Job 3:13

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Surely, at once, had I lain down, and been quiet, I had fallen asleep, then, had I been at rest:

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now I would certainly be lying down in peace;I would be asleep.Then I would be at rest

Hebrew Names Version
For now should I have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,

King James Version
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

English Standard Version
For then I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest,

New Century Version
If they had not been there, I would be lying dead in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

New English Translation
For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace

Amplified Bible
"For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],

New American Standard Bible
"For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,

World English Bible
For now should I have lain down and been quiet. I should have slept, then I would have been at rest,

Geneva Bible (1587)
For so shoulde I now haue lyen and bene quiet, I should haue slept then, and bene at rest,

Legacy Standard Bible
For now I would have lain down and been quiet;I would have slept then; it would have been rest to me,

Berean Standard Bible
For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

Contemporary English Version
Now I would be at peace in the silent world below

Complete Jewish Bible
along with kings and their earthly advisers, who rebuilt ruins for themselves,

Darby Translation
For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

Easy-to-Read Version
If I had died when I was born, I would be at peace now. I wish I were asleep and at rest

George Lamsa Translation
For now I should have been laid in the grave and been quiet, I should have slept; then I should have been at rest,

Good News Translation
If I had died then, I would be at rest now,

Lexham English Bible
For now I would lie down, and I would be at peace; I would be asleep; then I would be at rest

Literal Translation
For now I would have lain down and have been quiet; I would have slept. Then I would have been at rest,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then shulde I now haue lyen still, I shulde haue slepte, and bene at rest:

American Standard Version
For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest,

Bible in Basic English
For then I might have gone to my rest in quiet, and in sleep have been in peace,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then should I nowe haue lyen stil, I shoulde haue slept, and ben at rest,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest--

King James Version (1611)
For now should I haue lien still and beene quiet, I should haue slept; then had I bene at rest,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Now I should have lain down and been quiet, I should have slept and been at rest,

English Revised Version
For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For now Y slepynge schulde be stille, and schulde reste in my sleep,

Update Bible Version
For now I should have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then I would have been at rest,

Webster's Bible Translation
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

New King James Version
For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I would have been at rest

New Living Translation
Had I died at birth, I would now be at peace. I would be asleep and at rest.

New Life Bible
For now I would have lain down and been quiet. I would have slept then. I would have been at rest,

New Revised Standard
Now I would be lying down and quiet; I would be asleep; then I would be at rest

Douay-Rheims Bible
For now I should have been asleep and still, and should have rest in my sleep:

Revised Standard Version
For then I should have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then I should have been at rest,

Young's Literal Translation
For now, I have lain down, and am quiet, I have slept -- then there is rest to me,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Wherefore, in the womb, did I not die? From the womb, come forth and cease to breathe? ¹² For what reason, were there prepared for me - knees? and why - breasts, that I might suck? ¹³ Surely, at once, had I lain down, and been quiet, I had fallen asleep, then, had I been at rest: ¹⁴ With kings, and counselors of the earth, who had built them pyramids: ¹⁵ Or with rulers possessing, gold, - Who had filled their houses with silver: ¹⁶ Or that, like an untimely birth hidden away, I had not come into being, like infants that never saw light: ¹⁷ There, the lawless, cease from raging, and there the toil-worn are at rest: ¹⁸ At once are prisoners at peace, they hear not the voice of a driver: ¹⁹ Small and great, there, they are, and, the slave, is free from his master.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

then had I been at rest: Ecclesiastes 6:3-5, Ecclesiastes 9:10

Reciprocal: Job 7:21 - sleep Job 14:12 - awake Ezekiel 32:27 - shall not Luke 16:22 - that

Cross-References

Genesis 3:4
And the serpent said unto the woman, - Ye shall not die,

Genesis 3:6
And, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes and the tree was pleasant to make one knowing, then took she of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and she gave to her husband also, along with her, and he did eat.

Genesis 3:9
And Yahweh God called unto the man, - and said to him, Where art thou?

Genesis 3:10
And he said, The sound of thee, heard I in the garden, and I was afraid, for, naked, was I, so I hid myself.

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, - The woman whom thou didst put with me, she, gave me of the tree, so I did eat.

Genesis 44:15
And Joseph said to them, What is this deed which ye have done? Know ye not that such a man as I, can even divine?

1 Samuel 13:11
Then said Samuel - What hast thou done? And Saul said - Because I saw that the people had been scattered from me, and, thou, hadst not come within the appointed days, and, the Philistines, had gathered themselves together to Michmash,

2 Samuel 3:24
Then Joab came in unto the king, and said - What hast thou done? Lo! Abner came in unto thee. Wherefore is it that thou didst let him go, so that he is clean departed?

