There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights that even the "wicked," those perpetually restless and driven by their desires, find their troubling finally silenced in the grave. It's not just the overtly oppressed who rest, but the ceaseless inner turmoil of evildoers also comes to an end.
There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job has just unleashed a torrent of grief, cursing the day he was born and questioning why life continues. He's not asking for pity but describing the profound weariness that makes him long for death, which he sees as the only escape from his suffering. In this passage, Job paints a picture of the grave as a place where all the turmoil of life finally ends, bringing peace to both the oppressors and the oppressed.
Job's despair leads him to long for the grave. But what kind of 'rest' does he imagine there? It's a rest that, in his view, applies to everyone, regardless of their earthly deeds.
Job sees the grave, the 'there,' as a profound equalizer. It's a place where the normal rules of society and personal experience are suspended.
The End of Action
Job isn't just tired physically; he's spiritually and emotionally spent. He describes the 'weary' as those 'wearied as to strength.' What does this deep exhaustion look like?
The 'weary' Job speaks of aren't just people who had a long day. They are those whose strength has been utterly drained by life's relentless pressures.
A Deeper Exhaustion
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Job states that 'the wicked cease from troubling.' Does this mean the wicked find peace in the grave, or is there another meaning? The original language hints at something more.
While the English translation is straightforward, the Hebrew word for 'wicked' here can also carry the sense of 'restless' or 'agitated.' This suggests that even their activity was a form of internal torment.
Uneasy Rest
Understand the original words
rasha · Hebrew Noun
Those who willfully disregard God's law and live in opposition to His character and kingdom; they are characterized by their harmful impact on others and their rebellion against divine authority.
yagea · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
A state of being worn out by toil, suffering, or trial. In a spiritual sense, it often refers to those who are exhausted by the weight of sin or the trials of this world and are longing for divine relief.
nuach · Hebrew Verb/Noun
A fundamental concept denoting not merely the cessation of activity, but a profound state of peace, security, and tranquility found in God's presence or His provision. It is the antithesis of the restlessness caused by sin and spiritual struggle.
This passage describes the wicked as restless, like a troubled sea that cannot rest, directly contrasting with the peace found in the grave mentioned in Job 3:17.
Psalm 73:16-19This Psalm reflects on the seeming prosperity of the wicked and the struggles of the righteous, concluding with the idea that their final end is destruction, aligning with the 'wicked cease from troubling' idea in Job.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-8This passage speaks of a person who toils endlessly and still doesn't find satisfaction, highlighting a weariness that finds its ultimate rest and lack of purpose when they die, mirroring Job's sentiment of weary rest.
Revelation 14:13This verse provides a blessed assurance that those who die in the Lord are at rest from their labors, directly echoing the 'weary are at rest' concept as a release from earthly toil and suffering.
jfbJob 3:17: "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest."
- the wicked—the original meaning, "those ever restless," "full of desires" (Isa 57:20, 21).the weary—literally, "those whose strength is wearied out" (Re 14:13).
pulpitJob 3:17: "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest."
Verse 17. - There. The word has no expressed antecedent, but the general tenor of the passage supplies one. "There" is equivalent to "in the grave." The wicked cease from troubling; i.e." cease from their state of continual perturbation and unrest" (comp. Isaiah 57:20, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt "). This is their condition, so long as they li…
This verse highlights that even the "wicked," those perpetually restless and driven by their desires, find their troubling finally silenced in the grave. It's not just the overtly oppressed who rest, but the ceaseless inner turmoil of evildoers also comes to an end.
Job has just unleashed a torrent of grief, cursing the day he was born and questioning why life continues. He's not asking for pity but describing the profound weariness that makes him long for death, which he sees as the only escape from his suffering. In this passage, Job paints a picture of the grave as a place where all the turmoil of life finally ends, bringing peace to both the oppressors and the oppressed.
Job has just unleashed a torrent of grief, cursing the day he was born and questioning why life continues. He's not asking for pity but describing the profound weariness that makes him long for death, which he sees as the only escape from his suffering. In this passage, Job paints a picture of the grave as a place where all the turmoil of life finally ends, bringing peace to both the oppressors and the oppressed.
"There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest." — This verse highlights that even the "wicked," those perpetually restless and driven by their desires, find their troubling finally silenced in the grave. It's not just the overtly oppressed who rest,…
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Last reviewed October 2026