Job 36:6-16

6 He reviveth not the wicked, And the judgment of the poor appointeth;

7 He withdraweth not from the righteous His eyes, And [from] kings on the throne, And causeth them to sit for ever, and they are high,

8 And if prisoners in fetters They are captured with cords of affliction,

9 Then He declareth to them their work, And their transgressions, Because they have become mighty,

10 And He uncovereth their ear for instruction, And saith that they turn back from iniquity.

11 If they do hear and serve, They complete their days in good, And their years in pleasantness.

12 And if they do not hearken, By the dart they pass away, And expire without knowledge.

13 And the profane in heart set the face, They cry not when He hath bound them.

14 Their soul dieth in youth, And their life among the defiled.

15 He draweth out the afflicted in his affliction, And uncovereth in oppression their ear.

16 And also He moved thee from a strait place, [To] a broad place -- no straitness under it, And the sitting beyond of thy table Hath been full of fatness.

Job 36:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 36

This chapter, with the following, contains Elihu's fourth and last discourse, the principal view of which is to vindicate the righteousness of God; which is done by observing the dealings of God with men in his providence, according to their different characters, and from the wonderful works wrought by him in a sovereign manner, and for the benefit of his creatures. This chapter is introduced with a preface, the design of which is to gain attention, Job 36:1-4; the different dealings of God with men are observed, and the different issue of them, and the different ends answered thereby, Job 36:5-15; and it is suggested to Job, that had he attended to the design of the providence he was under, and had submitted to it patiently, things would have been otherwise with him; and therefore Elihu proceeds to give him some advice, which, if taken, would be for his own good, and the glory of God, Job 36:16-25; and closes the chapter by observing the unsearchable greatness of God, as appears by the works of nature wrought by him, Job 36:26-33.