Equality
The small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master. Job 3:19 NASB
The small and the great – What is Job’s description of life after death? Well, perhaps we shouldn’t term it “life” after death, but rather ask, “What is it like when you die?” You see, this verse might not tell us that the dead are actually experiencing something. Rather, it might simply tell us that everyone ends up in the grave, and the grave makes everyone equal. This verse may be a precursor to Qohelet’s famous lines:
Everyone shares the same fate—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows. This is the unfortunate fact[d] about everything that happens on earth; the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives—then they die. But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion. (Ecclesiastes 9:2-4)
According to the Teacher, life is really nothing more than preparation for death. According to Job and the Teacher, no one, no matter what their status, avoids it. But at least there is this consolation: the differences among men that contributed to the inequities of living are no longer present. Everyone rots equally.
Job employs two important Hebrew words in this thought. The first is qāṭōn. It means “insignificant.” Here it is translated “small,” but the range is much larger:
The root qṭn denotes diminutiveness in quantity or quality. For synonyms compare ʾeprōḥîm, gôzāl (young of birds), dak (thin, scarce, fine), zĕ ʿêr (little, short), tap (little children, as compared to adults), maʿaṭ (few, little of quantity, and infrequently. of quality), ṣāʿîr (younger. little, insignificant and less privileged and/or desirable), and bāzûy (despised). Its antonyms are gādôl (great, etc.), and bāḥûr (fully developed, vigorous, unmarried young man). The root occurs (with the derivatives here listed) 107 times.
The root qṭn is frequently contrasted with gādôl . . . [1]
In fact, gādôl is the contrast here. While qāṭōn signifies weak and insignificant, gādôl “is used for physical growth of people and other living things as well as for the increase of things tangible and intangible whether objects, sounds, feelings or authority. It overlaps in meaning with rābab and rābâ but unlike these roots it never refers to being numerous, only to being great in size, importance etc.”[2]
The messages is clear enough. Job’s reminder has a positive and a negative. While death removes the oppression of the master and blesses the slave with final freedom, at the same time it negates the accomplishments and status of the rich and powerful. The good part—no more stress. The bad part—nothing left. But from Job’s perspective, both are blessings. He would gladly give up all he has—and hasn’t God already taken it all?—for oblivion, rest, permanent unconsciousness.
It makes you wonder. What is your purpose if the real end—the final end—is the grave? What motivates you to keep going if in the end everything amounts to worm wood? Perhaps now you can truly appreciate the Greeks desire for a glorious and legendary death, or the Hebrew’s adoption of a second life.
Topical Index: death, equality, great, gādôl, insignificant, qāṭōn, freedom, Job 3:19
[1] Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., Jr., & Waltke, B. K., eds. (1999). In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 795). Moody Press.
[2] Smick, E. B. (1999). 315 גָּדַל. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 151). Moody Press.
“It makes you wonder. What is your purpose if the real end—the final end—is the grave? What motivates you to keep going if in the end everything amounts to worm wood? Perhaps now you can truly appreciate the Greeks desire for a glorious and legendary death, or the Hebrew’s adoption of a second life.”
This is truly a jarring incongruity (with other outcomes that are presented in the Scriptures); yet consideration of that possibility would focus one’s attention on that which is here and now… in the present conditions of one’s living out one’s life.
Some, whose pessimism overwhelms any sense of provenience, might find life hopelessly unfruitful… even painfully unbearable… and choose to take means to end it. Others, perhaps those with more fortified egos, may choose to chase any number of self-focused desires, whereas some may even set themselves upon pursuit of beneficent endeavors. For “good”, some may even dare to die. But for a hated enemy— for one that is set upon that person’s misery and destruction— it is highly unlikely that a person would choose to die, but for vain glory.
It is the fact of the matter that if all Scripture is not given… not spoken and recorded… by inspiration— by the “breath” or “breathing out” of God— then the Greek’s desire for a glorious and legendary death, or the Hebrew’s adoption of a second life serve merely as shock value.
Well Skip, this could leave me in a dark place if I stayed here. But you will probably not believe where it sent me. My thoughts went immediately to the joy and enthusiasm(relief?) the apostles and other followers of Yeshua had when they witnessed his resurrection. Here standing before them was living breathing proof of life after death for the human race. I do not believe they were just happy for themselves or the Jews but all of mankind. It is no wonder they were so zealous to spread the good news. I am saddened that we have lost much of that joy of the original message because of doctrines, rituals and intolerance of understanding other views. Especially since in my opinion most faiths have an understanding of God as the 3 blind men and their description of an elephant. All 3 had only a partial understanding of what an elephant was and neither one had a full understanding, yet neither of them was wrong either.
VERY insightful, and yes, without that event it would be a dark place of duty.
😊👍🏻