“Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just regretting his suffering; he's questioning God's fundamental act of creation. He wishes he had died as an aborted or stillborn child, unseen and unknown, because living a life of such pain feels like a cruel joke that shouldn't have been initiated.
“Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is deep in despair, questioning God's purpose behind his suffering and even his very existence. He's reiterating his initial curse on the day of his birth, expressing the wish that he had died in the womb, unseen and unknown, rather than endure this agony. This cry reflects his profound grief and his feeling that his life has become an unbearable burden.
Job feels utterly overwhelmed, so much so that he questions the very act of being born. He expresses a profound wish that he had never seen the light of day.
Job's lament in this verse isn't just a momentary outburst; it's a return to a deep-seated despair he felt earlier (Job 3:11-19). He's grappling with the 'why' of his existence in the face of unimaginable suffering. His question, 'Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth from the womb?' isn't a theological debate, but an anguished cry from someone feeling abandoned and tormented. He wishes he had died before birth, or even at birth, so that no one, and certainly not God, would have had to witness his life and suffering. This speaks to a profound sense of worthlessness that suffering can inflict.
In his pain, Job sees his birth as a tragedy, questioning God's intentions behind bringing him into a world of such hardship.
Job feels that God, his Creator, is now actively pursuing him with overwhelming force ('like a fierce lion,' Job 10:16). Given this relentless pursuit, he wonders why God bothered to bring him into existence at all. The act of birth, usually seen as a gift and a beginning, is now re-framed in Job's mind as the tragic start of his torment. He feels that dying in the womb would have been a kinder, more merciful fate than experiencing the life he now leads. This highlights how extreme suffering can warp our perception of God's past actions and present intentions.
Understand the original words
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rechem · Hebrew Noun
The literal place of gestation. In the Bible, it is frequently used to discuss birth, origin, and the sovereign act of God in creating life, as well as the transition from darkness to light at birth.
qeber · Hebrew Noun
The place of the dead (Sheol). Biblically, it is the inevitable destination of humanity, representing the end of physical life and the cessation of worldly activity. Job uses it here as a place of desired silence compared to his present agony.
This passage shows Jeremiah expressing similar profound despair and regret over his birth, echoing Job's lament that he was not stillborn.
Job 3:10-19This section represents Job's initial curse of the day he was born, establishing the theme of wishing for non-existence that is revisited here in Job 10:18.
Matthew 26:24Jesus' disciples later face immense suffering, and even Judas, in his despair, expresses a wish that he had never been born, mirroring Job's deep anguish.
Psalm 139:13-16This psalm reflects on God's intimate knowledge and involvement in creation from the earliest stages, providing a contrasting perspective to Job's questioning of his own existence.
clarkeJob 10:18: "Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!"
Wherefore then - Why didst thou give me a being, when thou didst foresee I should be exposed to such incredible hardships? See on Job 3:10 (note), etc.
pooleJob 10:18: "Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!"
To wit, alive, i.e. that I had never been born alive.
Job isn't just regretting his suffering; he's questioning God's fundamental act of creation. He wishes he had died as an aborted or stillborn child, unseen and unknown, because living a life of such pain feels like a cruel joke that shouldn't have been initiated.
Job is deep in despair, questioning God's purpose behind his suffering and even his very existence. He's reiterating his initial curse on the day of his birth, expressing the wish that he had died in the womb, unseen and unknown, rather than endure this agony. This cry reflects his profound grief and his feeling that his life has become an unbearable burden.
Job is deep in despair, questioning God's purpose behind his suffering and even his very existence. He's reiterating his initial curse on the day of his birth, expressing the wish that he had died in the womb, unseen and unknown, rather than endure this agony. This cry reflects his profound grief and his feeling that his life has become an unbearable burden.
"“Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave." — Job isn't just regretting his suffering; he's questioning God's fundamental act of creation. He wishes he had died as an aborted or stillborn child, unseen and unknown, because living a life of such…
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Last reviewed October 2026