“Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,
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“Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,
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Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
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Wherewith is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul —
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Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Job 3:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 20:18 Why did I come out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
- Job 7:15-16 so that my soul chooses strangling, death rather than my bones. I loathe my life. I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
- 1 Samuel 1:10 She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Yahweh, weeping bitterly.
- Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish, and wine to the bitter in soul.
- 2 Kings 4:27 When she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, “Leave her alone; for her soul is troubled within her; and Yahweh has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”
- Job 3:16 or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants who never saw light.
- Job 6:9 even that it would please God to crush me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
- Job 33:30 to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
- Job 33:28 He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life will see the light.’
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain He showeth that the benefits of God are not…
He showeth that the benefits of God are not comfortable, expect the heart be joyful, and the conscience quieted.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Job 3:20 Wherefore is light given to him that…
Job 3:20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter [in] soul;
Ver. 20. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery] Job hath not done yet, though he had said more than enough of this matter; but for want of the oil of joy and gladness his doors move not without creaking, his lips (like rusty hinges) open not without murmuring and complaining: good, therefore, is that counsel given by David, Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; take up in time, before it hath wholly leavened and soured you: "Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil," Psa 37:8. He shall not choose but do evil who is sick of the fret. David had the sad experience of this when he had carted the ark, and thereupon God had made a breach upon Uzzah: David was displeased, saith the text; and how untowardly spake he, as if the fault were more in God than in himself; though afterwards he came to a sight of his own error, 1Ch 13:11; 1Ch 15:2. And so did Job, no doubt, when come to himself; but here he proceeds to express his peevishness and impatience, yea, against God himself (though not by name, forsan sese cohibens - ob bonae mentis reliquias, saith Mercer, out of his good respect to God, which he still retained), and calls for a reason why the miserable should be condemned to live, since death would be much more welcome to them. How apt are men to think there is no reason for that for which they can see no reason!
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Heb. Wherefore (for what cause, or use, or good)…
Heb. Wherefore (for what cause, or use, or good) doth he (i.e. God, though he forbear to name him, out of that holy fear and reverence which still he retained towards him) give light? either the light of the sun, which the living only behold, Ecc 6:5; 7:11; or the light of life, as may seem both by the next words, and by comparing Psa 56:13, and because death is off set forth by the name of darkness, as life by the name of light. These are strong expostulations with God, and quarrelling with his providence and with his blessings; but we must consider that Job was but a man, and a man of like passions and infirmities with other men, and now in grievous agonies, being not only under most violent, and yet continual, torments of body, but also under great disquietments of mind, and the deep sense of God’s displeasure, and was also left to himself, that he might see what was in his heart, and that all succeeding ages might have in him an illustrious example of man’s infirmity, and the necessity of God’s grace to help them in time of need. And therefore it is no wonder if his passions boil up and break forth in same indecent and sinful expressions.
Unto the bitter in soul; unto such to whom life itself is very bitter and burdensome. Why doth he obtrude his favours upon those who abhor them?
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Job, finding it to no purpose to wish either…
Job, finding it to no purpose to wish either that he had not been born or had died as soon as he was born, here complains that his life was now continued and not cut off. When men are set on quarrelling there is no end of it; the corrupt heart will carry on the humour. Having cursed the day of his birth, here he courts the day of his death. The beginning of this strife and impatience is as the letting forth of water.
