Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Job 33 Bible study: God speaks once, yes twice
Elihu's "He puts my feet in the stocks. He marks all my paths" (33:11) is, in Hebrew, Job's own 13:27 with you turned to he, and his "when deep sleep falls on men" (33:15) is Eliphaz's (4:13). And the pit he comes back to five times in this chapter is where, he says, God keeps a man's soul back from, and brings it back from (33:18, 33:30).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Elihu's "He puts my feet in the stocks. He marks all my paths" (33:11) is close to words Job himself had said to God.”
Is that in Job 33, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"I am also formed out of the clay"
Every word of this chapter is Elihu's. His speech began, "Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered" (32:6), and the next heading is "Moreover Elihu answered" (34:1). Now he speaks to Job by name: "However, Job, please hear my speech, and listen to all my words" (33:1). "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (33:4) (tap breath). In Hebrew the breath of the Almighty is the same two words as the WEB's "the Spirit of the Almighty" a chapter earlier: "the Spirit of the Almighty gives them understanding" (32:8). "Behold, I am toward God even as you are. I am also formed out of the clay" (33:6) (tap clay, formed). Job had said to God, "Remember, I beg you, that you have fashioned me as clay" (10:9): in Hebrew 10:9's fashioned is 33:4's made, and 10:9's clay is 33:6's. Then Elihu says, "Behold, my terror will not make you afraid, neither will my pressure be heavy on you" (33:7) (tap terror). Job had said, "Let his terror not make me afraid" (9:34), and to God, "don’t let your terror make me afraid" (13:21), with the same two Hebrew words. The chapter doesn't say why Elihu uses Job's words, and these notes don't guess.
Where it leads to Jesus
"Whoever has ears to hear"
Job 33:14leads toMark 4:9
Elihu says, "For God speaks once, yes twice, though man pays no attention" (33:14), and that God "opens the ears of men" (33:16). After telling of the farmer who "went out to sow" (Mark 4:3), Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:9). Mark doesn't name Job or Elihu, so setting the two side by side is a reading, resting on a shared subject: that God speaks, and that a word can reach the ear without being heard. Some read the two together: Jesus calls his hearers to the hearing Elihu says man doesn't give. Others read each in its own setting: Elihu speaks of dreams and pain (33:15-22) in speeches the book gives no verdict on, and Jesus of his own parable (Mark 4:3-8). Neither reading says whether Elihu's words fit Job, or makes Job the one who pays no attention.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Job 33
That was a taste
The rest of Job 33 is waiting in Favor
- "I have heard the voice of your words"
- "God speaks once, yes twice"
- "Hold your peace, and I will speak"
- 10 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Job 33 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
שַׁחַתshachatsay SHA-khat
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "pit". Strong's: "a pit (especially as a trap); figuratively, destruction". It comes five times in this chapter: "He keeps back his soul from the pit" (33:18), "his soul draws near to the pit" (33:22), "Deliver him from going down to the pit" (33:24), "He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit" (33:28), and "to bring back his soul from the pit" (33:30). In the Hebrew of Job it comes seven times; the other two are Job's own: "yet you will plunge me in the ditch" (9:31), and "if I have said to corruption, ‘You are my father,’" (17:14). Jonah prays with it: "yet you have brought my life up from the pit, LORD my God" (Jonah 2:6).
For your group
Job 33 Bible study questions
- 1"Behold, I am toward God even as you are. I am also formed out of the clay" (33:6). When you talk with someone who is suffering, what helps you speak as an equal rather than from above?
- 2"For God speaks once, yes twice, though man pays no attention" (33:14). When have you looked back and seen something you missed while you were in the middle of it?
- 3"If you have anything to say, answer me. Speak, for I desire to justify you" (33:32). When you disagree with someone who is hurting, how do you make room for them to answer?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Job 33 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Job 33 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Job 33 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Job 33
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home