Job 17:16

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 17:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, When once there is rest in the dust.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, When once there is rest in the dust.
Job 17:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, When once there is rest in the dust.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“They shall go down to the bars of the pit, etc.] He himself, and his friends, and the hopes they would have him entertain; these should all go down together to the grave, and there lie barred and locked up; these hopes, so as never to rise anymore, and the bodies of himself, and his friends, till loosed by him who has the keys of hell and death: or “the bars shall go down to the grave”; the members of his body, as Jarchi, which are the bars of it, as some in Bar Tzemach; the strength and support of it, as particularly the bones, these shall go down to the grave, and there turn to rottenness and dust; and therefore, as if he should say, as he elsewhere does, “what is my strength, that I…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“They--namely, my hopes shall be buried with me. bars-- (Isa 38:10). Rather, the wastes or solitudes of the pit (sheol, the unseen world). rest together--the rest of me and my hope is in, &c. Both expire together. The word "rest" implies that man's ceaseless hopes only rob him of rest. Next: Job Chapter 18”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“They shall go down - That is, my hopes shall go down. All the expectations that I have cherished of life and happiness, will descend there with me. We have a similar expression when we say, that a man “has buried his hopes in the grave,” when he loses an only son. To the bars of the pit - “Bars of Sheol” - שׁאול בד bad she'ôl. Vulgate, “Profoundest deep.” Septuagint, εἰς ᾅδην eis hadēn - to Hades. Sheol, or Hades, was supposed to be under the earth. Its entrance was by the grave as a gate that led to it. It was protected by bars - as prisons are - so that those who entered there could not escape; see the notes at Isaiah 14:9. It was a dark, gloomy dwelling, far away from light, and…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“They - My hopes, of which he spake in the singular number, Job 17:15, which he here changes into the plural, as is usual in these poetical books. Bars - Into the innermost parts of the pit: my hopes are dying, and will be buried in my grave. We must shortly be in the dust, under the bars of the pit, held fast there, 'till the general resurrection. All good men, if they cannot agree now will there rest together. Let the foresight of this cool the heat of all contenders, and moderate the disputers of this world. Next: Job Chapter 18”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“17:16 the grave (literally the bars of Sheol): Sheol—the abode of the dead—was seen as having a barred gate, allowing no escape.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the bars of the pit: Job 18:13, Job 18:14, Job 33:18-28; Psa 88:4-8, Psa 143:7; Isa 38:17, Isa 38:18; Jon 2:6 rest: Job 3:17-19; Eze 37:11; Co2 1:9 Next: Job Chapter 18”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification