The Meaning of Job 36:6 Explained

Job 36:6

KJV: He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor.

YLT: He reviveth not the wicked, And the judgment of the poor appointeth;

Darby: He saveth not the wicked alive; but he doeth justice to the afflicted.

ASV: He preserveth not the life of the wicked, But giveth to the afflicted their right.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He preserveth not the life  of the wicked:  but giveth  right  to the poor. 

What does Job 36:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 36:1-33 - He Despiseth Not Any
God is mighty, but He does not despise thee, though thou be the least of saints. His eyes are upon thee for good, and He will set thee before His throne forever. He will stoop to thy low dungeon, whispering instruction to thine ear and commanding thee to return. There are broad places before thee in which there shall be no straitness; tables await thee full of fatness. Thy path leads from thy present prison-house into liberty and light.
Remember the unsearchable numbers of His years. Behold the wonderful machinery by which He collects from ocean, lake, and stream the clouds which, like floating cisterns, carry the waters to be bleached in the snow of the hills, and oxidized in the torrent beds! There is more love than terror in creation. Nature's myriad voices proclaim with Scripture, "God is love." He cannot, therefore, be indifferent to the righteous man or neglect him. He may discipline him to make him hate sin; but, when this end is attained, He will assuredly withdraw His rod, Job 36:10-11. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 36

1  Elihu shows how God is just in his ways
16  How Job's sins hinder God's blessings
24  God's works are to be magnified

What do the individual words in Job 36:6 mean?

Not He does preserve the life of the wicked but justice to the oppressed gives
לֹא־ יְחַיֶּ֥ה רָשָׁ֑ע וּמִשְׁפַּ֖ט עֲנִיִּ֣ים יִתֵּֽן

יְחַיֶּ֥ה  He  does  preserve  the  life 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
רָשָׁ֑ע  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
וּמִשְׁפַּ֖ט  but  justice 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
עֲנִיִּ֣ים  to  the  oppressed 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: עָנִי  
Sense: poor, afflicted, humble, wretched.
יִתֵּֽן  gives 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.