Job 36:15-16

36:15 He delivers the afflicted by ¹  their ²  afflictions,

he reveals himself to them ³  by their suffering.

36:16 And surely, he drew you ⁴  from the mouth of distress,

to a wide place, unrestricted, ⁵ 

and to the comfort ⁶  of your table

filled with rich food. ⁷ 

[36:15]  ¹ tn The preposition בּ (bet) in these two lines is not location but instrument, not “in” but “by means of.” The affliction and the oppression serve as a warning for sin, and therefore a means of salvation.

[36:15]  ² tn Heb “his.”

[36:15]  ³ tn Heb “he uncovers their ear.”

[36:16]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb means “to entice; to lure; to allure; to seduce,” but these have negative connotations. The English “to persuade; to draw” might work better. The verb is the Hiphil perfect of סוּת (sut). But the nuance of the verb is difficult. It can be equivalent to an English present expressing what God is doing (Peake). But the subject is contested as well. Since the verb usually has an evil connotation, there have been attempts to make the “plaza” the subject – “the wide place has led you astray” (Ewald).

[36:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “a broad place where there is no cramping beneath [or under] it.”

[36:16]  ⁶ tn The word נַחַת (nakhat) could be translated “set” if it is connected with the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest,” but then “to lay to rest, to set”). Kissane translates it “comfort.” Dhorme thinks it could come from נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”) or נָחַת (nakhat, “to descend”). But his conclusion is that it is a dittography after “under it” (p. 545).

[36:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “filled with fat.”