EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Job 3:3
"Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived."
"“Let the day perish wherein I was born.” “O that my grief were throughly weighed, And my calamity laid in the balances together!” PK 162.3"
The EGW passage directly quotes Job 3:3.
"“My soul chooseth ... death rather than my life. I loathe it; I would not live alway: Let me alone; For my days are vanity.” Job 3:3 ; 6:2, 8-10 ; Job 7:11, 15, 16 . PK 163.3"
Ellen White directly references Job 3:3 in this passage.
Job 3:11
"Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?"
"If my husband has been pressed beyond measure and has become discouraged and desponding, if we have at times seen nothing desirable in life that we should choose it, this is nothing strange or new. Elijah, one of God's great and mighty prophets, as he fled for his life from the rage of the infuriated Jezebel, a fugitive, weary and travel-worn, desired to die rather than to live. His bitter disappointment in regard to Israel's faithfulness had crushed his spirits, and he felt that he could no longer put confidence in man. In the day of Job's affliction and darkness, he utters these words: “Let the day perish wherein I was born.” 3T 261.3"
The EGW passage directly quotes Job's lament about his birth from Job 3, indicating a clear and intentional connection.
"I thought that the fate of the condemned sinner would be mine, to endure the flames of hell forever, even as long as God Himself existed. This impression deepened upon my mind until I feared that I would lose my reason. I would look upon the dumb beasts with envy, because they had no soul to be punished after death. Many times the wish arose that I had never been born. 1T 25.2"
Both passages express a wish of never having been born due to suffering. The EGW passage echoes Job's sentiment of wishing for death before birth as a release from pain.
"Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement—days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief. Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God's providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being. PK 162.1"
Both passages express a desire for death as a release from suffering. The EGW passage speaks of times when 'death seems preferable to life,' which aligns with Job's lament in Job 3:11, where he questions why he wasn't stillborn.
Job 3:17
"There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest."
"of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living, to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven's bliss would be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth? And how utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body the soul of the impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an eternity of woe and sin! Many have been driven to insanity by this harrowing thought. GC 545.2"
EGW's discussion about the potential anguish of the dead knowing the troubles of the living contrasts with the idea of rest and cessation of trouble mentioned in Job 3:17. While not a direct quote, the verse provides a thematic counterpoint to the suffering EGW describes.
Job 3:20
"Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;"
"I coveted death as a release from the responsibilities that were crowding upon me. At length the sweet peace I had so long enjoyed left me, and despair again pressed upon my soul. My prayers all seemed vain, and my faith was gone. Words of comfort, reproof, or encouragement were alike to me; for it seemed that no one could understand me but God, and He had forsaken me. The company of believers in Portland were ignorant concerning the exercises of my mind that had brought me into this state of despondency; but they knew that for some reason my mind had become depressed, and they felt that this was sinful on my part, considering the gracious manner in which the Lord had manifested Himself to me. 1T 63.3"
Both passages deal with the desire for death due to misery and bitterness of soul. While not a direct quote, the theme is similar.
"The thought of carrying my misfortune through life was insupportable. I could see no pleasure in my existence. I did not wish to live, and yet feared to die, for I was unprepared. Friends who visited us looked with pity upon me, and advised my parents to prosecute the father of the girl who had, as they said, ruined me. But my mother was for peace; she said that if such a course would bring me back my health and natural looks, there would be something gained; but as this was impossible, it was best not to make enemies by following such advice. 1T 10.4"
The EGW passage expresses a desire for death due to suffering, mirroring the sentiment in Job 3:20, which questions why life is given to those in misery.