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Job 10:19

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 10:19 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
Job 10:19 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 10

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16And if [my head] exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion; And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me.
17Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, And increasest thine indignation upon me: Changes and warfare are with me.
18Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? 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.
20Are not my days few? cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,
21Before I go whence I shall not return, [Even] to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;
22The land dark as midnight, [The land] of the shadow of death, without any order, And where the light is as midnight.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“I should have been as though I had not been, etc.] For though it cannot be said absolutely of such an one, an abortive or untimely birth, that it is a nonentity, or never existed; yet comparatively it is as if it never had a being; it being seen by none or very few, it having had no name, nor any conversation among men; but at once buried, and buried in forgetfulness, as if no such one had ever been; (see <210603>Ecclesiastes 6:3-5). This Job wished for, for so some render it, “oh, that I had been as though I had never been” f465; and then he would have never been involved in such troubles he was, he would have been free from all his afflictions and distresses, and never have had any…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“I should have been carried from the womb to the grave - See the notes at Job 3:16. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Psa 58:8 Job 10:20”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification