Job 3:14
New International Version
with kings and rulers of the earth, who built for themselves places now lying in ruins,

New Living Translation
I would rest with the world’s kings and prime ministers, whose great buildings now lie in ruins.

English Standard Version
with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt ruins for themselves,

Berean Standard Bible
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,

King James Bible
With kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;

New King James Version
With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built ruins for themselves,

New American Standard Bible
With kings and counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;

NASB 1995
With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;

NASB 1977
With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;

Legacy Standard Bible
With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt waste places for themselves,

Amplified Bible
With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;

Christian Standard Bible
with the kings and counselors of the earth, who rebuilt ruined cities for themselves,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
with the kings and counselors of the earth, who rebuilt ruined cities for themselves,

American Standard Version
With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up waste places for themselves;

Contemporary English Version
with kings and their advisors whose palaces lie in ruins,

English Revised Version
With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built up waste places for themselves;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I would be with the kings and the counselors of the world who built for themselves [what are now] ruins.

Good News Translation
sleeping like the kings and rulers who rebuilt ancient palaces.

International Standard Version
along with kings and counselors of the earth, who used to build for themselves what are now only ruins,

Majority Standard Bible
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,

NET Bible
with kings and counselors of the earth who built for themselves places now desolate,

New Heart English Bible
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;

Webster's Bible Translation
With kings and counselors of the earth, who built desolate places for themselves;

World English Bible
with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
With kings and counselors of earth, "" These building ruins for themselves.

Young's Literal Translation
With kings and counsellors of earth, These building wastes for themselves.

Smith's Literal Translation
With kings and counselors of the earth building the wastes for themselves;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
With kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes:

Catholic Public Domain Version
with the kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes,

New American Bible
With kings and counselors of the earth who rebuilt what were ruins

New Revised Standard Version
with kings and counselors of the earth who rebuild ruins for themselves,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
With kings and governors of the earth who built desolate places for themselves;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
With Kings and Rulers of The Earth who were building up desolations for themselves
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
With kings and counsellors of the earth, Who built up waste places for themselves;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
with kings and councillors of the earth, who gloried in their swords;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Laments His Birth
13For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest 14with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins, 15or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver.…

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 2:18-19
I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. / And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

Ecclesiastes 5:15-16
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands. / This too is a grievous affliction: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?

Isaiah 14:18-19
All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. / But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot.

Psalm 49:10-12
For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others. / Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes. / But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 73:4-5
They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. / They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3
It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow. / This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:16-21
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. / So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ / Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ...

1 Timothy 6:7-10
For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. / But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. / Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ...

James 1:10-11
But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. / For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Revelation 18:10-11
In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” / And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—

Ecclesiastes 8:8
As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

Psalm 146:4
When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.

Proverbs 11:4
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.


Treasury of Scripture

With kings and counsellors of the earth, which build desolate places for themselves;

kings.

Job 30:23
For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

1 Kings 2:10
So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

1 Kings 11:43
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

which built.

Job 15:28
And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

Isaiah 5:8
Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

Ezekiel 26:20
When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;

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Job 3
1. Job curses the day and services of his birth.
13. The ease of death.
20. He complains of life, because of his anguish.














with kings and counselors of the earth
This phrase reflects Job's lament and his desire to be at rest with those who have held positions of power and influence. In the ancient Near Eastern context, kings and counselors were often seen as the ultimate authorities, wielding significant control over their realms. The mention of "kings" suggests a connection to the broader biblical narrative where kingship is a central theme, such as in the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon. Counselors, or advisors, were crucial in decision-making processes, as seen in the roles of figures like Ahithophel and Hushai in the court of King David (2 Samuel 15-17). This phrase underscores the universality of death, as even those with great power eventually face mortality.

who built for themselves cities now in ruins
This part of the verse highlights the transient nature of human achievements. In the ancient world, building cities was a sign of power and legacy, as seen in the construction of cities like Babylon and Nineveh. Archaeological evidence from sites such as these reveals the grandeur and eventual decline of such civilizations. The ruins serve as a testament to the impermanence of human endeavors, echoing the biblical theme found in Ecclesiastes 1:2, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." This also foreshadows the New Testament teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-20, where He advises storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth. The imagery of ruins can be seen as a type pointing to the ultimate kingdom of God, which will never fall into ruin.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and questioning the reasons behind it.

2. Kings and Counselors
These are the powerful and wise leaders of the earth, who are often seen as figures of authority and influence. In this context, they are mentioned as those who have built cities that are now in ruins.

3. Cities Now in Ruins
This phrase refers to the once-great cities constructed by kings and counselors, which have since fallen into decay. It symbolizes the transient nature of human achievements.
Teaching Points
The Transience of Earthly Achievements
Human accomplishments, no matter how grand, are temporary. This should remind us to focus on eternal values rather than solely on worldly success.

The Illusion of Security in Power and Wealth
Kings and counselors, despite their power, could not prevent their cities from falling into ruin. True security is found in God, not in earthly power or wealth.

The Importance of a God-Centered Life
Like Job, we may question the purpose of our suffering and achievements. A life centered on God provides meaning beyond the temporal.

Reflecting on Our Legacy
Consider what kind of legacy we are building. Are we investing in things that will last beyond our lifetime, such as faith, love, and service to others?(14) Desolate places--i.e., gorgeous tombs and splendid sepulchres, which, being tenanted only by the dead, are desolate; or it may mean that the places so built of old are now ruined and desolate. In the former sense it is possible that the Pyramids may here be hinted at.

Verse 14. - With kings and counsellers of the earth. As a great man himself, nobly born probably, Job expects that his place in another world would have been with kings and nobles (see Isaiah 14:9-11, where the King of Babylon, on entering Sheol, finds himself among "all the kings of the nations"). Which built desolate places for themselves. Some understand "restorers of cities which had become waste and desolate;" others, "builders of edifices which, since they built them, have become desolate;" others, again, "builders of desolate and dreary piles," such as the Pyramids, and the rock-tombs common in Arabia, which were desolate and dreary from the time that they were built. The brevity studied by the writer makes his meaning somewhat obscure.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
with
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

kings
מְ֭לָכִים (mə·lā·ḵîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4428: A king

and counselors
וְיֹ֣עֲצֵי (wə·yō·‘ă·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3289: To advise, to deliberate, resolve

of the earth,
אָ֑רֶץ (’ā·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

who built
הַבֹּנִ֖ים (hab·bō·nîm)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1129: To build

for themselves
לָֽמוֹ׃ (lā·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

cities now in ruins,
חֳרָב֣וֹת (ḥo·rā·ḇō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 2723: Waste, desolation, ruin


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OT Poetry: Job 3:14 With kings and counselors of the earth (Jb)
Job 3:13
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