I. He thinks it hard, in general, that miserable lives should be prolonged (Job 3:20-22): Wherefore is light in life given to those that are bitter in soul? Bitterness of soul, through spiritual grievances, makes life itself bitter. Why doth he give light? (so it is in the original): he means God, yet does not name him, though the devil had said, "He will curse thee to thy face;" but he tacitly reflects on the divine Providence as unjust and unkind in continuing life when the comforts of life are removed. Life is called light, because pleasant and serviceable for walking and working. It is candle-light; the longer it burns the shorter it is, and the nearer to the socket. This light is said to be given us; for, if it were not daily renewed to us by a fresh gift, it would be lost. But Job reckons that to those who are in misery it is dōron adōron - gift and no gift, a gift that they had better be without, while the light only serves them to see their own misery by. Such is the vanity of human life that it sometimes becomes a vexation of spirit; and so alterable is the property of death that, though dreadful to nature, it may become desirable even to nature itself. He here speaks of those, 1. Who long for death, when they have out-lived their comforts and usefulness, are burdened with age and infirmities, with pain or sickness, poverty or disgrace, and yet it comes not; while, at the same time, it comes to many who dread it and would put it far from them. The continuance and period of life must be according to God's will, not according to ours. It is not fit that we should be consulted how long we would live and when we would die; our times are in a better hand than our own. 2. Who dig for it as for hidden treasures, that is, would give any thing for a fair dismission out of this world, which supposes that then the thought of men's being their own executioners was not so much as entertained or suggested, else those who longed for it needed not take much pains for it, they might soon come at it (as Seneca tells them) if they are pleased. 3. Who bid it welcome, and are glad when they can find the grave and see themselves stepping into it. If the miseries of this life can prevail, contrary to nature, to make death itself desirable, shall not much more the hopes and prospects of a better life, to which death is our passage, make it so, and set us quite above the fear of it? It may be a sin to long for death, but I am sure it is no sin to long for heaven.
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II. He thinks himself, in particular, hardly dealt with, that he might not be eased of his pain and misery by death when he could not get ease in any other way. To be thus impatient of life for the sake of the troubles we meet with is not only unnatural in itself, but ungrateful to the giver of life, and argues a sinful indulgence of our own passion and a sinful inconsideration of our future state. Let it be our great and constant care to get ready for another world, and then let us leave it to God to order the circumstances of our removal thither as he thinks fit: "Lord, when and how thou pleasest;" and this with such an indifference that, if he should refer it to us, we would refer it to him again. Grace teaches us, in the midst of life's greatest comforts, to be willing to die, and, in the midst of its greatest crosses, to be willing to live. Job, to excuse himself in this earnest desire which he had to die, pleads the little comfort and satisfaction he had in life.
1. In his present afflicted state troubles were continually felt, and were likely to be so. He thought he had cause enough to be weary of living, for, (1.) He had no comfort of his life: My sighing comes before I eat, Job 3:24. The sorrows of life prevented and anticipated the supports of life; nay, they took away his appetite for his necessary food. His griefs returned as duly as his meals, and affliction was his daily bread. Nay, so great was the extremity of his pain and anguish that he did not only sigh, but roar, and his roarings were poured out like the waters in a full and constant stream. Our Master was acquainted with grief, and we must expect to be so too. (2.) He had no prospect of bettering his condition: His way was hidden, and God had hedged him in, Job 3:23. He saw no way open of deliverance, nor knew he what course to take; his way was hedged up with thorns, that he could not find his path. See Job 23:8; Lam 3:7.
2. Even in his former prosperous state troubles were continually feared; so that then he was never easy, Job 3:25, Job 3:26. He knew so much of the vanity of the world, and the troubles to which, of course, he was born, that he was not in safety, neither had he rest then. That which made his grief now the more grievous was that he was not conscious to himself of any great degree either of negligence or security in the day of his prosperity, which might provoke God thus to chastise him. (1.) He had not been negligent and unmindful of his affairs, but kept up such a fear of trouble as was necessary to the maintaining of his guard. He was afraid for his children when they were feasting, lest they should offend God (Job 1:5), afraid for his servants lest they should offend his neighbours; he took all the care he could of his own health, and managed himself and his affairs with all possible precaution; yet all would not do. (2.) He had not been secure, nor indulged himself in ease and softness, had not trusted in his wealth, nor flattered himself with the hopes of the perpetuity of his mirth; yet trouble came, to convince and remind him of the vanity of the world, which yet he had not forgotten when he lived at ease. Thus his way was hidden, for he knew not wherefore God contended with him. Now this consideration, instead of aggravating his grief, might rather serve to alleviate it. Nothing will make trouble easy so much as the testimony of our consciences for us, that, in some measure, we did our duty in a day of prosperity; and an expectation of trouble will make it sit the lighter when it comes. The less it is a surprise the less it is a terror.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Wherefore is light given to him that is in…
