Job - 33:28



28 He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life shall see the light.'

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Job 33:28.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
He hath delivered his soul from going into destruction, that it may live and see the light.
He hath delivered my soul from going into the pit, and my life shall see the light.
He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh.'
He kept my soul from the underworld, and my life sees the light in full measure.
So He redeemeth his soul from going into the pit, And his life beholdeth the light.
He has freed his soul from continuing into destruction, so that, in living, it may see the light.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

He will deliver his soul - Margin, "He hath delivered my soul." There are various readings here in the text, which give rise to this diversity of interpretation. The present reading in the text is נפשׁי nepheshay - "my soul"; and according to this, it is to be regarded as the language of the sufferer celebrating the mercy of God, and is language which is connected with the confession in the previous verse, "I have sinned; I found it no advantage; and he hath rescued me from death." Many manuscripts, however, read נפשׁו nepheshô - "his soul"; and according to this, the language would be that of Elihu, saying, that in those circumstances God would deliver him when he made suitable confession of his sin. The sense is essentially the same. The Vulgate has, "He will deliver his soul;" the Septuagint, "Save my soul."
From going into the pit - Notes Job 33:18.
And his life shall see the light - Here there is the same variety of reading which occurs in regard to the word soul. The present Hebrew text is (חיתי chayātay) "my life"; many manuscripts read (חיתו chayātô), "his life." The phrase "to see the light" is equivalent to live. Death was represented as going down into regions where there was no ray of light. See Job 3:5; Job 10:21-22.

He will deliver his soul - He will do that to every individual penitent sinner which he has promised in his word to do for a lost world - he will deliver his soul from going down to the pit of hell.
And his life shall see the light - He shall walk in the light, as Christ is in the light; always enjoying a clear sense of his acceptance through the blood of the Lamb. See another mode of paraphrasing these verses at the end of the chapter.

(u) He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
(u) God will forgive the penitent sinner.

He will deliver his soul from going into the pit,.... Into the pit of the grave; and then the soul is put for the man or for the body; or into the pit of hell or perdition:
and his life shall see the light; or he shall live and enjoy outward prosperity here, and the light of eternal happiness hereafter; and so the Targum interprets it of superior light, or the light above, even the inheritance of the saints in light. These words have a double reading; the "Keri", or marginal reading, is what we follow; but the "Cetib", or textual reading, is, "he hath delivered my soul from going into the pit, and my life sees the light"; and which seems to be the better reading; and so the words are a continuation of the address of the man recovered from illness to his friends; setting forth and acknowledging, with joy and thankfulness, the great goodness of God unto him, that he had delivered him from the grave, and spared his life, and given him to enjoy great prosperity, both temporal and spiritual.

(See on Job 33:24); rather, as Hebrew text (English Version reads as the Margin, Hebrew, Keri, "his soul, his life"), "He hath delivered my soul . . . my life." Continuation of the penitent's testimony to the people.
light-- (Job 33:30; Job 3:16, Job 3:20; Psalm 56:13; Ecclesiastes 11:7).

Life - His life which was endangered, shall be restored and continued. Yea, farther, God shall Deliver his soul from going into the pit of hell: and his life shall see the light, all good, in the vision and fruition of God.

*More commentary available at chapter level.


Discussion on Job 33:28

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