He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
The soul is the person's own life, which can draw near to the grave and die, and the pit is destruction and death itself, from which God rescues into life and light. God does not send affliction by chance, but uses sickness, pain and wasting to open dull ears, turn men from pride and wrong courses, and bring them back from ruin to be enlightened with the light of the living. When the sinner admits wrong, turns from transgression and returns to God, God in mercy pardons and himself delivers from the pit into life and light. That deliverance makes new, restoring body and soul to freshness and youth, so that even one hardened by decades of sin or grown very old in selfish living is not too far gone to be forgiven and transformed. It is a promise of God's ultimate care to be taken at His word with certainty, though suffering itself does not prove His displeasure in every case.
Context and Wording
The passage belongs to the speeches of Elihu in Job 32-37, which form one of the four parts of the book. Those speeches come after the debate between Job and his three friends in chapters 4-31 and before the speeches of the Lord out of the storm-cloud. Within them the verse presses Job to recognize that he himself is not great while God is everything. Job makes no answer to that plea, and no comment is given upon it before the Lord answers Job himself.
The Hebrew word rendered pit means destruction, not a place of conscious torment. God redeems the person from that destruction and restores him to life and light, the soul being destroyed in death until God brings it back and gives it life. The wording treats the soul as the person's life, which may draw near to the grave and be rescued from death to see the light again. It ranks among the passages that represent the soul as connected with death and the grave and as delivered from them. In this it shows that the soul can die and is not immortal.
Affliction and Repentance
God brings rescue from death into light through affliction with deliberate purpose. Affliction does not come by accident or chance but remains under his control. When his word and dreams and visions are not heeded, he permits chastening by sickness and severe pain and wasting of flesh and nearness to death. He does this to open dull ears, to turn man from proud purposes, to correct him and return him to the right path, and to preserve him from destruction.
God speaks once, yea twice, yet man does not perceive it, so he chastens man oftentimes with pain upon his bed and strong pain in his bones. He works in this way to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living. Pain is his warning to turn men back from physical digressions that lead to spiritual ruin, not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with drugs. Affliction in this connection also serves as instruction that teaches more truth.
When a person confesses sin and admits having sinned and twisted what was right to no profit and no gain and no benefit, God delivers that person from the pit and brings the person into life and light. This connects prayer with repentance and forgiveness. It involves turning from transgression and returning to God. It presents deliverance as a blessing of pardon and forgiveness for the penitent in mercy.
The deliverance follows the sinner's recognition of sin and desire to forsake it. It comes when, after affliction has brought him near the grave, an interpreter shows him God's uprightness, that the same kind hand that gave roses now gives the bitter cup for correction, and God is gracious and finds a ransom. The sinner's admission is all God requires, and God himself accomplishes the deliverance. He uses his power in this not to overawe people but as a pattern of the strength he is willing to work in them.
Deliverance and Assurance
Deliverance from the pit begets a new life in the heart and restores body and soul together. After affliction has brought the sufferer near the grave, an interpreter shows him God's uprightness, that the same kind hand that gave roses now gives the bitter cup for correction, and God is gracious and finds a ransom. Then his flesh is made fresher than a child's and he is returned to the days of his youth, which is an actual restoring of the years the locust has eaten, so that even a life hardened by decades of sin is visibly renewed. Even a wretched, unkind, sin-worn person has not gone too far to be saved, and it is not too late. When any person admits having sinned and twisted what was right to no profit, God rescues that soul from ruin and brings the life into light.
Confession taken to Jesus lifts the burden, forgives the sin, and transforms heart and face, so that old things pass away and all becomes new. The promise holds for even a very old sinner who has spent life in selfish living and gathering wealth and fears his soul is lost and death is near. God can save such a person when he confesses and turns, delivering him from ruin into light and life. The promise is to be taken at God's word, so that one who meets what God asks may know he is forgiven by the word of Him who cannot fail, with the same certainty as a friend's kept promise.
The verse presents deliverance from death as a promise of God's ultimate care. A caution stands beside this, that such assurances are not necessarily true in every case nor rightly applied to Job. The general claim that good is rewarded and evil punished does not mean that suffering proves God's displeasure.
