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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 17:16 Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?"</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/job/17-16.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/12/18_Job_17_16.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Job 17:16 - Job Prepares for Death" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? 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Will we descend together into the dust?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/17.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />No, my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/17.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/17.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/17.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when <i>our</i> rest together <i>is</i> in the dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/17.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br /><i>Will</i> they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall <i>we have</i> rest together in the dust?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/17.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/17.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/17.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?” <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/17.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/17.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“Will my hope go down with me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Shall we go down together in the dust?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/17.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/17.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/17.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, When once there is rest in the dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/17.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Will it keep me company in the world of the dead? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/17.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, when once there is rest in the dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/17.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Will hope go down with me to the gates of the grave? Will my hope rest with me in the dust?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/17.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Hope will not go with me when I go down to the world of the dead. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/17.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Will it go down to the bars that lock the doors of the afterlife? Will we descend together into the dust?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/17.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Will it go down to the gates of Sheol? Will we go down together into the dust??<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/17.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Will it go down to the barred gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/17.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Shall it go down with me to the gates of Sheol, or descend together into the dust?"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/17.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/17.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Shall it go down with me to the gates of Sheol, or descend together into the dust?” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/17.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />You go down [to] the parts of Sheol, "" If we may rest together on the dust.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/17.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> To the parts of Sheol ye go down, If together on the dust we may rest.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/17.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />They shall go down to the bars of hades if together we shall go down to the dust.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/17.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />All that I have shall go down into the deepest pit: thinkest thou that there at least I shall have rest? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/17.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Everything of mine will descend into the deepest underworld; do you think that, in that place at least, there will be rest for me?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/17.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Will they descend with me into Sheol? Shall we go down together into the dust? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/17.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?”<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/17.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />They shall go down to the bottom of Sheol; they shall descend together into the dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/17.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Into the bottom to Sheol you will go down!’ And together to the dust they shall descend!” <div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/17.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />They shall go down to the bars of the nether-world, When we are at rest together in the dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/17.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Will they go down with me to Hades, or shall we go down together to the tomb?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/17-16.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwuD5NuZq0?start=2698" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/job/17.htm">Job Prepares for Death</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">15</span>where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? <span class="reftext">16</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3381.htm" title="3381: tê·raḏ·nāh (V-Qal-Imperf-3fp) -- To come or go down, descend. ">Will it go down</a> <a href="/hebrew/905.htm" title="905: bad·dê (N-mpc) -- Separation, a part. ">to the gates</a> <a href="/hebrew/7585.htm" title="7585: šə·’ōl (N-cs) -- Or shol; from sha'al; Hades or the world of the dead, including its accessories and inmates.">of Sheol?</a> <a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: ’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!"></a> <a href="/hebrew/5181.htm" title="5181: nā·ḥaṯ (V-Qal-Imperf-1cp) -- To go down, descend. A primitive root; to sink, i.e. Descend; causatively, to press or lead down.">Will we go down</a> <a href="/hebrew/3162.htm" title="3162: ya·ḥaḏ (Adv) -- Unitedness. From yachad; properly, a unit, i.e. unitedly.">together</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">into</a> <a href="/hebrew/6083.htm" title="6083: ‘ā·p̄ār (N-ms) -- Dry earth, dust. From aphar; dust; hence, clay, earth, mud.">the dust?”