, nameless, and would be buried. Then he would never have known of the torments he now undergoes (cf. Ecc 4:2-3).

But he is still alive, and he experiences that life as a long path of suffering on which he has been consciously placed by God. He has only a few days left and then his life is over (Job 10:20; Psa 39:5). He wishes that God would stop tormenting him, that He would not continue to do so to the very last moment of his life. He would like to have some rest and joy in the few remaining days before he leaves this life forever (cf. Psa 39:13).

If he leaves this life, he will be in the tomb and will never return to earth (Job 10:21). The tomb is in “the land of darkness and deep shadow”. It is “the land of utter gloom as darkness [itself]” where darkness is lord and master and “the deep shadow” covers everything (Job 10:22).

In that darkness every order is lacking, just as it was before the days of creation (Gen 1:2). There is no order of day and night or summer and winter or heat and cold. There is also no order by age or gender or rank or status. The bones of the dead are gathered together without anyone knowing who they belong to except the omniscient God.

The darkness shines there as if it were light. If the light is darkness, how great is the darkness! The light reveals everything, but if the light is darkness, then the darkness itself is extremely dark. The darkness is impenetrable. Nothing is visible in it, there are not even vague contours perceptible so that there might be some recognition.