Job 17:16

"where then is my hope? As for my hope, who will see it?"

Key Reflection

In Job 17:16, the spiritual struggle is palpable as Job questions where his hope has gone, acknowledging that if he does have any hope, no one will witness its fulfillment. This reflects his deep despair and uncertainty about a future beyond death.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

They shall go down -That is, my hopes shall go down. All the expectations that I have cherished of life and happiness, will descend there with me. We have a similar expression when we say, that a man “has buried his hopes in the grave,” when he loses an only son. To the bars of the pit - “Bars of Sheol” -שׁאולבדbadshe'ôl. Vulgate, “Profoundest deep.” Septuagint,εἰς ᾅδηνeishadēn- to Hades. Sheol, or Hades, was supposed to be under the earth. Its entrance was by the grave as a gate that led to it. It was protected by bars - as prisons are - so that those who entered there could not escape; see the notes atIsaiah 14:9.

More from Job 17

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