Job 36:16 kjv
Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness.
Job 36:16 nkjv
"Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness.
Job 36:16 niv
"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
Job 36:16 esv
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.
Job 36:16 nlt
"God is leading you away from danger, Job,
to a place free from distress.
He is setting your table with the best food.
Job 36 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 18:19 | He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. | God delivering to a "broad place" out of delight. |
| Ps 31:8 | You have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. | God setting feet in a "broad place" for safety. |
| Ps 118:5 | Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. | Calling out of "distress" results in a "broad place" by God's answer. |
| Hab 1:6 | For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. | "Broad" used for extent, contrasting constrained life. |
| Gen 35:3 | And let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” | God answering and being with in "distress". |
| 2 Sam 22:7 | In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice... | Calling to God in "distress" and being heard. |
| Ps 23:5 | You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. | God preparing a "table" of abundant provision despite adversaries. |
| Deut 8:7-9 | For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land... a land of wheat and barley... a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity... | Description of a "good land" reflecting a "broad place" with abundance. |
| Deut 28:1-2 | “If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments... all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. | Conditional blessings tied to obedience, parallel to Elihu's thought. |
| Lev 26:3-5 | “If you walk in my statutes... I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. | Further examples of conditional blessings for walking in God's ways. |
| Isa 1:19 | If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; | Willingness and obedience linked to eating the "good of the land." |
| Jer 29:11 | For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. | God's ultimate good intentions for His people. |
| Psa 34:10 | The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. | Seeking God leads to lack of no good thing, connecting to "rich food". |
| Luke 12:32 | “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. | God's benevolent desire to give generously. |
| Phil 4:19 | And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. | God's provision for all needs from His riches. |
| 2 Cor 9:8 | And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. | God making "all grace abound" leading to sufficiency and abundance. |
| Jer 31:12 | They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd... | People radiating over God's goodness manifest in abundant provisions. |
| Prov 10:22 | The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. | The Lord's blessing as the source of true wealth and lack of sorrow. |
| Hos 13:13 | The pangs of childbirth come for him; he is an unwise son, for at the proper time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb. | Metaphorical "distress" linked to unwise choices, echoing Elihu. |
| Psa 4:1 | Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer! | God providing relief when in "distress". |
| Isa 58:11 | And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. | God guiding and satisfying with refreshing provision. |
Job 36 verses
Job 36 16 Meaning
Job 36:16 conveys Elihu's perspective that God desires to lead a person, specifically Job in this context, out of suffering and restriction into a state of freedom and abundant provision. This potential deliverance and prosperity are presented as conditional upon the individual's responsive heart towards God, suggesting that if Job had received God's discipline differently, he would have experienced restoration and rich blessings.
Job 36 16 Context
Job 36:16 is part of Elihu’s lengthy discourse (chapters 32-37) where he attempts to interpret Job’s suffering and justify God’s ways. Elihu, a young man, claims to have wisdom beyond his years, inspired by God. He posits that God is just and mighty, and He uses suffering as a means of discipline and instruction to turn people from sin, not solely as punishment. Elihu suggests that if Job had adopted a humble and repentant attitude during his trial, God would have mercifully restored him to a state of blessing. Verse 16 specifically outlines God’s positive intention towards Job – an "allurement" out of affliction into freedom and abundance – had Job responded rightly to his chastening. This perspective contrasts with Job’s friends who insisted Job must be guilty of specific great sins to suffer so severely, and with Job who maintained his integrity while struggling to understand God's silence. Elihu's view presents suffering as an opportunity for refinement and restoration.
Job 36 16 Word analysis
- He would have allured you: יְסִיתְךָ (yesîtəḵā). Derived from the verb סוּת (sut), meaning "to entice, persuade, incite." While "incite" often carries a negative connotation (e.g., inciting to evil, as in Deut 13:6), here Elihu uses it remarkably in a positive sense. It implies God’s benevolent drawing or persuasion to guide one away from harm and towards good, rather than a forceful rescue. It suggests a gentle but compelling influence, inviting a choice.
