Job 33 Study Notes: Elihu Says God Speaks Through Pain
Elihu addresses Job as a fellow creature and disputes Job’s claim that God never answers. He says God warns people through dreams and through sickness to turn them back from ruin, pictures a messenger who pleads for a dying man, and ends by inviting Job to reply or to listen and learn.
General
What second way of God’s dealing with people does Elihu describe in Job 33:19-22?
Answer: Painful illness that brings a person close to death
Elihu says God also corrects a person through pain on a sickbed, with constant aching in the bones (33:19). The sick man loses all desire for food, wastes away until his bones show, and comes near to death (33:20-22). Elihu presents this suffering as discipline meant to turn a person back to God. Scripture elsewhere teaches that the LORD disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12) and that His discipline, though painful, produces righteousness (Hebrews 12:10-11). The opening chapters show that Job’s own trial began for a reason hidden from him (2:3).
- Job 33:19-22 (BSB)“A man is also chastened on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones, so that he detests his bread, and his soul loathes his favorite food. His flesh wastes away from sight, and his hidden bones protrude. He draws near to the Pit, and his life to the messengers of death.”Elihu describes a sufferer wasting away under pain and drawing near to death.
- Proverbs 3:11-12 (BSB)“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”Scripture elsewhere teaches that the LORD disciplines those He loves.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God’s painful discipline is for His people’s good and yields righteousness.
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””In the opening scene the LORD tells Satan that Job keeps his integrity, though Satan incited Him to ruin Job without cause.
Theological
What second means of divine correction does Elihu describe in Job 33:19-22?
Answer: Painful illness that brings a person close to death
Elihu’s second mode is affliction: a man is chastened with pain on his bed and unceasing aching of the bones (33:19), loses his appetite, wastes away, and draws near to death (33:20-22). He presents such suffering as corrective, designed to turn the sufferer back. Scripture elsewhere affirms that the LORD disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12) and that His painful discipline yields righteousness (Hebrews 12:10-11). The opening chapters show that Job’s own trial began for a reason hidden from him (2:3).
- Job 33:19-22 (BSB)“A man is also chastened on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones, so that he detests his bread, and his soul loathes his favorite food. His flesh wastes away from sight, and his hidden bones protrude. He draws near to the Pit, and his life to the messengers of death.”Elihu describes a sufferer wasting away under pain and drawing near to death.
- Proverbs 3:11-12 (BSB)“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”Scripture elsewhere teaches that the LORD disciplines those He loves.
- Hebrews 12:10-11 (BSB)“Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”God’s painful discipline is for His people’s good and yields righteousness.
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””In the opening scene the LORD tells Satan that Job keeps his integrity, though Satan incited Him to ruin Job without cause.
General
How does Elihu respond to Job’s claim that he is pure and that God treats him as an enemy (Job 33:8-12)?
Answer: He says Job is wrong here, for God is far above any human
Elihu repeats what he has heard Job say: that Job is clean and without guilt, yet God looks for reasons to oppose him, treats him as an enemy, locks his feet in fetters, and watches his every step (33:8-11). Job had indeed spoken this way, asking why God counted him as an enemy (13:24) and saying God had fastened his feet in fetters (13:27). Elihu answers that Job is mistaken on this point, because God is far above any human being (33:12). Scripture elsewhere affirms that God’s ways are far above human ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
- Job 33:8-12 (BSB)“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words: ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, with no iniquity in me. Yet God finds occasions against me; He counts me as His enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches over all my paths.’ Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.”Elihu restates Job’s complaint and answers that God is greater than man.
- Job 13:24 (BSB)“Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?”Job had asked why God considered him an enemy.
- Job 13:27 (BSB)“You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet.”Job had used the picture of his feet being put in the stocks.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (BSB)““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”Scripture elsewhere affirms that God’s ways are higher than human ways.
Theological
What is Elihu’s first rejoinder to Job’s protest of innocence in Job 33:8-12?
