Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?” New Living Translation No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust!” English Standard Version Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?” Berean Standard Bible Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?” King James Bible They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. New King James Version Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?” New American Standard Bible “Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?” NASB 1995 “Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?” NASB 1977 “Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?” Legacy Standard Bible Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?” Amplified Bible “Will my hope go down with me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Shall we go down together in the dust?” Christian Standard Bible Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust? Holman Christian Standard Bible Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust? American Standard Version It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, When once there is rest in the dust. Contemporary English Version Will it keep me company in the world of the dead? English Revised Version It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, when once there is rest in the dust. GOD'S WORD® Translation Will hope go down with me to the gates of the grave? Will my hope rest with me in the dust?" Good News Translation Hope will not go with me when I go down to the world of the dead. International Standard Version Will it go down to the bars that lock the doors of the afterlife? Will we descend together into the dust?" Majority Standard Bible Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?? NET Bible Will it go down to the barred gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?" New Heart English Bible Shall it go down with me to the gates of Sheol, or descend together into the dust?" Webster's Bible Translation They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. World English Bible Shall it go down with me to the gates of Sheol, or descend together into the dust?” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionYou go down [to] the parts of Sheol, "" If we may rest together on the dust.” Young's Literal Translation To the parts of Sheol ye go down, If together on the dust we may rest. Smith's Literal Translation They shall go down to the bars of hades if together we shall go down to the dust. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAll that I have shall go down into the deepest pit: thinkest thou that there at least I shall have rest? Catholic Public Domain Version Everything of mine will descend into the deepest underworld; do you think that, in that place at least, there will be rest for me? New American Bible Will they descend with me into Sheol? Shall we go down together into the dust? New Revised Standard Version Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThey shall go down to the bottom of Sheol; they shall descend together into the dust. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Into the bottom to Sheol you will go down!’ And together to the dust they shall descend!” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917They shall go down to the bars of the nether-world, When we are at rest together in the dust. Brenton Septuagint Translation Will they go down with me to Hades, or shall we go down together to the tomb? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Job Prepares for Death…15where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? 16Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?” Cross References Psalm 88:3-5 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. / I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength. / I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care. Isaiah 38:18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. Psalm 49:14 Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. Job 7:9-10 As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come back up. / He never returns to his house; his place remembers him no more. Job 10:21-22 before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom, / to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.” Psalm 6:5 For there is no mention of You in death; who can praise You from Sheol? Psalm 30:9 “What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness? Job 3:13-19 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest / with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins, / or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. ... Job 21:26 But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both. Job 24:19 As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. Matthew 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. / And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. / It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. / It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” / “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” Treasury of Scripture They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. the bars of the pit Job 18:13,14 It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength… Job 33:18-28 He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword… Psalm 88:4-8 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: … rest Job 3:17-19 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest… Ezekiel 37:11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 2 Corinthians 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Jump to Previous Bars Death Descend Dust Gates Nether-World Once Parts Pit Rest Sheol Together UnderworldJump to Next Bars Death Descend Dust Gates Nether-World Once Parts Pit Rest Sheol Together UnderworldJob 17 