</a> </span><div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/88-3.htm">Psalm 88:3-5</a></span><br />For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. / I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength. / I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/38-18.htm">Isaiah 38:18</a></span><br />For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ecclesiastes/9-10.htm">Ecclesiastes 9:10</a></span><br />Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/49-14.htm">Psalm 49:14</a></span><br />Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/7-9.htm">Job 7:9-10</a></span><br />As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come back up. / He never returns to his house; his place remembers him no more.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/10-21.htm">Job 10:21-22</a></span><br />before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom, / to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/6-5.htm">Psalm 6:5</a></span><br />For there is no mention of You in death; who can praise You from Sheol?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/30-9.htm">Psalm 30:9</a></span><br />“What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/3-13.htm">Job 3:13-19</a></span><br />For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest / with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins, / or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/21-26.htm">Job 21:26</a></span><br />But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/24-19.htm">Job 24:19</a></span><br />As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/8-22.htm">Matthew 8:22</a></span><br />But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/11-25.htm">John 11:25-26</a></span><br />Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. / And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/15-42.htm">1 Corinthians 15:42-44</a></span><br />So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. / It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. / It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/15-54.htm">1 Corinthians 15:54-55</a></span><br />When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” / “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.</p><p class="hdg">the bars of the pit</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/18-13.htm">Job 18:13,14</a></b></br> It shall devour the strength of his skin: <i>even</i> the firstborn of death shall devour his strength… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/33-18.htm">Job 33:18-28</a></b></br> He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/88-4.htm">Psalm 88:4-8</a></b></br> I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man <i>that hath</i> no strength: … </p><p class="hdg">rest</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/3-17.htm">Job 3:17-19</a></b></br> There the wicked cease <i>from</i> troubling; and there the weary be at rest… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/37-11.htm">Ezekiel 37:11</a></b></br> Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_corinthians/1-9.htm">2 Corinthians 1:9</a></b></br> But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/nehemiah/3-15.htm">Bars</a> <a href="/job/16-16.htm">Death</a> <a href="/1_samuel/26-10.htm">Descend</a> <a href="/job/16-15.htm">Dust</a> <a href="/nehemiah/13-22.htm">Gates</a> <a href="/job/17-13.htm">Nether-World</a> <a href="/job/14-20.htm">Once</a> <a href="/job/10-8.htm">Parts</a> <a href="/job/17-14.htm">Pit</a> <a href="/job/16-18.htm">Rest</a> <a href="/job/17-13.htm">Sheol</a> <a href="/job/16-10.htm">Together</a> <a href="/job/17-13.htm">Underworld</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/job/38-10.htm">Bars</a> <a href="/job/18-13.htm">Death</a> <a href="/psalms/7-16.htm">Descend</a> <a href="/job/19-25.htm">Dust</a> <a href="/job/38-17.htm">Gates</a> <a href="/job/24-19.htm">Nether-World</a> <a href="/job/18-19.htm">Once</a> <a href="/job/18-13.htm">Parts</a> <a href="/job/33-18.htm">Pit</a> <a href="/job/20-20.htm">Rest</a> <a href="/job/21-13.htm">Sheol</a> <a href="/job/19-12.htm">Together</a> <a href="/job/21-13.htm">Underworld</a><div class="vheading2">Job 17</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-1.htm">Job appeals from men to God</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-6.htm">The unmerciful dealing of men with the afflicted may astonish, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-9.htm">but not discourage the righteous</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/17-11.htm">His hope is not in life, but in death</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/17.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/job/17.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Will it go down to the gates of Sheol?</b><br>In this phrase, "it" refers to Job's hope or expectation, which he feels is fading. The "gates of Sheol" symbolize the entrance to the realm of the dead, a concept prevalent in ancient Near Eastern cultures. Sheol is often depicted as a shadowy place where the dead reside, distinct from the later Christian understanding of hell. The imagery of "gates" suggests a boundary or transition from life to death. In biblical context, Sheol is mentioned in various passages (e.g., <a href="/psalms/16-10.htm">Psalm 16:10</a>, <a href="/isaiah/38-10.htm">Isaiah 38:10</a>), often as a place of waiting or rest. Theologically, this reflects the human condition and the inevitability of death, emphasizing the need for redemption and resurrection, themes fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ.<p><b>Will we go down together into the dust?</b><br>The phrase "go down together into the dust" highlights the finality and commonality of death. "Dust" is a reference to <a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a>, where God tells Adam, "for dust you are and to dust you will return," underscoring the mortality of humanity. This reflects the ancient understanding of death as a return to the earth, a theme echoed in <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-20.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:20</a>. The use of "we" suggests a collective experience, indicating that death is a shared human destiny. This phrase also points to the hope of resurrection, as seen in <a href="/job/19-25.htm">Job 19:25-27</a>, where Job expresses faith in a Redeemer who will stand upon the earth. This foreshadows the resurrection of Christ, who conquers death and offers eternal life to believers, transforming the despair of the grave into the hope of glory.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and patience who undergoes severe trials and suffering. In this chapter, Job is expressing his despair and grappling with the reality of death.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/s/sheol.htm">Sheol</a></b><br>In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and shadow where the dead reside. It is often depicted as a place of waiting, devoid of the presence of God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_gates_of_sheol.htm">The Gates of Sheol</a></b><br>Symbolic of the entrance to the realm of the dead, representing the inevitability and finality of death.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/d/dust.htm">Dust</a></b><br>A reference to the creation account where man is formed from dust (<a href="/genesis/2-7.htm">Genesis 2:7</a>) and to which he returns after death (<a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a>). It symbolizes mortality and the transient nature of human life.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_reality_of_mortality.htm">The Reality of Mortality</a></b><br>Job's reflection on death reminds us of the certainty of mortality. As believers, we are called to live with an eternal perspective, understanding that our time on earth is temporary.