Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
There the prisoners rest together - Herder translates this, "There the prisoners rejoice in their freedom." The Septuagint strangely enough, "There they of old ( ̔ ̓́ hoi aiōnioi ) assembled together ( ̔́ homothumadon ) have not heard the voice of the exactor." The Hebrew word ׁ shâ'an means "to rest, to be quiet, to be tranquil" ; and the sense is, that they are in the grave freed from chains and oppressions.
They hear not the voice of the oppressor - Of him who exacted taxes, and who laid on them heavy burdens, and who imprisoned them for imaginary crimes. He who is bound in chains, and who has no other prospect of release, can look for it in the grave and will find it there. Similar sentiments are found respecting death in Seneca, AD Marcian, 20: " Mots omnibus finis, multis remedium, quibusdam votum; haec servitutem invito domino remittit; haec captivorum catenas levat; haec a carcere reducit, quos exire imperium impofens vetuerat; haec exulibus, in pairtam semper animum oculosque tendentibus, ostendit, nibil interesse inter quos quisque jaceat; haec, ubi res communes fortuna male divisit, et aequo jure genitos allure alii donavit, exaequat omnia; haec est, quae nihil quidquam alieno fecit arbitrio; haec est, ea qua nemo humilitatem guam sensit; haec est, quae nuili paruit ." The sense in Job is, that all are at liberty in death. Chains no longer bind; prisons no longer incarccrate; the voice of oppression no longer alarms.
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Job 3:18:
Psalms 39:4
Proverbs 13:8
Isaiah 53:7
Isaiah 60:17
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