Have the gates of death been revealed to you…? asks if Job has been shown the entrance to the world of the dead, or Sheol. Gates of death is found in Psalm 9.13; 107.18, and “gates of Sheol” in Isaiah 38.10. Gates of death are not gates that belong to death, but rather gates that mark the entrance to such a place.

The two lines of this verse are parallel in meaning. In line b gates in gates of deep darkness is the same word as in line a. Deep darkness is used in 3.5 and refers to the darkness of Sheol. That the world of the dead is thought of as a dark place is emphasized by Job in 10.21, 22. Good News Translation has not repeated gates but reduces the two lines to one: “gates that guard the dark world of the dead.” In languages which do not use passive constructions, the first line must be reformed, as in Good News Translation. For example, “Has anyone ever shown you the entrance to the world of the dead?” Some translators may prefer to reduce these two lines to one and say, for example, “Has anyone ever shown you the dark entrance (doors, gates) of Sheol, the world of the dead?”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .