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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Job 36:15

But God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Poor;   The Topic Concordance - Deliverance;   God;   Hearing;   Poverty;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Poor, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Ear;   Job, the Book of;   Suffering;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Job;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Affliction;   Oppression;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
God rescues the afflicted by their affliction;he instructs them by their torment.
Hebrew Names Version
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, And opens their ear in oppression.
King James Version
He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.
English Standard Version
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.
New Century Version
But God saves those who suffer through their suffering; he gets them to listen through their pain.
New English Translation
He delivers the afflicted by their afflictions, he reveals himself to them by their suffering.
Amplified Bible
"He rescues the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ears [so that they pay attention to His voice] in times of oppression.
New American Standard Bible
"He rescues the afflicted in their misery, And opens their ears in time of oppression.
World English Bible
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, And opens their ear in oppression.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He deliuereth the poore in his affliction, & openeth their eare in trouble.
Legacy Standard Bible
He delivers the afflicted in their affliction,And opens their ear in time of oppression.
Berean Standard Bible
God rescues the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears in oppression.
Contemporary English Version
Hard times and trouble are God's way of getting our attention!
Complete Jewish Bible
"God, with his affliction, delivers the afflicted; and he gets their attention by pressing on them.
Darby Translation
But he delivereth the afflicted in his affliction, and openeth their ear in [their] oppression.
Easy-to-Read Version
God saves those who suffer by using their suffering. He uses their troubles to speak in a way that makes them listen.
George Lamsa Translation
But the meek shall be delivered through his meekness, and he opens their way in time of oppression.
Lexham English Bible
He delivers the afflicted by his misery, and he opens their ears by the adversity.
Literal Translation
He delivers the afflicted by his affliction, and He opens their ears by oppression.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The poore delyuereth he out of his straytnesse, and comforteth soch as be in necessite and trouble.
American Standard Version
He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression.
Bible in Basic English
He makes the wrong done to the poor the way of their salvation, opening their ears by their trouble.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He delivereth the afflicted by His affliction, and openeth their ear by tribulation.
King James Version (1611)
He deliuereth the poore in his affliction, and openeth their eares in oppression.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The poore shall he deliuer out of his affliction, and rounde them in the eare when they be in trouble.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Because they afflicted the weak and helpless: and he will vindicate the judgment of the meek.
English Revised Version
He delivereth the afflicted by his affliction, and openeth their ear in oppression.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal delyuere a pore man fro his angwisch; and he schal opene `the eere of hym in tribulacioun.
Update Bible Version
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, And opens their ear in oppression.
Webster's Bible Translation
He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.
New King James Version
He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression.
New Living Translation
But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.
New Life Bible
He takes those who suffer out of their suffering. He speaks to them in times of trouble.
New Revised Standard
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover - in oppression - their ear.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall deliver the poor out of his distress, and shall open his ear in affliction.
Revised Standard Version
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity.
Young's Literal Translation
He draweth out the afflicted in his affliction, And uncovereth in oppression their ear.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He delivers the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ear in time of oppression.

Contextual Overview

15 But God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes. 16 God brought you out of trouble, and let you enjoy security; your table was piled high with food. 17 But now you are being punished as you deserve. 18 Be careful not to let bribes deceive you, or riches lead you astray. 19 It will do you no good to cry out for help; all your strength can't help you now. 20 Don't wish for night to come, the time when nations will perish. 21 Be careful not to turn to evil; your suffering was sent to keep you from it. 22 Remember how great is God's power; he is the greatest teacher of all. 23 No one can tell God what to do or accuse him of doing evil.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

delivereth: Job 36:6

poor: or, afflicted

openeth: Job 36:10, 2 Chronicles 12:8

Reciprocal: Job 33:16 - openeth Psalms 119:32 - enlarge Daniel 6:27 - delivereth

Cross-References

Genesis 36:4
Adah bore Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel;
Genesis 36:18
The following tribes were descended from Esau by his wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
Exodus 15:15
The leaders of Edom are terrified; Moab's mighty men are trembling; the people of Canaan lose their courage.
Job 2:11
Three of Job's friends were Eliphaz, from the city of Teman, Bildad, from the land of Shuah, and Zophar, from the land of Naamah. When they heard how much Job had been suffering, they decided to go and comfort him.
Job 4:1
Job, will you be annoyed if I speak? I can't keep quiet any longer. <
Job 21:8
They have children and grandchildren, and live to watch them all grow up.
Psalms 37:35
I once knew someone wicked who was a tyrant; he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;
Jeremiah 49:7
This is what the Lord Almighty said about Edom: "Have the people of Edom lost their good judgment? Can their advisers no longer tell them what to do? Has all their wisdom disappeared?
Jeremiah 49:20
So listen to the plan that I have made against the people of Edom, and to what I intend to do to the people of the city of Teman. Even their children will be dragged off, and everyone will be horrified.
Ezekiel 25:13
Now I announce that I will punish Edom and kill every person and animal there. I will make it a wasteland, from the city of Teman to the city of Dedan, and the people will be killed in battle.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He delivereth the poor in his affliction,.... The righteous or godly poor; who are not only poor in worldly things, but poor in spirit; who are humbled, brought low, and made contrite, through the afflicting hand of God: these, though the Lord does sooner or later deliver "out" of their afflictions, yet that is not intended here, but a deliverance "in" them; which is done by supporting them under them, by supplying them with his grace to bear them patiently, by granting them his gracious presence for their comfort in them, by stilling the enemy and the avenger, keeping Satan from disturbing them, and freeing them from doubts and fears and unbelief, and by drawing their hearts and affections off of the world, and the things of it, to himself;

and openeth their ears in oppression; while they are oppressed; not only to discipline, correction, and instruction, Job 36:10; but to hear comfortable words spoken, to them by the Lord; who, in the midst of their affliction and oppression, whispers in their ears, and tells them how he loves them, though they are rebuked and chastened by him; how he has chosen them to everlasting life and happiness, though now in the furnace of affliction; that he is their covenant God and Father, and knows and owns their souls in adversity that he has pardoned all their sins, though he takes vengeance on their inventions; and in a little time will free them from all their afflictions and oppressions.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He delivereth the poor in his affliction - Margin, “or afflicted.” This accords better with the usual meaning of the Hebrew word (עני ânı̂y) and with the connection. The inquiry was not particularly respecting the “poor,” but the “afflicted,” and the sentiment which Elihu is illustrating is, that when the afflicted call upon God he will deliver them. The object is to induce Job to make such an application to God that he might be rescued from his calamities, and be permitted yet to enjoy life and happiness.

And openeth their ears - Causes them to understand the nature of his government, and the reasons why he visits them in this manner: compare Job 33:16, Job 33:23-27. The sentiment here is a mere repetition of what Elihu had more than once before advanced. It is his leading thought; the “principle” on which he undertakes to explain the reason why God afflicts people, and by which he proposes to remove the difference between Job and his friends.

In oppression - This word expresses too much. It refers to God, and implies that there was something oppressive, harsh, or cruel in his dealings. This is not the idea of Elihu in the language which he uses. The word which he uses here (לחץ lachats) means “that which crushes”; then straits, distress. affliction. Jerome, “in tribulatione.” The word “affliction” would express the thought.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 36:15. And openeth their ears in oppression. — He will let them know for what end they are afflicted, and why he permits them to be oppressed. The word יגל yigel might be translated he shall make them exult, or sing with joy, in oppression; like the three Hebrews in the burning fiery furnace.


 
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