- out of distress: מִפִּי-צָר (mippî-ṣār). Literally, "from the mouth of distress/narrowness." "Pî" (פִּי) refers to the mouth, used idiomatically to denote the grasp or power of something. "Tsār" (צָר) means "narrowness, straits, affliction, distress," and can also refer to an "adversary" or "enemy." Thus, "from the mouth of distress" paints a vivid picture of being in the very grip or chokehold of severe hardship, from which God seeks to draw out. This reflects a state of severe constraint or danger.
- into a broad place: לָרְחַב (lāruḥaḇ). From the root רָחַב (raḥaḇ), meaning "wide, spacious, ample." In biblical thought, a "broad place" is a powerful symbol of freedom, security, peace, prosperity, and the absence of any restriction or threat. It contrasts sharply with the "narrowness" or "cramp" of distress, symbolizing liberation from constraint and opposition, much like being in open ground after being confined.
- where there was no cramp: וְלֹא-מוּצָק (wə-lōʾ mūṣāq). From the root מוּק (muq), meaning "to be confined, oppressed, straitened." "Mūṣāq" denotes pressure, distress, or a narrow, compressed state. This phrase reinforces the preceding idea of the "broad place" by explicitly negating its opposite. It assures a condition utterly free from confinement, proving that the breadth is absolute and not merely relative.
- and what was set on your table: וּמֶזֶן שֻׁלְחָנְךָ (ûmezen šulḥāneḵā). "Mezen" (מֶזֶן) refers to food or provision. "Shulḥān" (שֻׁלְחָן) is a table. The "table" is a profound symbol in the ancient Near East and the Bible for hospitality, fellowship, sustenance, blessing, and abundant provision. To have a table "set" indicates a prepared feast, not mere subsistence, and suggests divine care. It also highlights God’s personal and direct provision.
- would have been full of rich food: יֶהִי דֶּשֶׁן (yehi dešen). "Dešen" (דֶּשֶׁן) means "fatness, richness, abundance, plenty, health." It is associated with fertility, well-being, and prosperity. It refers not merely to sufficient food, but to lavish and choice provision, signifying a state of opulence and well-being. This implies God would provide more than just the basics; He would bestow surplus and excellent quality provision. This stands in direct contrast to the meager existence Job was experiencing.
Job 36 16 Bonus section
Elihu's perspective, though not the full explanation for Job's suffering as later revealed by God Himself, still encapsulates vital truths about God's character. God genuinely desires the welfare of His children and delights in their flourishing, reflected in the promise of a "broad place" and "rich food." The specific vocabulary choice of "allure" (yesîtəḵā), typically used for negative enticement, when applied to God's drawing out of distress, provides a unique and intriguing facet of divine pedagogy: God can subtly persuade and invite towards a path of healing and restoration. Furthermore, this verse contains an implicit polemic against pagan beliefs common in the ancient Near East. Many cultures attributed prosperity and abundance (like "rich food" and fertile land leading to a "broad place") to fertility deities (e.g., Baal). Elihu’s declaration places the ultimate source of all blessings directly in the hands of the One True God, highlighting His singular sovereignty over well-being and distress, thereby diminishing the power attributed to false gods.
Job 36 16 Commentary
Elihu's statement in Job 36:16 functions as a hypothetical divine promise. He presents God as one who not only rescues from affliction but also yearns to lead individuals into complete prosperity, both in terms of physical freedom and abundant sustenance. The imagery vividly contrasts "distress" and "cramp" with a "broad place" and "rich food," reflecting God's capacity to transform the direst circumstances into blessed states. This promise, however, is presented conditionally; it relies on Job's spiritual responsiveness. Elihu believes that God disciplines to refine, and if one receives such discipline correctly, divine favor, demonstrated by physical liberation and material abundance, will follow. This emphasizes God’s desire for reconciliation and the holistic well-being of His people, not as mere external fortune, but as the outflow of a restored relationship with Him. The use of "allured" rather than "forced" implies God's method is one of drawing, appealing to Job's free will, even in his deep suffering.