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,.... That labours under various calamities and afflictions, as Job did, being stripped of his substance, deprived of his children, and now in great pain of body and distress of mind; who, since he died not so soon as he wished he had, expostulates why his life is protracted; for that is what he means by light, as appears from the following clause, even the light of the living, or the light of the world; which though sweet and pleasant to behold to a man in health, yet not to one in pain of body and anguish of mind, as he was, who chose rather to be in the dark and silent grave; this he represents as a gift, as indeed life is, and the gift of God: the words may be rendered, "wherefore does he give light?" (y) that is, God, as some (z) supply it, who is undoubtedly meant, though not mentioned, through reverence of him, and that he might not seem to quarrel with him; the principle of life is from him, and the continuance and protraction of it, and all the means and mercies by which it is supported; and Job asks the reasons, which he seems to be at a loss for, why it should be continued to a person in such uncomfortable circumstances as he was in; though these, with respect to a good man as he was, are plain and obvious: such are continued in the world under afflictions, both for their own good, and for the glory of God, that their graces may be tried, their sins purged away or prevented, and they made more partakers of divine holiness; and be weaned from this world, and fitted for another, and not be condemned with the world of the ungodly:
and life unto the bitter in soul; whose lives are embittered to them by afflictions, comparable to the waters of Marah, and to wormwood and gall, which occasion bitterness of spirit in them, and bitter complaints from them; see Job 13:26.
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(y) "quare dat", Cocceius, Schmidt, Schultens, Michaelis. (z) So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. vid. Schultens in loc.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Light - The light of life. Bitter - Unto…
Light - The light of life. Bitter - Unto those to whom life itself is bitter and burdensome. Life is called light, because it is pleasant and serviceable for walking and working; and this light is said to be given us, because it would be lost, if it were not daily renewed to us by a fresh gift.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. Wherefore is light given] Why is life…
Verse 20. Wherefore is light given] Why is life granted to him who is incapable of enjoying it, or of performing its functions?
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Job 3:20. Wherefore is light given — למה יתן,…
Job 3:20. Wherefore is light given — למה יתן, lama jitten; why doth he give, or hath he given, light, namely, the light of life, to him that is in misery, whose life is a scene of sorrow and distress, loaded and pressed with numberless calamities? and life unto the bitter in soul — Unto those whose life itself is very bitter and burdensome, whose souls are full of heaviness, being overpowered with the weight of affliction? Why doth he obtrude his favours upon those that abhor them?
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Wherefore is light given to him that is in…
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery? - The word “light” here is used undoubtedly to denote “life.” This verse commences a new part of Job’s complaint. It is that God keeps people alive who would prefer to die; that he furnishes them with the means of sustaining existence, and actually preserves them, when they would consider it an inestimable blessing to expire. Schultens remarks, on this part of the chapter, that the tone of Job’s complaint is considerably modified. He has given vent to his strong feelings, and the language here is more mild and gentle. Still it implies a reflection on God. It is not the language of humble submission. It contains an implied charge of cruelty and injustice; and it laid the foundation for some of the just reproofs which follow.
And life unto the bitter in soul - Who are suffering bitter grief. We use the word “bitter” yet to denote great grief and pain.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain HE COMPLAINS OF LIFE BECAUSE OF HIS ANGUISH. (Job…
HE COMPLAINS OF LIFE BECAUSE OF HIS ANGUISH. (Job 3:20-26)
Wherefore giveth he light--namely, God; often omitted reverentially (Job 24:23; Ecc 9:9). Light, that is, life. The joyful light ill suits the mourners. The grave is most in unison with their feelings.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain Third long strophe — THE IMPENETRABLE MYSTERIOUSNESS OF A…
Third long strophe — THE IMPENETRABLE MYSTERIOUSNESS OF A LIFE OF MISERY, Job_3:20-26.
a. Why is life given to the wretched, when death is so much to be preferred? Job_3:20-22.
