Job has lost everything, except for an angry wife and a few grieving friends. He is also now suffering from a skin disease, with painful sores. The reader has been allowed to see a supernatural scene in God's presence that explains Job's suffering but this explanation is hidden from the mortals, Job and his friends. For the rest of the book, our scene is on earth, around Job.
Job 3:1-10, Birth cursed
After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. He said:
"May the day of my birth perish,
and the night it was said, `A boy is born!'
That day--may it turn to darkness;
may God above not care about it;
may no light shine upon it.
May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more;
may a cloud settle over it;
may blackness overwhelm its light.
That night--may thick darkness seize it;
may it not be included among the days of the year
nor be entered in any of the months.
May that night be barren;
may no shout of joy be heard in it.
May those who curse days curse that day,
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan.
May its morning stars become dark;
may it wait for daylight in vain
and not see the first rays of dawn,
for it did not shut the doors of the womb on me
to hide trouble from my eyes.
Job's suffering now makes him wish he had never been born. In a string of poetic stanzas, he curses the day of his birth (verses 3-5) and the night of his conception (verses 6-10.) In verse 3, this version of the NIV translates the Hebrew is verse 3 as "a boy is born" but a different version of the NIV (see Job 3: 3) translates the phrase as "a boy is conceived." The Hebrew word harah often means "is pregnant". Both commentators Hartley and Ash say we are to read into this a reversal of Genesis 1: 3-5, where the first night and day separated light from darkness. Job wants the the night of his conception and the day of his birth to be erased; he wants darkness and light to return into the chaos before the First Day.
Job 3:11-12, Mother's knees and breasts
"Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?
Why were there knees to receive me
and breasts that I might be nursed?
Job goes back to the very act of birth and asks why he was supported and fed.
Job 3:13-15, Asleep in the grave
For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest
with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,
with rulers who had gold,
who filled their houses with silver.
Had he not been born, Job would now be just like the wealthiest of dead kings. Same, same, same, all asleep and at rest.
Job 3:16-19, The tomb
Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a stillborn child,
like an infant who never saw the light of day?
There the wicked cease from turmoil,
and there the weary are at rest.
Captives also enjoy their ease;
they no longer hear the slave driver's shout.
The small and the great are there,
and the slave is freed from his master.
Job repeats this theme -- in the grave all are freed from the turmoils of life. Had he been stillborn or a miscarriage, he would have been forever free of this turmoil. This same cessation frees the wicked, the weary, the captives, small and great.
Job 3:20-22, Bitter life
"Why is light given to those in misery,
and life to the bitter of soul,
to those who long for death that does not come,
who search for it more than for hidden treasure,
who are filled with gladness
and rejoice when they reach the grave?
"Why? Why?" asks Job, "Why is there bitter life?" Job longs for the rest of the grave. He gives an image of people desiring the grave and rejoicing when they get there.
Wishing that one had never been born is different, says Hartley, than considering suicide. To the ancients, suicide would demonstrate a loss in faith in God. (Compare with his wife's suggestion in Job 2:9.) Job does not curse God but does indeed curse the day of his birth, wishing he had not had to endure the life he has.
Job 3:23-26, No peace, no rest
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden,
whom God has hedged in?
For sighing comes to me instead of food;
my groans pour out like water.
What I feared has come upon me;
what I dreaded has happened to me.
I have no peace, no quietness;
I have no rest, but only turmoil."
Job repeats the refrain. He feared the loss of everything; he fears a life filled with pain and turmoil. He had feared the lost of his family -- thus the regular sacrifices -- and it did indeed come to pass.
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