1. Job appeals from men to God6. The unmerciful dealing of men with the afflicted may astonish, 9. but not discourage the righteous 11. His hope is not in life, but in death Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? In this phrase, "it" refers to Job's hope or expectation, which he feels is fading. The "gates of Sheol" symbolize the entrance to the realm of the dead, a concept prevalent in ancient Near Eastern cultures. Sheol is often depicted as a shadowy place where the dead reside, distinct from the later Christian understanding of hell. The imagery of "gates" suggests a boundary or transition from life to death. In biblical context, Sheol is mentioned in various passages (e.g., Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 38:10), often as a place of waiting or rest. Theologically, this reflects the human condition and the inevitability of death, emphasizing the need for redemption and resurrection, themes fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ. Will we go down together into the dust? Persons / Places / Events 1. JobThe central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and patience who undergoes severe trials and suffering. In this chapter, Job is expressing his despair and grappling with the reality of death. 2. Sheol In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and shadow where the dead reside. It is often depicted as a place of waiting, devoid of the presence of God. 3. The Gates of Sheol Symbolic of the entrance to the realm of the dead, representing the inevitability and finality of death. 4. Dust A reference to the creation account where man is formed from dust (Genesis 2:7) and to which he returns after death (Genesis 3:19). It symbolizes mortality and the transient nature of human life. Teaching Points The Reality of MortalityJob's reflection on death reminds us of the certainty of mortality. As believers, we are called to live with an eternal perspective, understanding that our time on earth is temporary. The Depth of Despair Job's words express profound despair, a reminder that even the faithful can experience deep sorrow. It is important to acknowledge and address our emotions honestly before God. Hope Beyond Sheol While Job speaks of descending into Sheol, the broader biblical account offers hope beyond the grave. Believers can find comfort in the promise of resurrection and eternal life through Christ. The Importance of Faith in Trials Job's account encourages us to maintain our faith even when circumstances seem hopeless. Trusting in God's sovereignty and goodness is crucial during times of suffering.(16) They shall go down to the bars of the pit.--The last verse of this chapter, which is itself one of the most difficult, is the most difficult of all. The difficulty consists in this: the bars of the grave are masculine, and the verb, they shall go down, is feminine plural; it seems improbable that the bars of the grave should be the subject of the verb (though perhaps not absolutely impossible); but if the bars of the grave are the place to which the going down is, as in the Authorised Version, then what is the subject to the verb, go down, seeing that hope, the apparent subject, is a feminine singular? Some render "it shall go down," but this is in defiance of the grammar, though, probably, the meaning it conveys is not far from the truth. The words clearly express a condition of utter despair, and that Job's only hope of rest is in the grave. It is a rule in Hebrew grammar that when the verb precedes its subject it need not agree with it in gender or number; but here the verb must, at all events, come after its subject, and consequently, it is very difficult to determine what that subject is. The only apparent subject is to be found in the corruption of the worm of Job 17:14; but they, instead of going down to the grave, are already there.Verse 16. - They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust. There is great difficulty in determining the subject to the verb "go down," which is the third person plural feminine, whereas the only plural substantive at all near - the word translated "bars" - is masculine. Some suppose Job's hopes to be meant, "hope" in the preceding verse having the force of any number of "hopes" (so the R.V.) Others disregard the grammatical difficulty of the plural feminine verb, and, making "bars" the nominative, translate, "The bars of Sheol shall go down," i.e. "be broken down, perish;" or interrogatively, "Shall the bars of Sheol go down?" This rendering is thought to be "in harmony with the whole undercurrent of thought in the chapter;" but it has not approved itself to many commentators. The present commentator must acknowledge that he is unable to attach any satisfactory meaning to the words of the Hebrew text.
Hebrew Will it go downתֵּרַ֑דְנָה (tê·raḏ·nāh) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend to the gates בַּדֵּ֣י (bad·dê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 905: Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of of Sheol? שְׁאֹ֣ל (šə·’ōl) Noun - common singular Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death) Will we go down נָֽחַת׃ (nā·ḥaṯ) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural Strong's 5183: A descent, imposition, unfavorable, favorable, restfulness together יַ֖חַד (ya·ḥaḏ) Adverb Strong's 3162: A unit, unitedly into עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the dust?” עָפָ֣ר (‘ā·p̄ār) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud Links Job 17:16 NIVJob 17:16 NLT Job 17:16 ESV Job 17:16 NASB Job 17:16 KJV Job 17:16 BibleApps.com Job 17:16 Biblia Paralela Job 17:16 Chinese Bible Job 17:16 French Bible Job 17:16 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Job 17:16 Shall it go down with me (Jb) |
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