Proponents of the belief that souls were once in heaven, only to descend into a lesser existence, reference this and similar statements to suggest that living in heaven is far more desirable than enduring a body marked by suffering. In reading Job’s lamentation, “Let the day perish in which I was born, and this night, in which they declared, ‘A male has been born’” (Job 3:3), we can draw parallels to the exclamation that ‘Cursed is the man who informed my father, saying, “A son has been born to you,”’ implying it is preferable not to live at all than to exist in misery—as indicated in the Scriptures, ‘Death is better for the one whom God has already destined’ and also, ‘Why is life given to those who are in anguish?’ (Job 3:20).
Moreover, the Gospel states plainly that it would have been better for him if he had never been born (Matthew 26:24) — not suggesting that the nonexistent had any form of existence, but rather that not existing would have been more favorable than existing in despair. To not exist altogether is one situation; to exist perpetually in suffering is quite another, which is why we might prefer a peaceful death to a life of affliction. This sentiment echoes through the words of Amos regarding the day of darkness and calamity (Am. 5), as well as Jacob, who, burdened by a life of toil and grief, described his days as few and filled with evil (Gen. 47). The Apostle Paul similarly articulates the longing for deliverance from this wicked age (Gal. 1:4) and admonishes the redemption of our time, for these days are filled with evil (Eph. 5:16).
The Hebrews, through a variety of complex and astounding interpretations, link the day of Jeremiah's birth to the fifth month—when Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed. How they reconcile this with Job's account, I do not know, nor do I understand how they would assert he was born on the same day as the temple's downfall, as a foreshadowing of later events. When it comes to the fate likened to that of the devastated cities, it is likely that Sodom and Gomorrah are referenced here, symbolizing that suffering should be unwavering—shrieks in the morning and weeping at noon. Regarding the phrase, "Who hath not killed me in the womb," it is believed to allude to God. The expression that her womb should remain eternally filled with me is hyperbolic. Ultimately, Job articulates his reasons for preferring death over life, questioning: why did I exit the womb to witness toil and sorrow, allowing my days to slip by in confusion?
THEOSIS