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20. Wherefore is light given — Literally, Wherefore doth he give light? which is far more expressive. The poet omits the name of deity, either because of secret misgiving as to the propriety of asking such a question, or because, in the bitterness of his heart, he grudges to name God. In the same manner, Adam, sullenly referring to his wife, (Gen_3:12,) calls her she, not deigning to mention the once dear name, Eve. Hirtzel, however, adduces many passages where, in like manner, Job omits the name of God. (Job_8:18; Job_12:13; Job_16:7; Job_20:23; Job_22:21; Job_24:22-23, etc.; also Pro_10:24.) Notwithstanding, this significant silence — at least an incipient suspense of faith — already shadows forth the fierce storm in which passion will more directly arraign the ways of God. The most that Job now does, is to intimate that God is at the base of a scheme that thrusts life upon those who are too wretched to live. The poet (Longfellow) has truly sung —
“This life of ours is a wild Eolian harp of many a joyous strain,
Yet under them all there runs a loud perpetual wail, as of souls in pain.”
Why has life been given to such? The question cannot be answered apart from belief in another life. The only key which unlocks the mystery of existence is that which faith proffers. This life is meant for soul-discipline. It is a brief but sharp tutelage for the true existence, which commences with death. (See an able sermon by Dr. Olin on “Life Inexplicable Except as a Probation,” page 28.)
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. Wherefore is light given] This is a possible…
20. Wherefore is light given] This is a possible translation, but more probably we should render, wherefore gives He light? the Author of light and life being alluded to obliquely and not named. The bitter is plur., those that are bitter in soul. Job’s eye looks over mankind and sees many in the same condition of misery as himself. Comp. ch. Job_7:1 seq.
20–26. Why does God continue life to the wretched, who long for death?
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The vision of the peacefulness of death passes away, and Job awakens again to the consciousness of his real condition, and his words, which had sunk into calmness as he contemplated the peace of death, now seem to rise again like the storm after a lull, Wherefore gives He light to him that is in misery? He does not name though he alludes to God, and the indirect reference though partly due to reverence betrays a rising alienation in his heart. His question is one of anguish and impatience. His own condition throws its gloom over all human life, and he puts the question first generally, Job_3:20-22; there are many like him seeking death and unable to find it, who would exult for joy if they could find the grave. Then he comes to the individual, Job_3:23, meaning himself, Wherefore gives He life to the man whose way is hid? the man who cannot see and cannot move, who can discover no solution of the riddle of his life, and find no course of action to relieve himself, who lies in the grasp of a calamity which has too surely come from God, and which has introduced confusion among all the principles of religion which he has hitherto held and into the relation to God in which he has hitherto stood, Job_3:23. And finally he adds some touches to the picture of his misery, his constant moaning, and the unbroken succession of troubles that afflict him, which come so thick that he has no respite from one before another overtakes him, Job_3:24-26.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (20) Wherefore is light given.—Comp. the connection between life…
(20) Wherefore is light given.—Comp. the connection between life and light in Psa_36:9 and Joh_1:4.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Wherefore is light given to him that is in…
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery? Why, Job asks, is the miserable man forced to continue on the earth and see the light to-day? Why is he not sent down at once to the darkness of the grave? Surely this would have been better. Man often speaks as if he were wiser than his Maker, and could have much improved the system of the universe, if he had had the arranging of it; but he scarcely means what he says commonly. Such talk is, however, foolish, as is all captious questioning concerning the ways of God. The proper answer to all such questioning is well given by Zophar in Job_11:7, Job_11:8, "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell (Sheol); what canst thou know?" And life unto the bitter in soul (see the comment on ver. 11, ad fin. ).
Vers. 20-26. The stricken patriarch"s lament: 3. Desiring his death.
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I DOLEFUL LAMENTATION. Job pitifully wails forth that his soul was in bitterness because of:
1. The miseries of life. Which he depicts as:
(1) inward trouble; not merely bodily pain, but mental anguish, bitterness of soul (ver. 20); the acutest form of all distress. (Pro_18:14; cf. "Macbeth," act 5. sc. 3)
(2) Constant trouble, which came to him as regularly as his daily bread: "My sighing cometh before I eat". (cf. Psa_80:5 Isa 30-20)
(3) Abundant trouble, like the gushing forth of waters: "My roarings are poured out like the waters" (ver. 24) a frequent image for affliction. (cf. 2Sa_22:17 Psa_42:7 Psa_88:7)
(4) Paralyzing trouble, terror overtaking him the moment he thought of it: "I feared a fear, and it came upon me" (ver. 25; cf. "He that but fearer etc., "Henry IV," pt. 2,ac 1. sc. 1).
