Job chapter 3

Afer reading chapter 3:

*Now the text shifts from prose to poetry for the next 40 chapters, with occasional lines interjected to tell us when there is a change in speakers. We start with Job talking. He is cursing the day of his birth. The NIV text says "and the night it was said, 'A boy is born.'" On further examination, the literal translation says "A boy is concieved." Job is cursing the night his parents got together to produce him.  Job cursing his birth is in contrast to his children who had frequently celebrated their birthdays with feasting. The curse includes a desire for the day of his birth to perish, to turn to darkness, and to be Overwhelmed by a cloud of blackness. Job wants the night of his conception to be excluded from the calendar, and to be lonely and barren. The day of his birth is to be cursed by other people, and to not see the light of day, because it did not keep him from being born and from seeing trouble.

*Then Job wails, asking why didn't he die at birth. In that case, he would be asleep and at rest with others who had died, including kings and counsellors, who also were once rich.  Here we see a glimpse of the cultural attitude toward death. In death is peace and equality, no one is toiling, no one is poor or rich. They all have the same fate. Verse sixteen has Job asking why he hadn't been stillborn, which seems repetitious. Upon looking at the interlinear text, a better word would have been miscarried, or born before it was time. Again, he would now be at rest: with the weary, the  wicked, the prisoners, and the slaves. Again there is an emphasis of freedom and equality in death. No eternal torment for anyone.

*Lastly, Job wonders why those who are miserable and long for death  are instead given light and life. They search for death like someone hunting for buried treasure and are elated when they finally get to the grave. Job says he has sighs instead of food and his groans pour out like water. He has been afraid something like this would happen; his fears have been realized. He hasn't had peace and quiet, just turmoil.

*In verse 8, we are introduced to the word Leviathan for the first time. All we are told so far is that it is something (a creature?) that is roused by those who curse days. Also, I get the idea the the metaphorical language in the Hebrew is much more interesting and expressive than the English version in the NIV. In fact, it seems that the King James Version is a much better English translation of Job, in a sense. It captures more of the meaning and poetry. I think I may read the KJV and the NIV simultaneously for the book of Job.