Job 3:1-10

Job 3:1-10

[1] After  this opened  Job  his mouth,  and cursed  his day.  [2] And Job  spake,  and said,  [3] Let the day  perish  wherein I was born,  and the night  in which it was said,  There is a man child  [4] Let that day  be darkness;  let not God  regard  it from above,  neither let the light  shine  [5] Let darkness  and the shadow of death  stain  it; let a cloud  dwell  upon it; let the blackness  of the day  terrify  [6] As for that night,  let darkness  seize  upon it; let it not be joined  unto the days  of the year,  let it not come  into the number  of the months.  [7] Lo, let that night  be solitary,  let no joyful voice  come  therein. [8] Let them curse  it that curse  the day,  who are ready  to raise up  their mourning.  [9] Let the stars  of the twilight  thereof be dark;  let it look  for light,  but have none; neither let it see  the dawning  of the day:  [10] Because it shut not up  the doors  of my mother's womb,  nor hid  sorrow  from mine eyes. 

What does Job 3:1-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Job evidently considered his conception as the beginning of his existence ( Job 3:3; cf. Psalm 139:13-16). His poetic description of his birth set forth his regret that he had left his mother"s womb alive (cf. Jeremiah 20:14-18).
"Leviathan [1] was a seven-headed sea monster of ancient Near Eastern mythology. In the Ugaritic literature of Canaan and Phoenicia, eclipses were said to be caused by Leviathan"s swallowing the sun and moon. Job said, "Let thou curse it [1] who curse the day, who are prepared to arouse Leviathan." He was referring to a custom of sorcerers or enchanters, who claimed to have the power to make a day unfortunate by rousing the dragon asleep in the sea and inciting it to swallow the sun or moon. Thus, if the daytime or nighttime luminary were gone, Job"s birthday would, in a sense, be missing. Was Job indicating belief in a creature of mythology? No, he was probably doing nothing more than utilizing for poetic purposes a common notion that his hearers would understand. This would have been similar to modern adults" referring to Santa Claus. Mentioning his name does not mean that one believes such a person exists." [3]
Job wanted to express in many ways his regret that he had been born. Evidently the reason Job longed for nonexistence was his failure to understand his relationship with God or his place in the universe. Job had many questions about the creation order. He seems to have realized that understanding his relationship to God and his place in creation required an understanding of creation. In clarifying Job"s relationships, Elihu and God also said much about creation. This appears to be the reason the creation motif is so prevalent in the Book of Job. [4] An understanding of creation is indeed essential to our correct understanding of who we are and what our relationship to God is ( Genesis 1-2). This is one reason people need to understand the Genesis record of creation accurately. [5]