He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to read this as God rescuing people after hardship, but the text highlights a profound truth: God uses the hardship itself as the tool for deliverance and understanding. He doesn't just pull us out of the fire; He uses the heat to refine us and open our ears to His voice in the midst of the struggle.
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Elihu is explaining how God uses suffering not just as punishment, but as a tool for deeper spiritual growth and eventual deliverance. He's arguing that God doesn't just leave people in their pain; He actively works through it to bring about a powerful internal change, making them more receptive to His guidance. This sets up his exhortation for Job to listen and not resist God's corrective discipline.
We often think of deliverance as escaping hardship. But what if the hardship itself is part of the rescue plan?
Elihu is highlighting a profound paradox in God's dealings: He often delivers people by their affliction, not just from it. This means that the very struggles, pains, and difficulties we face can be the means God uses to bring about our ultimate rescue and healing. It's not about bypassing the suffering, but about God working within it, transforming us through it and leading us to a deeper place of freedom.
When life gets tough, our ears can feel deafened by problems. But God uses these moments to speak.
The second part of the verse speaks about God 'opening their ears by adversity.' This implies that in times of trouble, God actively works to help us hear and understand Him more clearly. Adversity can strip away distractions and pride, making us more receptive to God's voice, His wisdom, and His will. It's an invitation to listen more intently to His Word, His inner promptings, and His corrective guidance, leading to obedience and a deeper relationship with Him.
Understand the original words
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ani · Hebrew Noun
A state of poverty, oppression, or suffering. Biblically, it is often the condition of those whom God eventually vindicates or uses to demonstrate His grace.
lachats · Hebrew Noun
Hardship, distress, or trouble. In the context of divine discipline, God uses adversity as a tool to refine His people and turn their hearts toward Him.
tsar · Hebrew Noun
In the Old Testament, this refers to a state of confinement, affliction, or narrow circumstances, often used metaphorically for suffering or being trapped by life's hardships.
rechabah · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
Refers to the state of being free from constriction or restraint; biblically, it often symbolizes divine deliverance, prosperity, and the expansive freedom provided by God's favor.
deshen · Hebrew Noun
Often used to describe divine favor, prosperity, and abundance of physical or spiritual blessings provided by God for His people.
This verse echoes Job 36:15 by stating that it was good to be afflicted, as it led the psalmist to learn God's statutes, highlighting the medicinal purpose of suffering.
Hebrews 12:11This passage directly links the experience of affliction with present sorrow but future peace and righteousness, paralleling Elihu's point that God uses hardship to train and deliver his children.
Proverbs 1:23This verse offers a clear parallel to 'opening ears,' promising that God will pour out His Spirit and make His words known to those who turn when He calls, much like affliction prompts a turning to God.
Isaiah 50:4-5Here, the suffering servant describes God opening his ear each morning to instruction, mirroring how adversity can bring a profound attentiveness to God's voice and will.
cambridgeJob 36:15: "He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression."
15 . The verse goes back to the great general principle of the use of affliction in God’s hand ( Job 36:8 seq .), in order to connect with it the case of Job, and to found an exhortation to him upon it ( Job 36:16 seq .). The word in affliction, in oppression, might mean through affliction, &c.
ellicottJob 36:15: "He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression."
(15) He delivereth the poor in his affliction. —The point of Elihu’s discourse is rather that He delivereth the afflicted by his affliction; He makes use of the very affliction to deliver him by it as a means, “and openeth their ears by oppression.”
It's easy to read this as God rescuing people after hardship, but the text highlights a profound truth: God uses the hardship itself as the tool for deliverance and understanding. He doesn't just pull us out of the fire; He uses the heat to refine us and open our ears to His voice in the midst of the struggle.
Elihu is explaining how God uses suffering not just as punishment, but as a tool for deeper spiritual growth and eventual deliverance. He's arguing that God doesn't just leave people in their pain; He actively works through it to bring about a powerful internal change, making them more receptive to His guidance. This sets up his exhortation for Job to listen and not resist God's corrective discipline.
Elihu is explaining how God uses suffering not just as punishment, but as a tool for deeper spiritual growth and eventual deliverance. He's arguing that God doesn't just leave people in their pain; He actively works through it to bring about a powerful internal change, making them more receptive to His guidance. This sets up his exhortation for Job to listen and not resist God's corrective discipline.
"He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness." — It's easy to read this as God rescuing people after hardship, but the text highlights a profound truth: God uses the hardship itself as the tool for deliverance and understanding. He doesn't just…
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Last reviewed October 2026