John 18:35
Pilate answered - Am, I, a Jew? Thine own nation, and the High-priests, delivered thee up, unto me! What, hast thou done?

1 Timothy 2:14
And, Adam, was not deceived, whereas, the woman, having been wholly deceived, hath come to be, in transgression;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For now should I have lain still, and been quiet,.... Signifying, that if the above had been his case, if he had died as soon as born, or quickly after, then he would have been laid in the grave, where he would have lain as still as on a bed; for such is the grave to dead bodies as a bed is to those that lie down and sleep upon it; a place of ease and quiet, where there is freedom from all care and thought, from all trouble, anxiety, and distress; nay, more so than on a bed, where there is often tossing to and fro, and great disquietude, but none to the body in the grave, that is still and silent, where there is no uneasiness nor disturbance, see Job 17:13;

I should have slept; soundly and quietly, which persons do not always upon their beds; sometimes they cannot sleep at all, and when they do, they are frequently distressed with uneasy thoughts, frightful dreams, and terrifying visions, Job 4:13; but death is a sound sleep until the resurrection morn, which Job had knowledge of, and faith in, and so considered the state of the dead in this light; death is often in Scripture expressed by sleeping, Daniel 12:2; which refers not to the soul, which in a separate state is active and vigorous, and always employed; but to the body, which, as in sleep, so in death, is deprived of the senses, and the exercise of them; on which account there is a great likeness between sleep and death, and out of which a man awakes brisk and cheerful, as the saints will at the time of their resurrection, which will be like an awaking out of sleep:

then had I been at rest; from all toil and labour, from all diseases and pains of body, from all troubles of whatsoever kind, and particularly from those he now laboured under, Daniel 12:2- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For now should I have lain still - In this verse Job uses four expressions to describe the state in which be would have been if he had been so happy as to have died when an infant. It is evidently a very pleasant subject to him, and he puts it in a great variety of form. He uses thc words which express the most quiet repose, a state of perfect rest, a gentle slumber; and then in the next verses he says, that instead of being in the miserable condition in which he then was, he would have been in the same state with kings and the most illustrious men of the earth.

I should have lain still - - שׁכב shâkab. I should have been “lying down,” as one does who is taking grateful repose. This is a word of less strength than any of those which follow.

And been quiet - - שׁקט shâqaṭ. A word of stronger signification than that before used. It means to rest, to lie down, to have quiet. It is used of one who is never troubled, harassed, or infested by others, Judges 3:11; Judges 5:31; Judges 8:25; and of one who has no fear or dread, Psalms 76:9. The meaning is, that he would not only have lain down, but; would have been perfectly tranquil. Nothing would have harassed him, nothing would have given him any annoyance.

I should have slept - - ישׁן yâshên. This expression also is in advance of those before used. There would not only have been “quiet,” but there would have been a calm and gentle slumber. Sleep is often representcd as “the kinsman of death.” Thus, Virgil speaks of it:

“Tum consanguineus Leti sopor - “

Aeneid vi. 278.

So Homer:

Enth' hupnō cumblēto chasignēto thanatoio -

Iliad, 14:231.

This comparsion is an obvious one, and is frequently used in the Classical writers. It is employed to denote the calmness, stillness, and quiet of death. In the Scriptures it frequently occurs, and with a significancy far more beautiful. It is there employed not only to denote the tranquility of death, but also to denote the Christian hopes of a resurrection and the prospect of being awakened out of the long sleep. We lie down to rest at night with the hopes of awaking again. We sleep calmly, with the expectation that it will be only a temporary repose, and that we shall be aroused, invigorated for augmented toil, and refreshed for sweeter pleasure. So the Christian lies down in the grave. So the infant is committed to the calm slumber of the tomb. It may be a sleep stretching on through many nights and weeks and years and centuries, and even cycles of ages, but it is not eternal. The eyes will be opened again to behold the beauties of creation; the ear will be unstoppod to hear the sweet voice of fricndship and the harmony of music; and the frame will be raised up beautiful and immortal to engage in the service of the God that made us; compare Psalms 13:3; Psalms 90:5; John 11:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1Th 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10. Whether Job used the word in this sense and with this understanding, has been made a matter of question, and will be considered more fully in the examination of the passage in Job 19:25-27.

Then had I been at rest - Instead of the troubles and anxieties which I now experience. That is, he would have been lying in calm and honorable repose with the kings and princes of the earth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 3:13. For now should I have lain still — In that case I had been insensible; quiet - without these overwhelming agitations; slept - unconscious of evil; been at rest - been out of the reach of calamity and sorrow.