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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Job 3:11–20

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
With kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
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PASSAGE SELECTION

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SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

47 Essential passages are open for comparison.

Reference depth

From verse 11

  1. Isaiah 46:3Rank 1 from verse 11
    Open

    3¶ Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:

  2. Job 10:18–19Rank 2 from verse 11
    Open

    18Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!

    19I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

  3. Hosea 9:14Rank 3 from verse 11
    Open

    14Give them, O Lord: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

  4. Jeremiah 15:10Rank 4 from verse 11
    Open

    10¶ Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

  5. Psalms 139:13–16Rank 5 from verse 11
    Open

    13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

    14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

    15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

    16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

From verse 12

  1. Genesis 30:3Rank 1 from verse 12
    Open

    3And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.

  2. Isaiah 66:12Rank 2 from verse 12
    Open

    12For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.

  3. Genesis 50:23Rank 3 from verse 12
    Open

    23And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees.

  4. Ezekiel 16:4–5Rank 4 from verse 12
    Open

    4And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

    5None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

From verse 13

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:10Rank 1 from verse 13
    Open

    10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

  2. Job 14:10–12Rank 2 from verse 13
    Open

    10But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

    11As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

    12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

  3. Job 21:13Rank 3 from verse 13
    Open

    13They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

  4. Ecclesiastes 6:3–5Rank 4 from verse 13
    Open

    3¶ If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

    4For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

    5Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

  5. Job 10:22Rank 5 from verse 13
    Open

    22A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

From verse 14

  1. Job 15:28Rank 1 from verse 14
    Open

    28And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

  2. Isaiah 14:10–16Rank 2 from verse 14
    Open

    10All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

    11Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

    12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

    13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

    14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

    15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

    16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

  3. Psalms 49:14Rank 3 from verse 14
    Open

    14Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

  4. Psalms 89:48Rank 4 from verse 14
    Open

    48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

  5. 1 Kings 11:43Rank 5 from verse 14
    Open

    43And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

From verse 15

  1. 1 Kings 10:27Rank 1 from verse 15
    Open

    27And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

  2. Job 22:25Rank 2 from verse 15
    Open

    25Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

  3. Zephaniah 1:18Rank 3 from verse 15
    Open

    18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

  4. Isaiah 2:7Rank 4 from verse 15
    Open

    7Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:

  5. Job 12:21Rank 5 from verse 15
    Open

    21He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.

From verse 16

  1. Psalms 58:8Rank 1 from verse 16
    Open

    8As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

  2. Ecclesiastes 6:3Rank 2 from verse 16
    Open

    3¶ If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

  3. 1 Corinthians 15:8Rank 3 from verse 16
    Open

    8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

From verse 17

  1. Revelation 14:13Rank 1 from verse 17
    Open

    13And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

  2. Job 17:16Rank 2 from verse 17
    Open

    16They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.

  3. Hebrews 4:11Rank 3 from verse 17
    Open

    11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

  4. Hebrews 4:9Rank 4 from verse 17
    Open

    9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

  5. Isaiah 57:1–2Rank 5 from verse 17
    Open

    1THE righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

    2He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

From verse 18

  1. Job 39:7Rank 1 from verse 18
    Open

    7He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.

  2. Exodus 5:15–19Rank 2 from verse 18
    Open

    15¶ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

    16There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

    17But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.

    18Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

    19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

  3. Exodus 5:6–8Rank 3 from verse 18
    Open

    6And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

    7Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

    8And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

  4. Isaiah 14:3–4Rank 4 from verse 18
    Open

    3And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

    4¶ That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

  5. Judges 4:3Rank 5 from verse 18
    Open

    3And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

From verse 19

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:7Rank 1 from verse 19
    Open

    7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

  2. Ecclesiastes 8:8Rank 2 from verse 19
    Open

    8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

  3. Job 30:23Rank 3 from verse 19
    Open

    23For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

  4. Ecclesiastes 12:5Rank 4 from verse 19
    Open

    5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

  5. Hebrews 9:27Rank 5 from verse 19
    Open

    27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

From verse 20

  1. Jeremiah 20:18Rank 1 from verse 20
    Open

    18Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?

  2. Job 7:15–16Rank 2 from verse 20
    Open

    15So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.

    16I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

  3. 1 Samuel 1:10Rank 3 from verse 20
    Open

    10And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

  4. Proverbs 31:6Rank 4 from verse 20
    Open

    6Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

  5. 2 Kings 4:27Rank 5 from verse 20
    Open

    27And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:11

COMBINED MEANING

womb

↗

Sense 1: The bodily place in a female where a child is conceived and carried before birth. Sense 2: A source pictured as such a place.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

ghost

↗

Sense 1: A spirit. Sense 2: In the title Holy Ghost, the divine Spirit of God. Sense 3: The life or spirit yielded up at death, in the expression to give or yield up the ghost.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893

COMBINED MEANING

out

↗

Outside, away from within, forth, absent, or no longer in a stated condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:12

COMBINED MEANING

knees

↗

Plural form of knee (the joint between the thigh and lower leg, especially as bent or bowed).

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

breasts

↗

Plural form of breast (the front part of the body between the neck and the belly).

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

should

↗

A verb expressing duty, propriety, expectation, intention, purpose, condition, appointed outcome, or a future event viewed from another time or statement.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:13

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

should

↗

A verb expressing duty, propriety, expectation, intention, purpose, condition, appointed outcome, or a future event viewed from another time or statement.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

lain

↗

Past-tense or past-participial form of lie (to recline, rest, remain, or be situated).

