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Selected Verse: Job 33:18 - King James
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
Job 33:18 |
King James |
He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
his soul--his life.
the pit--the grave; a symbol of hell.
perishing by the sword--that is, a violent death; in the Old Testament a symbol of the future punishment of the ungodly. |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
He keepeth back his soul from the pit - The word soul in the Hebrew is often equivalent to self, and the idea is, that he keeps the man from the pit in this manner. The object of these warnings is to keep him from rushing on to his own destruction. The word rendered "pit" - שׁחת shachath, properly means a pit, or pitfall, in which traps are laid for wild animals; Psa 7:15; Psa 9:15; then a cistern that is miry; Job 9:31; a prison, Isa 51:14; then the grave, or sepulchre, as being often a cavern; Job 17:13; Psa 30:9; see Job 33:28, Job 33:30. It evidently means here the grave, and the sense is, that God thus warns people against pursuing a course of conduct which would lead them to destruction, or would speedily terminate their lives.
And his life from perishing by the sword - Margin, "passing by." The meaning of the Hebrew may be, "to keep his life from passing away by the sword;" as if the sword were the means by which the life or soul passed from the body. The word rendered sword here - שׁלח shelach is from שׁלח shâlach - to send, cast, hurl, and the reference is rather to something sent, as of an arrow, dart, javelin, than to a sword. The sense is not materially varied, and the idea referred to is that of a violent death. The meaning is, that God by these warnings would keep a man from such a course of life as would lead to a death by violence - either by punishment for his crime, or by being cut off in war. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Keepeth - By his gracious admonitions whereby he leads him to repentance. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
He keepeth back his soul from the pit - By the above means, how many have been snatched from an untimely death! By taking the warning thus given, some have been prevented from perishing by the pit - some sudden accident; and others from the sword of the assassin or nocturnal murderer. It would be easy to give examples, in all these kinds; but the knowledge of the reader may save this trouble to the commentator. |
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.