Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
Parallel translations
- WEB Then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction,
- BSB He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings
- NKJV Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.
- NASB Then He opens the ears of people, And horrifies them with warnings,
- NLT He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses argues that only God's presence sets Israel apart from all other peoples. God dwelling with them is their true distinction.
Overview
What makes Israel God's people is not their location or prosperity but God's presence among them. Moses understands that this is the mark of divine favor that distinguishes them from the nations. This anticipates the church as God's dwelling by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22), set apart by God's indwelling presence in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 36:10He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.
- Job 36:15He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.
- Ps 40:6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
- Isa 50:5The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
- Isa 6:10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
- Acts 16:14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
- Luke 24:45Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
- Rom 15:28When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
- Neh 9:38And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
- Isa 48:8Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
- 2 Sam 7:27For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 33:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.