Job 26:6

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 26:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Sheol is naked before [God], And Abaddon hath no covering.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Sheol is naked before [God], And Abaddon hath no covering.
Job 26:6 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 26

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
6Sheol is naked before [God], And Abaddon hath no covering.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Hell [is] naked before him, etc.] Which may be taken either for the place of the damned, as it sometimes is; and then the sense is, that though it is hidden from men, and they know not where it is, or who are in it, and what is done and suffered there; yet it is all known to God: he knows the place thereof, for it is made, ordained, and prepared by him; he knows who are there, even all the wicked dead, and all the nations that forget God, being cast there by him; he knows the torments they endure, for the smoke of them continually ascends before him; and he knows all their malice and envy, their enmity to him, and blasphemy of him; for thither are they gone down with their weapons of war,…”
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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
“(Job 38:17; Psa 139:8; Pro 5:11). destruction--the abode of destruction, that is, of lost souls. Hebrew, Abaddon (Rev 9:11). no covering--from God's eyes.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Hell - Hebrew שׁאול she'ôl, Sheol; Greek ᾅδης Hadēs Hades. The reference is to the abode of departed spirits - the nether world where the dead were congregated; see the notes at Job 10:21-22. It does not mean here, as the word hell does with us, a place of punishment, but the place where all the dead were supposed to be gathered together. Is naked before him - That is, be looks directly upon that world. It is hidden from us, but not from him. He sees all its inhabitants, knows all their employments, and sways a scepter over them all. And destruction - Hebrew אבדון 'ăbaddôn, Abaddon; compare Revelation 9:11, “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit,…”
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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
“Hell - Is in his presence, and under his providence. Hell itself, that place of utter darkness, is not hid from his sight. Destruction - The place of destruction. Job 26:7”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Hell: Job 11:8; Psa 139:8, Psa 139:11; Pro 15:11; Isa 14:9; Amo 9:2; Heb 4:13 destruction: Job 28:22; Psa 88:10 Job 26:7”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification