Job 3:13 Meaning and Explanation
“For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Job imagines that, had he died at birth, he would now be lying in peaceful rest.
What Does Job 3:13 Mean?
Answering his own questions, Job pictures the rest he believes death would have given him. He would have lain still, quiet, asleep, at peace. The word rest becomes the longing of his heart, the relief from torment that his present life denies him. Sleep here is his gentle image for the grave.
Job's yearning for rest is one that runs deep in every weary soul. Scripture takes that longing seriously and does not dismiss it. Yet the rest Job imagines in the grave is answered more fully than he knows by the One who calls the heavy laden to Himself. Come unto me, Jesus says, and I will give you rest, offering not the silence of the tomb but a peace that can hold the soul even now, in the midst of trouble.
Job 3:13 in the Original Language
nuach (נוּחַ), 'be at rest' -- to settle, repose, the same root behind the Sabbath rest God grants His people.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 3:13
What does Job 3:13 mean?
Job imagines that, had he died at birth, he would now be lying in peaceful rest.