Job 38:17 - Exposition

Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? By "the gates of death," Sheol, the abode of the dead, seems to be intended (comp. Job 10:21 , Job 10:22 ; Job 17:16 ). Has Job explored this region, and penetrated its secrets? Or is it as unknown to him as to the rest of mankind? The second hemistich— Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? —is a mere echo of the first, adding an new idea.