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He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
Job 33:18 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
  • BSB to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.
  • NKJV He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.
  • NASB He keeps his soul back from the pit, And his life from perishing by the spear.
  • NLT He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.

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

Emboldened, Moses asks God, 'Please show me your glory.' He longs for a deeper sight of God Himself.

Overview

Having secured God's presence, Moses now seeks the highest gift: a vision of God's glory. This holy desire reflects a heart captivated by God rather than merely His benefits. It expresses the longing of every believer that will be fully satisfied in seeing God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Job 33:30to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
  • Job 33:28He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life shall see the light.’
  • Rom 2:4Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
  • 2 Pet 3:9The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
  • Acts 16:27–33The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
  • 2 Pet 3:15Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you;
  • Job 15:22He doesn’t believe that he shall return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
  • Job 33:22Yes, his soul draws near to the pit, and his life to the destroyers.
  • Job 33:24then God is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.’

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Job videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Job 33:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JobMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 33:18 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.