(5) Superfluous trouble; i.e. his misery had not sprung upon him revelling in sinful and luxurious ease, which might have afforded some justification for so appalling a visitation as had overtaken him; but when already he was a stricken man, another and a greater sorrow leapt forth upon him: "I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came" (ver. 26).
2. The perplexities of providence. To these he alludes when he describes himself as a man "whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in" (ver. 23). The term "way" is often put for course of life; (Psa_1:6 Pro_4:19 Isa_26:7 Jer_10:23) and a man"s way may be said to be hid (i.e. to himself) when either its future character is concealed from his perception, or the reason for its present shape is not understood. Now, to all men a veil inscrutable separates the future, the immediate no less than the remote, from the present. (Pro_27:1 Jam_4:14) The special ground of complaint felt by Job was, not so much that he had been subjected to adversity, but that he could not discern the reason of God"s mysterious dealings with him; that his sufferings so engirt him like a lofty wall, that he not only knew not which way to turn, but that he failed to discover any way to turn. The like perplexity has frequently been experienced by God"s people. (of Jer_12:1 Psa_42:5 Psa_73:2 Lam_3:7) But it is unreasonable to expect that God"s ways should be perfectly patent to the finite understanding. Man cannot always fathom the purposes or comprehend the plans of his fellow-creatures: how much less should he think to gauge the counsel of him whose wisdom is "fold over fold"; (Job_11:6) or discern the reason of every dark dispensation that is measured out by him whose judgments are a great deep! (Psa_36:6) Hence God charges his saints, when they see that clouds and darkness surround his throne, that his footsteps are in the sea, and that his way is not known, to preserve their souls in patience, to decline to be perplexed, and to calmly trust their present way and future course to him who always walketh in the light, and who, out of the greatest entanglements and darkest riddles of life, is able to evolve his own glory and their good. (Psa_37:5 Isa_26:3, 4 Rom_8:28)
II QUERULOUS EXPOSTULATION. "Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery," etc? (vers. 20, 23). The interrogation indicated:
1. Astonishing presumption on the part of Job, not only in questioning the Supreme, seeing that he giveth no account of his doings unto any, and least of all to men; (Job_33:13 Psa_46:10 Jer_18:6 Dan_4:35) but much more in addressing to him such a question, which practically meant Why should a man be sent into this world? or, if sent into it, why should he be kept in it, unless his existence is to be always encircled with the radiance of prosperity, and exhilarated with the wine of joy, and unless he is to be assisted both to pierce the veil of futurity and to penetrate the overshadowing clouds of the present?
2. Monstrous ingratitude; in first depreciating what, after Christ and salvation, is God"s highest gift to man, viz. existence; in forgetting the manifold blessings he had enjoyed during the former period of his prosperity; and in overlooking the fact that he had some good gifts remaining still. But men are prone to forget past mercies, (Psa_103:2; cf. "Troilus and Cressida," act 3. sc. 3) and to appreciate what the)" have not more highly than what they have. True thankfulness magnifies the gifts it has received, and does not grudge that the great Giver still reserves something to bestow (cf. "Timon of Athens," act 3. sc. 6).
3. Extraordinary ignorance; in not discerning that the ultimate end and chief aim of life are not to render men happy, but to make them holy; not to make them wise as the gods, (Gen_3:5) but to form them into sons of God; (Heb_4:10) and that these sublime purposes may be secured as well through adversity as through prosperity. But perhaps the absence of gospel light should explain and extenuate in Job"s case what in ours would be reprehensible in the extreme.