The soul is the person's own life, which can draw near to the grave and die, and the pit is destruction and death itself, from which God rescues into life and light. God does not send affliction by chance, but uses sickness, pain and wasting to open dull ears, turn men from pride and wrong courses, and bring them back from ruin to be enlightened with the light of the living. When the sinner admits wrong, turns from transgression and returns to God, God in mercy pardons and himself delivers from the pit into life and light. That deliverance makes new, restoring body and soul to freshness and youth, so that even one hardened by decades of sin or grown very old in selfish living is not too far gone to be forgiven and transformed. It is a promise of God's ultimate care to be taken at His word with certainty, though suffering itself does not prove His displeasure in every case.
Context and Wording
The passage belongs to the speeches of Elihu in Job 32-37, which form one of the four parts of the book. Those speeches come after the debate between Job and his three friends in chapters 4-31 and before the speeches of the Lord out of the storm-cloud. Within them the verse presses Job to recognize that he himself is not great while God is everything. Job makes no answer to that plea, and no comment is given upon it before the Lord answers Job himself.
The Hebrew word rendered pit means destruction, not a place of conscious torment. God redeems the person from that destruction and restores him to life and light, the soul being destroyed in death until God brings it back and gives it life. The wording treats the soul as the person's life, which may draw near to the grave and be rescued from death to see the light again. It ranks among the passages that represent the soul as connected with death and the grave and as delivered from them. In this it shows that the soul can die and is not immortal.
Affliction and Repentance
God brings rescue from death into light through affliction with deliberate purpose. Affliction does not come by accident or chance but remains under his control. When his word and dreams and visions are not heeded, he permits chastening by sickness and severe pain and wasting of flesh and nearness to death. He does this to open dull ears, to turn man from proud purposes, to correct him and return him to the right path, and to preserve him from destruction.
God speaks once, yea twice, yet man does not perceive it, so he chastens man oftentimes with pain upon his bed and strong pain in his bones. He works in this way to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living. Pain is his warning to turn men back from physical digressions that lead to spiritual ruin, not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with drugs. Affliction in this connection also serves as instruction that teaches more truth.
When a person confesses sin and admits having sinned and twisted what was right to no profit and no gain and no benefit, God delivers that person from the pit and brings the person into life and light. This connects prayer with repentance and forgiveness. It involves turning from transgression and returning to God. It presents deliverance as a blessing of pardon and forgiveness for the penitent in mercy.
The deliverance follows the sinner's recognition of sin and desire to forsake it. It comes when, after affliction has brought him near the grave, an interpreter shows him God's uprightness, that the same kind hand that gave roses now gives the bitter cup for correction, and God is gracious and finds a ransom. The sinner's admission is all God requires, and God himself accomplishes the deliverance. He uses his power in this not to overawe people but as a pattern of the strength he is willing to work in them.
Deliverance and Assurance
Deliverance from the pit begets a new life in the heart and restores body and soul together. After affliction has brought the sufferer near the grave, an interpreter shows him God's uprightness, that the same kind hand that gave roses now gives the bitter cup for correction, and God is gracious and finds a ransom. Then his flesh is made fresher than a child's and he is returned to the days of his youth, which is an actual restoring of the years the locust has eaten, so that even a life hardened by decades of sin is visibly renewed. Even a wretched, unkind, sin-worn person has not gone too far to be saved, and it is not too late. When any person admits having sinned and twisted what was right to no profit, God rescues that soul from ruin and brings the life into light.
Confession taken to Jesus lifts the burden, forgives the sin, and transforms heart and face, so that old things pass away and all becomes new. The promise holds for even a very old sinner who has spent life in selfish living and gathering wealth and fears his soul is lost and death is near. God can save such a person when he confesses and turns, delivering him from ruin into light and life. The promise is to be taken at God's word, so that one who meets what God asks may know he is forgiven by the word of Him who cannot fail, with the same certainty as a friend's kept promise.
The verse presents deliverance from death as a promise of God's ultimate care. A caution stands beside this, that such assurances are not necessarily true in every case nor rightly applied to Job. The general claim that good is rewarded and evil punished does not mean that suffering proves God's displeasure.