Job 3:6

"Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes the day black terrify it."

Key Reflection

In Job 3:6, the prophet expresses a deep desire for the darkness and shadow of death to claim this night as their own, emphasizing its perpetual gloominess. This imagery reflects the intense despair and hopelessness Job feels, where even the light of day is replaced by an oppressive and unending night, symbolizing his utter misery and longing for release from suffering.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

As for “that night.” Job, having cursed the day, proceeds to utter a malediction on the “night” also; seeJob 3:3. This malediction extends toJob 3:9. Let darkness seize upon it -Hebrew, Let it take it. Let deep and horrid darkness seize it as its own. Let no star arise upon it; let it be unbroken and uninterrupted gloom. The word “darkness,” however, does not quite express the force of the original. The word used hereאפל'ôphelis poetic, and denotes darkness more intense than is denoted by the word which is usually rendered “darkness”השׁךchôshek. It is a darkness accompanied with clouds and with a tempest.

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