The Meaning of Job 29:3 Explained

Job 29:3

KJV: When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

YLT: In His causing His lamp to shine on my head, By His light I walk through darkness.

Darby: When his lamp shone over my head, and by his light I walked through darkness;

ASV: When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When his candle  shined  upon my head,  [and when] by his light  I walked  [through] darkness; 

What does Job 29:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 29:1-25 - The Bitter Memory Of The Happy Past
How many thousands, looking back on the beautiful dawn of life which has become overcast, have uttered the thought of the opening words of this chapter! The worldling has no hope of the renewal of that blessed past; but the believer knows that in Christ he belongs to the eternal order, which enters into the devastation wrought by sin, arresting, canceling and converting evil into good.
If we believe in Jesus Christ, submit to His will, and unite ourselves to His heart, "a statelier Eden" comes back to us. God watches over us for good; His lamp shines on our way; His friendship is in our tent, and His love transfigures all things. The graphic description which follows of the life of a godly man is still true when a man's ways please the Lord. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 29

1  Job bemoans his former prosperity

What do the individual words in Job 29:3 mean?

When shone His lamp upon my head [And when] by His light I walked [through] darkness
בְּהִלּ֣וֹ נֵ֭רוֹ עֲלֵ֣י רֹאשִׁ֑י לְ֝אוֹרוֹ אֵ֣לֶךְ חֹֽשֶׁךְ

בְּהִלּ֣וֹ  When  shone 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
נֵ֭רוֹ  His  lamp 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: נִיר 
Sense: lamp.
עֲלֵ֣י  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רֹאשִׁ֑י  my  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
לְ֝אוֹרוֹ  [And  when]  by  His  light 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
אֵ֣לֶךְ  I  walked 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
חֹֽשֶׁךְ  [through]  darkness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹשֶׁךְ  
Sense: darkness, obscurity.