Job 33:30
in Job 33to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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.
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This verse in Job 33
Commentary
12 notes on this verseThat he may recal their souls from corruption, and enlighten them with the light of the living. For that is the light of the dying which we behold with our bodily eyes. But they who still live for this world, are in darkness in the light of the dying.
This site's exposition
all these things God does to a man
on Job 33:29-30
“Behold, all these things God does to a man, two or even three times” gathers dream and pain into one repeated pattern. Henry reads two or even three times as Elihu's correction of Job's single case, God's dealings being a repeated pattern of mercy.
This site's exposition
enlightened with the light of life
Clarke hears Job 33:28 repeated almost word for word. Gill adds Psalm 90:3 and gives bring back as turn away, a man stopped at the edge of the Pit. Aquinas pairs the two halves, rescue from evil and the gift of light.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
He assigns the usefulness of this saying, "to call their souls back from corruption," which expresses freedom from evil, "and to enlighten them with the light of the living," which expresses the attainment of good things. Each of these can be applied to corporeal or …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
To bring back his soul from the pit,.... From the pit of the grave; at the mouth or on the brink of which he seemed to be in the apprehension of his friends, and having the sentence of death in himself; see Psa 90:3. Or "to turn away" (x), or "stay his soul from the pit", as Mr. Broughton; prevent his going into it by removing his disorder, and restoring him to health, as in the case of Hezekiah, Isa 38:
All providences are to be looked upon as God's workings with man, his strivings with him. He uses a variety of methods to do men good; if one affliction do not do the work, he will try another; if neither do, he will try a mercy; and he will send a messenger to interpret both. He often works such things as these twice, thrice; so it is in the original, referring to
If God did not take more care of us than we do of ourselves, we should be miserable; we would destroy ourselves, but he would have us saved, and devises means, by his grace, to undo that by which we were undoing ourselves. The former method, by dream and vision, was to keep back the soul from the pit (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
"Lord, what is man, that thou shouldest thus visit him? This should engage us, to comply with God's designs, to work with him for our own good, and not to counter-work him. And this will render those that perish inexcusable, that, so much was done to save them, and they would not he healed." So Mr. Henry.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
To bring back his soul from the pit - Nearly a repetition of the promise in Job 33:28. To be enlightened with the light of the living - An echo of Psa 56:13: “Thou hast delivered my soul from death, that I may walk before God in the light of the living;” and probably quoted from it.
SOME people are wonderfully enamored of anything that is old. An old coin, an old picture, an old book, or even a piece of antique rubbish they will almost worship. The jingle of a rusty medal is music to them, and "auld nick-nackets" are as precious as diamonds. It is wonderful what a little mold and a few worm-holes will do in the way of increasing values! I confess I do not very greatly share in the feeling, at least it is no craze of mine but, nevertheless, all things being equal, antiquity has its charms.
SOME people are wonderfully enamored of anything that is old. An old coin, an old picture, an old book, or even a piece of antique rubbish they will almost worship. The jingle of a rusty medal is music to them, and "auld nick-nackets" are as precious as diamonds. It is wonderful what a little mold and a few worm-holes will do in the way of increasing values! I confess I do not very greatly share in the feeling, at least it is no craze of mine but, nevertheless, all things being equal, antiquity has its charms. Old, old stories of the days far past, when time was young, have a special interest. They are as windows which permit us to gaze down the dim aisles of ages long gone by—we look through them with mingled curiosity and awe. I am about, this morning, to speak to you concerning an old conversion. We shall rehearse an ancient story of the renewal and salvation of a soul. In our day we meet with professors who cry down everything of the present and cry up everything of the former days, which they call the good old times. Such persons talk much about old-fashioned conversions and hold in great admiration the lives of Believers of the old school. I shall, this morning, introduce you to an old-fashioned conversion and explain the way in which men were brought to God not only hundreds, but thousands of years ago. I suppose that Elihu delivered this description of conversion about the time of Moses, or at the period when Israel was in Egypt, for almost general consent appropriates one of those dates to the Book of Job. The record we shall read this morning, and study carefully, refers to the very, very oldest of times. Let this fact give additional interest to our meditation—and if it does I am sure that we shall not lack for earnest attention, for the subject is of great intrinsic value. Kindly keep your Bibles open.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
To bring back his soul from the pit - To keep him from descending to the grave, and to the dark world beneath. He takes these methods of warning people, in order that they may not bring destruction on themselves. See Job 33:18. To be enlightened with the light of the living - That he may still enjoy life, and not descend to the world of shades.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְהָשִׁ֣יב | lehashiv | to bring back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| נַ֭פְשׁוֹ | nafsho | self his | H5315 → | 754 times |
| מִנִּי־ | mini- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| שָׁ֑חַת | shachat | [the] pit | H7845 → | 23 times |
| לֵ֝א֗וֹר | leor | to be lighted up | H215 → | |
| בְּא֣וֹר | beor | by [the] light of | H216 → | 121 times |
| הַֽחַיִּים׃ | hachaiyim | <the> life | H2416 → | 498 times |
לְהָשִׁ֣יבto bring back
lehashivH7725 →1056 times
נַ֭פְשׁוֹself his
nafshoH5315 →754 times
מִנִּי־from
mini-H4480 →1188 times
שָׁ֑חַת[the] pit
shachatH7845 →23 times
לֵ֝א֗וֹרto be lighted up
leorH215 →
בְּא֣וֹרby [the] light of
beorH216 →121 times
הַֽחַיִּים׃<the> life
hachaiyimH2416 →498 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 56:13For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
it leads to
- Psalms 116:8–9
For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
- Revelation 21:23–24
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- Psalms 145:14
The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
- Psalms 49:15
But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah
- 1 Thessalonians 1:10
and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
- Psalms 116:8–9
Through
Isaiah 38:17Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
it leads to
- Isaiah 43:25
I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
- Micah 7:18–19
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
- Jonah 2:6
To the roots of the mountains I descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God!
- Isaiah 43:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Job
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1101: “An Old-Fashioned Conversion” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XXIV; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.