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_depth_of_despair.htm">The Depth of Despair</a></b><br>Job's words express profound despair, a reminder that even the faithful can experience deep sorrow. It is important to acknowledge and address our emotions honestly before God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_beyond_sheol.htm">Hope Beyond Sheol</a></b><br>While Job speaks of descending into Sheol, the broader biblical account offers hope beyond the grave. Believers can find comfort in the promise of resurrection and eternal life through Christ.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_faith_in_trials.htm">The Importance of Faith in Trials</a></b><br>Job's account encourages us to maintain our faith even when circumstances seem hopeless. Trusting in God's sovereignty and goodness is crucial during times of suffering.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_job_17.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Job 17</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/do_job_17_13-16_conflict_with_resurrection.htm">Do the despairing references to the grave and Sheol in Job 17:13-16 conflict with later biblical teachings on hope and resurrection?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_acts_13_36-37_align_with_scripture.htm">Acts 13:36-37: Paul claims David 'saw corruption' while Jesus did not; how is this consistent with other scriptural passages about bodily decay and resurrection?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_job_19_27_conflict_with_ot_afterlife.htm">If Job 19:27 implies a personal, bodily resurrection, does this conflict with other Old Testament notions of the afterlife?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_job_24_19-20's_view_of_the_grave_unique.htm">In Job 24:19-20, is the depiction of the grave consuming sinners consistent with or contradictory to other Old Testament views on divine judgment?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/job/17.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(16) <span class= "bld">They shall go down to the bars of the pit.</span>--The last verse of this chapter, which is itself one of the most difficult, is the most difficult of all. The difficulty consists in this: <span class= "ital">the bars of the grave </span>are masculine, and the verb, <span class= "ital">they shall go down, </span>is feminine plural; it seems improbable that <span class= "ital">the bars of the grave </span>should be the subject of the verb (though perhaps not absolutely impossible); but if <span class= "ital">the bars of the grave </span>are the place to which the going down is, as in the Authorised Version, then what is the subject to the verb, go down, seeing that <span class= "ital">hope, </span>the apparent subject, is a feminine singular? Some render "it shall go down," but this is in defiance of the grammar, though, probably, the meaning it conveys is not far from the truth. The words clearly express a condition of utter despair, and that Job's only hope of rest is in the grave. It is a rule in Hebrew grammar that when the verb precedes its subject it need not agree with it in gender or number; but here the verb must, at all events, come after its subject, and consequently, it is very difficult to determine what that subject is. The only apparent subject is to be found in the <span class= "ital">corruption </span>of the <span class= "ital">worm </span>of <a href="/job/17-14.htm" title="I have said to corruption, You are my father: to the worm, You are my mother, and my sister.">Job 17:14</a>; but they, instead of going down to the grave, are already there.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/job/17.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 16.</span> <span class="cmt_word">- They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust</span>. There is great difficulty in determining the subject to the verb "go down," which is the third person plural <span class="accented">feminine</span>, whereas the only plural substantive at all near - the word translated "bars" - is masculine. Some suppose Job's <span class="accented">hopes</span> to be meant, "hope" in the preceding verse having the force of any number of "hopes" (so the R.V.) Others disregard the grammatical difficulty of the plural <span class="accented">feminine</span> verb, and, making "bars" the nominative, translate, "The bars of Sheol shall go down," <span class="accented">i.e.</span> "be broken down, perish;" or interrogatively, "Shall the bars of Sheol go down?" This rendering is thought to be "in harmony with the whole undercurrent of thought in the chapter;" but it has not approved itself to many commentators. The present commentator must acknowledge that he is unable to attach any satisfactory meaning to the words of the Hebrew text. <p> <p> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/17-16.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Will it go down</span><br /><span class="heb">תֵּרַ֑דְנָה</span> <span class="translit">(tê·raḏ·nāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3381.htm">Strong's 3381: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come or go down, descend</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to the gates</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּדֵּ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(bad·dê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_905.htm">Strong's 905: </a> </span><span class="str2">Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of Sheol?</span><br /><span class="heb">שְׁאֹ֣ל</span> <span class="translit">(šə·’ōl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7585.htm">Strong's 7585: </a> </span><span class="str2">Underworld (place to which people descend at death)</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Will we go down</span><br /><span class="heb">נָֽחַת׃</span> <span class="translit">(nā·ḥaṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5183.htm">Strong's 5183: </a> </span><span class="str2">A descent, imposition, unfavorable, favorable, restfulness</span><br /><br /><span class="word">together</span><br /><span class="heb">יַ֖חַד</span> <span class="translit">(ya·ḥaḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3162.htm">Strong's 3162: </a> </span><span class="str2">A unit, unitedly</span><br /><br /><span class="word">into</span><br /><span class="heb">עַל־</span> <span class="translit">(‘al-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the dust?”</span><br /><span class="heb">עָפָ֣ר</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·p̄ār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6083.htm">Strong's 6083: </a> </span><span class="str2">Dust, clay, earth, mud</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/17-16.htm">Job 17:16 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/17-16.htm">OT Poetry: Job 17:16 Shall it go down with me (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/17-15.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 17:15"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 17:15" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/18-1.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 18:1"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 18:1" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>