Job 3:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He proclaims, lamenting the day of his birth, “Let this day be obliterated,” and, “Let him who scorns this day and can defeat the mighty sea creature.” Such utterances carry a prophetic weight, for our Lord Jesus Christ has vanquished the adversary, resembling the monstrous sea beast of this tumultuous era. Job yearns for the day of his earthly arrival to be extinguished, wishing for his time to be counted in a future age. He articulates, “Let the day of this present age vanish so that the day of the spirit may commence.” In his trials, St. Job discloses a profound truth, as the conqueror of this age has already beheld Christ.

Up to this point, Job had appeared detached and unresponsive to the trials that could shake his faith in God and test his endurance. However, he finally reveals the grief that has been hidden within him, and, to illustrate that he is a real person rather than a mere literary symbol of perseverance, he curses the day he was born. In line with the beliefs of faithful individuals, which hold that one's joy and suffering are determined by their birthdate, Job expresses a desire for the day of his birth to either vanish entirely from the calendar, or, if it must remain, to be remembered as a day of sorrow (3:3-10). Had Job perished in utero or shortly after birth, he would have avoided all his anguish and entered into rest, where tranquility and equality reside among the deceased (11-19).