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Job 3:8

in Job 3

May it be cursed by those who curse the day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Let them curse it that curse the day, Who are ready to rouse up leviathan.

KJV

Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

This verse in Job 3

Commentary

11 notes on this verse

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

But the Hebrew for "mourning" elsewhere always denotes an animal, whether it be the crocodile or some huge serpent (Isa 27:1), such as is meant by "leviathan." Therefore, the expression, "cursers of day," refers to magicians, who were believed to be able by charms to make a day one of evil omen.

This site's exposition

may that night be barren

on Job 3:7-10

The curse turns to the night of his conception, asking that it be barren, with "no joyful voice" such as a birth-night would carry. Verse 8 calls on "those prepared to rouse Leviathan," which Delitzsch reads as professional cursers whose trade is stirring up the sea monster of chaos.

This site's exposition

those prepared to rouse Leviathan

Barnes takes those who curse the day as a known class of men who pronounced curses. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown identify them as sorcerers who claimed by charms to curse a day, and Leviathan as the great serpent of Isaiah 27:1. Job wants their curse on that night.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Morals on the Book of Job, Book IV · Written before 604.

proposed

HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION. Let them curse it that curse the day, that are ready to rouse up Leviathan. In the old translation it is not so written, but, Let him curse it that hath cursed the day, even him who shall take the great whale. By which words it is clearly shewn, that the destruction of Antichrist, to be at the end of the world, is foreseen by the holy man. For the evil spirit, who by rights is night, at the end of the world passes himself for the day, in that he shews himself to men as God, while he takes to himself deceitfully the brightness of the Deity, and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. The same therefore that curseth the day, curseth the night; in that He at this present time destroys his wickedness, Who will then by the light of His coming also extinguish the power of his strength. And hence it is well subjoined, Who will take the great whale. For the strength of this whale is taken as a prey in the water, in that the wiliness of our old enemy is overcome by the Sacrament of Baptism. But that which in the Old Translation is spoken of the Author of all things, in this translation, which we get from the Hebrew and Arabian tongues, is related of His elect Angels. For it is of them that it is said, Let them curse it that curse the day. For that spirit in his pride desired to pass himself for day even with the Angelic Powers, at that time when as though in the power of the Deity he exalted himself above the rest, and drew after him such countless legions to destruction. But they, truly, who with humble spirits stood firm in the Author of their being, when they saw there was night in his perverse ways; trod under foot the day of his brightness by thinking humbly of themselves, who do now point out to us the darkness of his disguise, and shew us how we should contemn his false glare. […]

A commentator

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on Job · Written before 1274.

proposed

From this he only intends to show that his conception was not something great nor ordered to something good, but rather to the evil of adversity which he was feeling. So he says, "Let those curse it who curse the day, those who are capable …

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Morals on the Book of Job, Book IV · Written before 604.

proposed

MORAL INTERPRETATION. Let them curse it that curse the day. As if he said in plain words; 'Let them strike the darkness of this night by truly repenting, who henceforth despise and tread upon the light of worldly prosperity.' For if we take 'the day,' for the gladness of delight, of this 'night' it is rightly said, Let them curse it that curse the day. In that, indeed, they do truly chastise the misdeeds committed with the visitations of penance, who are henceforth carried away by no sense of delight after deceitful goods.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

): "Let none ever desire to see it, or bid it welcome when it comes, but, on the contrary, let those curse it that curse the day. Whatever day any are tempted to curse, let them at the same time bestow one curse upon my birth-day, particularly those that make it their trade to raise up mourning at funerals with their ditties of lamentation.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

The day - Their birth-day: when their afflictions move them to curse their own birth-day, let them remember mine also, and bestow some curses upon it. Mourning - Who are full of sorrow, and always ready to pour out their cries, and tears, and complaints.
3 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Let them curse it that curse the day,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Let them curse it that curse the day - This translation is scarcely intelligible. I have waded through a multitude of interpretations, without being able to collect from them such a notion of the verse as could appear to me probable. Schultens, Rosenmüller, and after them Mr. Good, have labored much to make it plain.
Let them curse it who curse the day - This entire verse is exceedingly difficult, and many different expositions have been given of it. It seems evident that it refers to some well-known class of persons, who were accustomed to utter imprecations, and were supposed to have the power to render a day propitious or unpropitious - persons who had the power of divination or enchantment. A belief in such a power existed early in the world, and has prevailed in all savage and semi-barbarous nations, and even in nations considerably advanced in civilization. The origin of this was a desire to look into futurity; and in order to accomplish this, a league was supposed to be made with the spirits of the dead, who were acquainted with the events of the invisible world, and who could be prevailed on to impart their knowledge to favored mortals. It was supposed, also, that by such union there might be a power exerted which would appear to be miraculous. Such persons also claimed to be the favorites of heaven, and to be endowed with control over the elements, and over the destiny of men; to have the power to bless and to curse, to render propitious or calamitous. Balsaam was believed to be endowed with this power, and hence, he was sent for by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites; Num 22:5-6; see the notes at Isa 8:19. The practice of cursing the day, or cursing the sun, is said by Herodotus to have prevailed among a people of Africa, whom he calls the Atlantes, living in the vicinity of Mount Atlas. “Of all mankind,” says he, “of whom we have any knowledge, the Atlantes alone have no distinction of names; the body of the people are termed Atlantes, but their individuals have no appropriate appellation. When the sun is at the highest they heap on it reproaches and execrations, because their country and themselves are parched by its rays; book iv. 184. […]

The words behind it

6 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • יִקְּבֻ֥הוּlet them curse it

    yikevuhuH6895 →

  • אֹרְרֵי־cursers of

    ʾorerei-H779 →

  • י֑וֹםa day

    yomH3117 →2304 times

  • הָ֝עֲתִידִ֗יםthe [ones] ready

    haatidimH6264 →

  • עֹרֵ֥רto rouse

    ʾorerH5782 →80 times

  • לִוְיָתָֽן׃Leviathan

    livyatanH3882 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Job 41:1

    “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?

    it leads to

    • Psalms 74:14

      You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

    • Psalms 104:26

      There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.

    • Isaiah 27:1

      In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

  • Through

    Amos 5:16

    Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will…

    it leads to

    • Joel 1:11

      Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.

    • Jeremiah 9:17–20

      This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.

    • Jeremiah 9:10

      I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not…

    • Isaiah 15:2–5

      Dibon goes up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba. Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off.

  • Through

    Job 41:10

    No one is so fierce as to rouse Leviathan. Then who is able to stand against Me?

    it leads to

    • Job 9:4

      God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About Job

Job Hears of His Misfortunes, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Job Hears of His Misfortunes, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book IV; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.