· Translation: KJV

Job 3:6As for that night, let thick darkness seize on it. Let it not rejoice among the days of the year. Let it not come into the number of the months.

The setting

Same ash heap in ancient Uz. Job continues his lament, wanting to erase not just his birth-day but the entire night he was conceived...

The emotion here: desperate to erase painful memories while physically suffering

The original word

opel (אֹפֶל) — thick, impenetrable darkness that can be felt physically

Why it matters

Ancient calendars didn't number days consecutively — they named them, making Job's wish literal

Read with care

What most readers miss in Job 3:6

Job wants that night removed from the calendar entirely — as if it never happened in history

Common misconceptionThis sounds like Job wants to go back in time, but Hebrew thinking is about erasing something from ever existing at all — even from God's memory.

Bible Genome reading

Job 3:6 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJob
EraPatriarchal
Primary emotiongrieving
Literary typepoetry
MarkCommand

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability60%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone60%
Themes:isolationtimeexclusion

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Job 3

Job 3:6 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Job. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include isolation, time, exclusion. Notable phrases: thick darkness seize; not rejoice; not come into the number. This verse contains a command.

Your reflection

What does Job 3:6 mean to you, today?

A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.

Speak your heart →

Get 3 verses for "grieving"

Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.