Job 3:23
New International Version
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

New Living Translation
Why is life given to those with no future, those God has surrounded with difficulties?

English Standard Version
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Berean Standard Bible
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

King James Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

New King James Version
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?

New American Standard Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has shut off?

NASB 1995
“Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?

NASB 1977
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?

Legacy Standard Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?

Amplified Bible
Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in?

Christian Standard Bible
Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

American Standard Version
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?

Contemporary English Version
Why do I go on living when God has me surrounded, and I can't see the road?

English Revised Version
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why give light to those whose paths have been hidden, to those whom God has fenced in?

Good News Translation
God keeps their future hidden and hems them in on every side.

International Standard Version
To the formerly successful man who lost his way in life, and God fenced him in?

Majority Standard Bible
Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?

NET Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in?

New Heart English Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, whom God has hedged in?

Webster's Bible Translation
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

World English Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
To a man whose way has been hidden, "" And whom God shuts up?

Young's Literal Translation
To a man whose way hath been hidden, And whom God doth shut up?

Smith's Literal Translation
To a man whose way was hid, and God will hedge about him?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
To a man whose way is hidden, and God hath surrounded him with darkness?

Catholic Public Domain Version
to a man whose way is hidden and whom God has surrounded with darkness?

New American Bible
A man whose path is hidden from him, one whom God has hemmed in!

New Revised Standard Version
Why is light given to one who cannot see the way, whom God has fenced in?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, whom God has hedged in?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
To a man whose way is hidden and God descends upon him?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
To a man whose way is hid, And whom God hath hedged in?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Death is rest to such a man, for God has hedged him in.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Laments His Birth
22who rejoice and greatly exult when they can find the grave? 23Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? 24I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.…

Cross References
Psalm 88:8
You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.

Lamentations 3:7
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.

Isaiah 59:10
Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.

Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

Psalm 107:10-14
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains, / because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. / He humbled their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. ...

Proverbs 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

Isaiah 42:7
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

Ecclesiastes 6:12
For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?

Psalm 142:3
Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.

Isaiah 9:2
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Matthew 4:16
the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

John 12:35
Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

1 John 2:11
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.


Treasury of Scripture

Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God has hedged in?

whose way.

Isaiah 40:27
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

hedged in.

Job 12:14
Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

Job 19:8
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

Psalm 31:8
And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

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Hedged Hid Hidden Light Shut Veiled Way
Job 3
1. Job curses the day and services of his birth.
13. The ease of death.
20. He complains of life, because of his anguish.














Why is life given
The phrase "Why is life given" reflects Job's deep existential questioning. In Hebrew, the word for "life" is "חַיִּים" (chayyim), which signifies not just biological existence but a life filled with purpose and vitality. Job is grappling with the purpose of his suffering, questioning why life, a divine gift, is bestowed upon him when it seems devoid of meaning. This reflects a universal human struggle to understand the purpose behind suffering and the divine rationale for life's trials.

to a man
The term "man" here is translated from the Hebrew word "גֶּבֶר" (geber), which often denotes a strong or mighty man. This choice of word emphasizes the irony of Job's situation; despite being a "geber," a man of strength and capability, he feels powerless and trapped. This highlights the theme that human strength is insufficient without divine guidance and support, a recurring message in the Book of Job.

whose way is hidden
The phrase "whose way is hidden" suggests a path that is obscured or concealed. The Hebrew root "סָתַר" (satar) means to hide or conceal. Job feels that his path in life is shrouded in mystery, with no clear direction or understanding of God's plan. This reflects the broader biblical theme of faith and trust in God, even when His ways are not immediately apparent to us. It challenges believers to trust in God's wisdom and timing, even when the path seems unclear.

whom God has hedged in
The imagery of being "hedged in" comes from the Hebrew "שָׂכַךְ" (sakhak), meaning to fence or enclose. This is a poignant reversal of the protective hedge God placed around Job in the beginning of the book (Job 1:10). Now, Job feels trapped by the very God who once protected him. This phrase underscores the tension between divine protection and perceived divine restriction. It invites reflection on the nature of God's sovereignty and the believer's response to divine discipline and testing.

(23) Hedged in.--The same expression was used in an opposite sense in Job 1:10.

Verse 23. - Why is light given to a man whose way is hid? "Obscured," that is, "darkened," "placed under a cloud" (comp. ver. 20, where the sentiment is nearly the same). And whom God hath hedged in. Not in the way of protection, as in Job 1:10, but of obstruction and confinement: (comp. Job 19:8 and Hosea 2:6). Job feels himself confined, imprisoned, blocked in. He can neither see the path which he ought to pursue nor take steps in any direction.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why is life given to a man
לְ֭גֶבֶר (lə·ḡe·ḇer)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1397: A valiant man, warrior, a person simply

whose
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

way
דַּרְכּ֣וֹ (dar·kōw)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

is hidden,
נִסְתָּ֑רָה (nis·tā·rāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5641: To hide, conceal

whom God
אֱל֣וֹהַּ (’ĕ·lō·w·ah)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 433: God -- a deity, the Deity

has hedged in?
וַיָּ֖סֶךְ (way·yā·seḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5526: To entwine as a, screen, to fence in, cover over, protect


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OT Poetry: Job 3:23 Why is light given to a man (Jb)
Job 3:22
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