III MELACHOLY EXULTATION. Job"s vehement longing for death bespoke:
1. An intense pressure of misery. Seeing that life is essentially joyous, (Ecc_11:7) that men naturally cling to life above every earthly possession, (Job_2:4) and that the intrinsic worth and happiness of life are a thousandfold increased by the addition of Heaven"s favour, it indicates an amount and degree of wretchedness transcending ordinary experience when a man yearns for life"s extinction, exults in the prospect of dissolution, would be blithe to find a grave, however humble or obscure"Mad from life"s history, Glad to death"s mystery, Swift to be hurl"d, Anywhere, anywhere out of the world. (Hood, "Bridge of Sighs.")
They who find life"s calamities in any measure tolerable have reason to bless God for laying on them no heavier burden than they are able to bear, and for imparting to them strength to bear the burden which he does impose. God"s grace alone keeps men from sinking beneath the weight and pressure of life"s ills. Contrast with Job"s present state of mind that of St. Paul in the Roman prison. (Php_1:23)
1. An utter extinction of hope. "The miserable hath no other medicine, but only hope hope that things will eventually improve; that the clouds of adversity will yet give place to the fair sunshine of prosperity; but even this the patriarch appears to have abandoned. It would be incorrect to affirm that Job had absolutely lost his hold on God; but of hope in a return to health and happiness he had none. Yet in this Job erred erred two ways: in thinking himself at the worst, which he was not; and in despairing of recovery, which he should not. It is seldom so sad with any one that it could not be sadder; and it is seldom so bad that it cannot be improved. All things are possible with God, and God reigneth; therefore nil desperandum either in nature or in grace.
2. A sad want of faith. Had Job been able calmly to trust himself and his future to God, it is certain he would not have so inordinately longed for death. He would have reasoned that neither the miseries of life nor the perplexities of providence were a sufficient reason for God"s cancelling the grant of life, or for a saint seeking the relief of death; since:
(1) God has an absolute right to dispose of his creatures as he may.
(2) No man has a claim on God for complete exemption from trouble.
(3) Affliction in some shape or another is every man"s desert in this world.
(4) The higher purposes of life may be secured better through adversity than through prosperity.
(5) It is not certain that escape from misery would in every instance be attained by escape from life.
(6) And it is possible for bodily calamity and mental trouble and soul-anguish to pass away before the end of life, while life once withdrawn can never be restored.
Learn:
1. Men are apt to think there is no reason for that for which they can see no reason.
2. The best gifts of God may become burdensome to their possessors.
3. Some look for death, but cannot find it; death ever finds those for whom it looks.
4. Afflictions are commonly accompanied by much darkness, which faith only can illumine.
5. Though a man"s way is sometimes hid from himself, it never is concealed from God.
Two marvels that are no mysteries.
I LIVING MEN ARE OFTEN MISERABLE.
1. Surprising; when we consider
(1) that men are the creatures of a loving God;
(2) that their Creator designed them for happiness;
(3) that the most abundant provision has been made for their felicity. Yet:
2. Not inexplicable; when we remember
(1) that men are sinful creatures, and deserve to be miserable;
(2) that men carry the true source of misery within themselves, in their sinful hearts; and
(3) that men not unfrequently neglect that which alone can remove their misery God"s grace and Christ"s blood.
II MISERABLE MEN OFTEN CONTINUE LIVING.
1. Astonishing; if we reflect upon
(1) the frailty of life, and the ease with which it may be terminated;
(2) the heaviness of that burden of sorrow it is sometimes called to support;
(3) the intensity with which sufferers not unfrequently long for death. Still:
2. Not insoluble; if we recollect
(1) how they are kept in life by the power of God; and
(2) why they are kept in life, viz.
(a) to glorify God, by exhibiting his power in sustaining them, and his grace in giving them opportunity to improve;
(b) to benefit themselves, by allowing time for suffering, if possible, to perfect them in obedience; and, supposing this end attained,
(c) to instruct their fellows how to bear and how to profit by affliction.
Vers. 20-26. The unanswered question.
