Job

Job 3:20–22

²⁰Why is light given to the miserable,

and life to the bitter of soul,

²¹who long for death that does not come,

and search for it like hidden treasure,

²²who rejoice and greatly exult

when they reach the grave?

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Why	לָ֤מָּה	lām·māh	Interrogative	H4100 what? how? aught
is light	א֑וֹר	’ō·wr	Noun - common singular	H216 light
given	יִתֵּ֣ן	yit·tên	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H5414 give, put, set
to the miserable	לְעָמֵ֣ל	lə·‘ā·mêl	Preposition-l; Noun - masculine singular	H6001 labourer, sufferer
and life	וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים	wə·ḥay·yîm	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural	H2416 alive, living
to the bitter	לְמָ֣רֵי	lə·mā·rê	Preposition-l; Adjective - masculine plural construct	H4751 bitter, bitterness
of soul	נָֽפֶשׁ׃	nā·p̄eš	Noun - feminine singular	H5315 soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
who long	הַֽמְחַכִּ֣ים	ham·ḥak·kîm	Article; Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural	H2442 wait, await
for death	לַמָּ֣וֶת	lam·mā·weṯ	Preposition-l, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H4194 death
that does not come	וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ	wə·’ê·nen·nū	Conjunctive waw; Adverb; third person masculine singular	H369 nothing, nought
and search for it	וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ	way·yaḥ·pə·ru·hū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural; third person masculine singular	H2658 dig, search for
like hidden treasure	מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים׃	mim·maṭ·mō·w·nîm	Preposition-m; Noun - masculine plural	H4301 hidden treasure, treasure

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
who rejoice	הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים	haś·śə·mê·ḥîm	Article; Adjective - masculine plural	H8056 glad, joyful, merry
and greatly	גִ֑יל	ḡîl	Noun - masculine singular	H1524 rejoicing
exult	יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ	yā·śî·śū	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H7797 exult, rejoice
when	כִּ֣י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
they reach	יִמְצְאוּ־	yim·ṣə·’ū-	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H4672 attain to, find
the grave	קָֽבֶר׃	qā·ḇer	Noun - masculine singular	H6913 grave, sepulchre

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Job 3:20 Jeremiah 20:18 · Job 7:15–16 · 1 Samuel 1:10 · Proverbs 31:6

Job 3:21 Revelation 9:6 · Proverbs 2:4 · Jonah 4:8 · 1 Kings 19:4 · Numbers 11:15 · Jonah 4:3

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.