Bible Strands
Job 36:15
God rescues the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears in oppression.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elihu addresses Job within a sustained discourse on divine justice and the function of suffering. He speaks directly to a man questioning God's fairness while experiencing intense physical and emotional distress.
The words — יְחַלֵּץ (ye.cha.Letz) means he rescues, and אָזְנָם ('a.ze.Na/m) means their ear. The text places these terms side-by-side to show that deliverance and auditory openness occur simultaneously within the context of oppression.
The thread — The pattern of God opening ears appears in Job 36:10, where it immediately precedes commands to abandon iniquity. 2 Chronicles 12:8 extends this mechanism by describing forced servitude as the means to learn the distinction between serving God and serving other powers.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that constraint operates as the instrument of divine rescue rather than as arbitrary punishment. It demands acceptance that spiritual clarity emerges directly from the experience of being bound.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.
Cross-references
- Job 36:10 He opens their ears to correction and commands that they turn from iniquity.
- 2 Chronicles 12:8 Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.”