Bible Strands
Job 3:20
Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job speaks his curse of birth to God and his companions, immediately after describing the death realm where social hierarchies dissolve. He articulates the paradox of prolonged life for those consumed by despair.
The words — The Hebrew עָמֵל ('a.Mel) translates literally to "sufferer," while מָרֵי נָפֶשׁ (Ma.rei Na.fesh) means "bitter of soul." These terms define the specific condition of those who receive life.
The thread — This lament over undeserved endurance appears in Jeremiah 20:18, Job 7:15, and 1 Samuel 1:10. Each text records a figure questioning why life continues amid profound distress.
Why it lands — The verse demands that readers acknowledge life as a burden when sustained only by misery. It requires honest confrontation with the reality of unmerited suffering without offering premature comfort.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 20:18 Why did I come out of the womb to see only trouble and sorrow, and to end my days in shame?
- Job 7:15 so that I would prefer strangling and death over my life in this body.
- 1 Samuel 1:10 In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.
- Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul.
- 2 Kings 4:27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
- Job 3:16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?
- Job 6:9 that God would be willing to crush me, to unleash His hand and cut me off!
- Job 33:30 to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
- Job 33:28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’