From the lips of Job words escape which prove how deeply he suffered. "Why?" is ever on the lips of men when they consider God"s hidden work. But he giveth none account of his ways. Clouds and darkness are round about him. Happy the man who at all times is persuaded that justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne. The question here proposed by Job is the unanswered question running through the whole book. Until all is accomplished, the design of the process is unexplained. That the afflictions of Job had some other purpose than merely to respond to Satan"s appeal, none will deny; but what the purpose was is not stated in words. The whole story alone explains it. New Testament readers have light upon the mystery of human suffering denied to the -saints of old. But with all the light and teaching granted, a veil of mystery still hangs over all. Partial answers may, however, be found. The demand of Job is unreasonable. It amounts to requiring that all who suffer should be permitted at once to end their sorrows in the silence of the grave. In other words, that none should suffer. "Why is life given unto the bitter in soul?" It is the cry of a sufferer distracted by his pain. Reasons why death should not come immediately to him that longs for it may be readily given. Let our thoughts rest on the purposes that are obviously answered by pain.
I SUFFERING ARISES FROM THE INFRINGEMENT OF SOME NATURAL LAW, EITHER WILFULLY OR IGNORANTLY DONE. Pain, therefore, is the guardian of the life, giving sharp warning of disobedience or of ignorant exposure to wrong. How often would life be sacrificed in ignorance were not pain to declare the departure from the path of safety!
II PAIN FORMS AN ELEMENT OF THAT TESTING OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT BY MEANS OF WHICH CHARACTER IS DEVELOPED. Patience, bravery, faith, resignation, hope, and obedience, and many other graces that adorn the human spirit, are celled into play and strengthened by the sharp severities of pain. It is a means of growth.
III Afflictions, if not directly imposed by a Divine hand, are USED AS MEANS OF SPIRITUAL CORRECTION, INSTRUCTION, AND GOVERNMENT. The great law finds its application here, "It is for chastening that ye endure." A wise father disciplines his loved son, not suffering him to run wild. So the Lord, the true Father, "dealeth with" men "as with sons.
IV The true end of all suffering is thus found in the GROWTH, THE SANCTITY, THE CULTURE, AND PERFECTING OF THE SOUL. "That we may be partakers of his holiness. R.G.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Wherefore is light given to him that is in…
Job_3:20
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery.
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Christian posture of the problem of evil in life
This question of universal, intellectual, and moral interest, as to the purpose of evil, is a question which has always been raised by ghastly facts in human life, parallel to Jobs. Why wert thou so visited, didst thou ask, O Job? Why but that, through thy momentary temptation to wonder and murmur, that beautiful patience and admirable piety of thine might be afterwards developed, and that thou mightest thus set up on earth a school of patience and trust in God, where all the after generations of men might study? Even so we may answer this old why and wherefore in our own experience. To what do we owe all that is soft, beautiful, and gentle in this rough, cross world, but to just such instances as we deplore? Jobs question, Why the light of human life is mixed with bitterness and misery, is answered then, in the demonstration that we are indebted for what is most valuable in temper, character, and hope, not alone to what is sunny and sweet, but to the shadow that hides our landscape, and the wormwood that dashes our cup. For the present let us not be anxious to know more. (C. A. Barrel.)
Reasons for lifes continuance
When it is asked why a man is kept in misery on earth, when he would be glad to be released by death, perhaps the following among others may be the reasons.
1. Those sufferings may be the very means which are needful to develop the true state of his soul. Such was the case with Job.
2. They may be the proper punishment of sin in the heart, of which the individual was not fully aware, but which may be distinctly seen by God. There may be pride, and the love of ease, and self-confidence, and ambition, and a desire of reputation. Such appear to have been some of the besetting sins of Job.
3. They are needful to teach true submission, and to show whether a man is willing to resign himself to God.
4. They may be the very things which are necessary to prepare the individual to die. At the same time that men often desire death, and feel that it would be a relief, it might be to them the greatest possible calamity. They may be wholly unprepared for it. For a sinner, the grave contains no rest; the eternal world furnishes no repose. One design of God in such sorrows may be to show to the wicked how intolerable will be future pain, and how important it is for them to be ready to die. If they cannot bear the pains and sorrows of a few hours in this short life, how can they endure eternal sufferings? If it is so desirable to be released from the sorrows of the body here,--if it is felt that the grave, with all that is repulsive in it, would be a place of repose, how important is it to find some way to be secured from everlasting pains! The true place of release from suffering, for a sinner, is not the grave; it is in the pardoning mercy of God, and in that pure heaven to which he is invited through the blood of the Cross. In that holy heaven is the only real repose from suffering and from sin; and heaven will be all the sweeter in proportion to the extremity of pain which is endured on earth. (A. Barnes.)
