To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
Parallel translations
- WEB to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
- BSB to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
- NKJV To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
- NASB To bring back his soul from the pit, So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
- NLT He rescues them from the grave so they may enjoy the light of life.
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
God's purpose in His repeated dealings is to bring a soul back from the pit into the light of life. It reveals God's saving intent behind suffering.
Overview
Elihu names the goal of God's discipline and deliverance: to turn a person back from death and enlighten him with 'the light of the living.' Suffering, in this view, can serve God's merciful aim of restoring life and fellowship. The verse foreshadows the gospel hope that God rescues His people from darkness and death to walk in the light of life in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 56:13For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
- Isa 38:17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
- Job 33:28He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
- Ps 40:1–2I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
- John 8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
- Acts 26:18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
- Isa 2:5O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
- Ps 118:17–18I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
- Job 33:24Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
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 33:30 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.