Job 17:13 Meaning and Explanation
“If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →If Job hopes for anything, it is only the grave as his home and darkness as his bed.
What Does Job 17:13 Mean?
Job describes the only future he can see: should he keep waiting, the grave itself is his house, and he has spread his bed in the darkness. He speaks of death with sober familiarity.
This is grief that has made its peace with mortality without despairing of God. Job can name the grave as his expected home and still keep speaking to the Lord. For all who trust God, even that dark resting place is not abandoned ground, for the One who conquered the grave has gone there ahead of us.
Job 17:13 in the Original Language
sheol (שְׁאוֹל), 'grave' -- the realm of the dead, the unseen place to which all the living go down.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 17:13
What does Job 17:13 mean?
If Job hopes for anything, it is only the grave as his home and darkness as his bed.