The will of God a sufficient reason for existence
The will of God is reason enough for man, and ought to be the most satisfying reason. If God say, I will have life remain in a man that is bitter in soul, that man should say, Lord, it is reason I should, because it is Thy pleasure, though it be to my own trouble. Yet it is but seldom that God makes His will His reason, and answers by His bare prerogative: He hath often given weighty reasons to this query. First, the life of nature is continued, that the life of grace may be increased. Again, such live in sufferings, that they may learn obedience by the things which they suffer. God teacheth us by His works, as well as by His Word, His dealings speak to us. Another reason of this wherefore may be this, God sets up some as patterns to posterity; He therefore gives the light of life to some that are in misery, to show that it is no new nor strange thing for His saints to be in darkness.
1. That the best things in this world may come to be burthens to us. See here a man, weary of light and life.
2. It is a trouble to possess good things when we cannot enjoy them. (J. Caryl.)
Why is the miserable man kept alive
The question here asked is, Why should man, whose misery leads him to desire death, be kept in life? A very natural question this. A modern expositor has answered the question thus--
1. Those sufferings may be the very means which are needful to develop the true state of the soul. Such was the case with Job.
2. They may be the proper punishment of sin in the heart, of which the individual was not fully aware, but which may be distinctly seen by God. There may be pride, and the love of ease, and self-confidence, and ambition, and a desire of reputation. Such appear to have been some of the besetting sins of Job.
3. They are needful to teach true submission, and to show whether a man is willing to resign himself to God.
4. They may be the very things which are necessary to prepare the individual to die. At the same time that men often desire death, and feel that it would be a great relief, it might be to them the greatest possible calamity. They may be wholly unprepared for it. (Homilist.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Why is light given to him who is in…
Why is light given to him who is in misery? Why is life given to the one who is bitter in soul
Job's two questions mean basically the same thing. He is wondering why those who face hardship continue to live. (See: Parallelism)
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Why is light given to him who is in misery?
Here Job is wondering why people must stay alive and suffer. AT: "I do not understand why God gives life to a person who is suffering" (See: Rhetorical Question)
light
Here light represents life. (See: Metaphor)
Why is life given to the one who is bitter in soul ... hidden treasure?
"why does God give life to a miserable person?" AT: "I do not understand why God gives life to a person who is very unhappy ... hidden treasure" (See: Rhetorical Question)
to one who longs for death without it coming
Here death is spoken of as if it were an object coming toward someone. AT: "to a person who no longer wants to be alive, but is still alive" (See: Metaphor)
to one who digs for death more than for hidden treasure
A person hoping to die is spoken of as if he were digging for buried treasure. AT: "to a person who wants to stop living more than he wants to look for hidden riches" (See: Metaphor)
Why is light given to one who rejoices very much and is glad when he finds the grave
Here Job uses a question to make a statement. AT: "I do not understand why God allows a person to keep living when the person would be very happy to be buried in the ground" (See: Rhetorical Question)
one who rejoices very much and is glad
The phrase "rejoices very much" means basically the same thing as "is glad." Together, the two phrases emphasize the intensity of gladness. AT: "one who is extremely happy" (See: Doublet)
when he finds the grave
This is a polite way of referring to dying. AT: "when he is dead and can be buried" (See: Euphemism)
the grave
Here the grave represents death. (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
life
soul
die
joy
grave
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 3:20 Job equated light with life (33:30; see John…
3:20 Job equated light with life (33:30; see John 1:4; 8:12). • Bitter might mean “short-tempered” (Judg 18:25), “enraged” (2 Sam 17:8), “anguish” (Job 7:11), “distress” (Prov 31:6), or “discontented” (1 Sam 1:10; 22:2).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.