To bring back his soul from the pit, So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
Parallel translations
- WEB to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.
- KJV To bring back his soul from the pit, to 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.
- 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 you have delivered my soul from death, and prevented my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
- Isa 38:17Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
- Job 33:28He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life shall see the light.’
- Ps 40:1–2For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. I waited patiently for Yahweh. He turned to me, and heard my cry.
- John 8:12Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- Acts 26:18to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
- Isa 2:5House of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.
- Ps 118:17–18I will not die, but live, and declare Yah’s works.
- 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
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 33:30 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.