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

still

↗

Sense 1: Continuing without interruption, or remaining as before. Sense 2: Quiet, silent, or without motion. Sense 3: Even yet or nevertheless. Sense 4: To make quiet or cause to cease.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

quiet

↗

Sense 1: Stillness, rest, peace, or freedom from disturbance. Sense 2: Calm or still, or to make calm.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

slept

↗

Past-tense or past-participial form of sleep. Sense 1: Rested in natural sleep. Sense 2: By figure, lay in death.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

rest

↗

Sense 1: To cease from labour or motion, lie still, settle, remain, or rely; also repose, peace, security, or an abiding place. Sense 2: The remaining persons or things after a part is distinguished.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:14

COMBINED MEANING

earth

↗

Sense 1: The world in distinction from heaven. Sense 2: Dry land, ground, soil, or dust. Sense 3: A land, region, or its inhabitants.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

which

↗

1. An interrogative or relative pronoun identifying one or more persons or things from a stated or implied set. 2. That which; what.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

desolate

↗

1. Of a place or land, left empty, uninhabited, waste, ruined, barren, or without former use and fruitfulness. 2. Of a person or people, bereft, forsaken, solitary, or left without help, comfort, family, or support. 3. As a verb, to make empty, waste, ruined, or bereft.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Cawdrey 1604

COMBINED MEANING

places

↗

1. Physical locations or rooms. 2. Positions or offices. 3. Occasions, circumstances, or passages.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:15

COMBINED MEANING

filled

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of fill. Sense 1: To make full or occupy capacity. Sense 2: To satisfy. Sense 3: To occupy. Sense 4: To complete what is lacking.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

houses

↗

Buildings or dwelling places; by extension, the families, households, estates, possessions, royal lines, or bodies of people associated with them.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

silver

↗

A precious white metal used for money, vessels, ornaments, images, trade, valuation, and refining; by extension, money or wealth reckoned in that metal.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:16

COMBINED MEANING

birth

↗

Sense 1: The act or process of coming into life or bringing forth. Sense 2: That which is born; offspring. Sense 3: Origin, lineage, or one's place or condition as determined by birth.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

which

↗

1. An interrogative or relative pronoun identifying one or more persons or things from a stated or implied set. 2. That which; what.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

never

↗

Sense 1: Not ever; at no time or in no case. Sense 2: In never so constructions, however or no matter how much.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

light

↗

Sense 1: Brightness or illumination. Sense 2: A source or opening that gives light. Sense 3: Figuratively, truth, knowledge, revelation, life, or favour contrasted with darkness. Sense 4: To illuminate or kindle. Sense 5: To alight or come upon. Sense 6: Slight, easy, swift, or not heavy.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:17

COMBINED MEANING

cease

↗

To stop or leave off, to come to an end, or to cause something to stop or end.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

weary

↗

Sense 1: Tired or exhausted in strength, patience, or endurance. Sense 2: To tire, fatigue, or exhaust the strength or patience of a person or thing.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

rest

↗

Sense 1: To cease from labour or motion, lie still, settle, remain, or rely; also repose, peace, security, or an abiding place. Sense 2: The remaining persons or things after a part is distinguished.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:18

COMBINED MEANING

rest

↗

Sense 1: To cease from labour or motion, lie still, settle, remain, or rely; also repose, peace, security, or an abiding place. Sense 2: The remaining persons or things after a part is distinguished.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

hear

↗

Sense 1: To perceive sound or spoken words. Sense 2: To receive or learn by report. Sense 3: To listen to, regard, or heed. Sense 4: To attend favourably to a request.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

oppressor

↗

One that oppresses; one that imposes unjust burdens on others; one that harasses others with unjust laws or unreasonable severity.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:19

COMBINED MEANING

small

↗

1. Little or limited in size, amount, number, extent, strength, power, rank, or importance. 2. Fine or minute; broken or ground into small particles. 3. In “no small,” considerable or great. 4. In “small cattle,” sheep and goats, as distinguished from oxen or larger cattle.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

servant

↗

One who serves another; a worker, attendant, subject, bondservant, or appointed minister.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

free

↗

Sense 1: At liberty; released or exempt from bondage, confinement, service, obligation, dominion, guilt, or other restraint. Sense 2: Unrestrained, unobstructed, or at liberty to act or proceed. Sense 3: Willing, voluntary, liberal, or unreserved. Sense 4: Given or received without price, payment, or purchase.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

master

↗

One possessing authority, ownership, command, supervision, or superior skill: an owner, employer, household head, teacher, leader, ship commander, or lord.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Job 3:20

COMBINED MEANING

wherefore

↗

1. For that reason, or as a conclusion from what precedes; therefore or consequently. 2. For what reason or purpose; why.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

light

↗

Sense 1: Brightness or illumination. Sense 2: A source or opening that gives light. Sense 3: Figuratively, truth, knowledge, revelation, life, or favour contrasted with darkness. Sense 4: To illuminate or kindle. Sense 5: To alight or come upon. Sense 6: Slight, easy, swift, or not heavy.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

bitter

↗

Having a sharp, unpleasant taste opposed to sweet; grievous, harsh, painful, sorrowful, resentful, or severe in condition, feeling, speech, or effect.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

soul

↗

Sense 1: A living person or creature; a life or self. Sense 2: The inward self distinguished from the body. Sense 3: The seat of desire or appetite.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

READ BEFORE AND AFTER

Surrounding Verses

Nearby Scripture remains separate from the selected passage until you add it.

10Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

11Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

Selected passage

12Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

Selected passage

13For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

Selected passage

14With kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;

Selected passage

15Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

Selected passage

16Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

Selected passage

17There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

Selected passage

18There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

Selected passage

19The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

Selected passage

20Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

Selected passage

21Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;

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