Answer: He says Job is wrong here, for God is far above any human
Elihu cites Job’s complaint: that he is clean and guiltless, yet God seeks pretexts against him, reckons him an enemy, fetters his feet, and watches his paths (33:8-11). These echo Job’s own words, both his question about being treated as God’s enemy (13:24) and his image of fettered feet (13:27). Elihu’s reply is simply that Job is wrong here, for God surpasses any mortal (33:12). That God’s ways transcend human ways is affirmed elsewhere in Scripture (Isaiah 55:8-9).
- Job 33:8-12 (BSB)“Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very words: ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, with no iniquity in me. Yet God finds occasions against me; He counts me as His enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches over all my paths.’ Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.”Elihu restates Job’s complaint and answers that God is greater than man.
- Job 13:24 (BSB)“Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?”Job had asked why God considered him an enemy.
- Job 13:27 (BSB)“You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet.”Job had used the picture of his feet being put in the stocks.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (BSB)““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”Scripture elsewhere affirms that God’s ways are higher than human ways.
General
Why does Elihu tell Job he has no reason to be terrified of him (Job 33:6-7)?
Answer: He stands before God just as Job does, made from clay
Elihu invites Job to answer him and argue his case (33:5). He then tells Job that he is no different from Job in God’s sight, since he too was shaped from clay (33:6). So Job need not fear him, and Elihu will not press down hard on him (33:7). Job had earlier begged God to take His hand away and stop frightening him (13:21; 9:34). Elihu presents himself as a fellow human being Job can face without dread. Like all people, Elihu was shaped by the LORD out of the ground’s dust (Genesis 2:7).
- Job 33:5-7 (BSB)“Refute me if you can; prepare your case and confront me. I am just like you before God; I was also formed from clay. Surely no fear of me should terrify you; nor will my hand be heavy upon you.”Elihu invites Job to answer and assures him that he is only a fellow creature.
- Job 13:21 (BSB)“Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me.”Job had pleaded with God to withdraw His hand and His terror.
- Job 9:34 (BSB)“Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.”Job had wished God’s rod and terror would no longer frighten him.
- Genesis 2:7 (BSB)“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.”All people share Elihu’s origin, formed by God from the dust of the ground.
Theological
On what basis does Elihu assure Job that he will not overwhelm him (Job 33:6-7)?
Answer: He stands before God just as Job does, made from clay
Elihu summons Job to debate (33:5), but he frames himself as Job’s equal before God, a creature formed from clay like any other (33:6). Job therefore has no cause for dread, and Elihu’s pressure will not be heavy (33:7). The wording recalls Job’s earlier pleas that God remove His hand and His terror (13:21; 9:34): Elihu is a fellow creature, not the overwhelming God Job feared to face. His appeal to common creaturehood recalls the LORD forming the first man out of the earth (Genesis 2:7).
- Job 33:5-7 (BSB)“Refute me if you can; prepare your case and confront me. I am just like you before God; I was also formed from clay. Surely no fear of me should terrify you; nor will my hand be heavy upon you.”Elihu invites Job to answer and assures him that he is only a fellow creature.
- Job 13:21 (BSB)“Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me.”Job had pleaded with God to withdraw His hand and His terror.
- Job 9:34 (BSB)“Let Him remove His rod from me, so that His terror will no longer frighten me.”Job had wished God’s rod and terror would no longer frighten him.
- Genesis 2:7 (BSB)“Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.”All people share Elihu’s origin, formed by God from the dust of the ground.
General
True or False: Elihu ends this part of his speech by telling Job that, if Job has something to say, Elihu would like to see him proved right.
Answer: True
This is true. Elihu first sums up: God does all these things to a person again and again, to bring him back from the Pit so that he may live and see the light (33:29-30). Then he asks Job to listen, but also invites him to answer, saying he would like to see Job vindicated (33:31-32). If Job has nothing to say, he should keep listening while Elihu teaches him wisdom (33:33). Scripture elsewhere affirms God’s desire that the wicked turn and live (Ezekiel 18:23) and pictures the rescued walking in His presence in life-giving light (Psalm 56:13).
- Job 33:29-30 (BSB)“Behold, all these things God does to a man, two or even three times, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.”Elihu sums up God’s repeated work to rescue a person from the Pit.
- Job 33:31-33 (BSB)“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. But if you have something to say, answer me; speak up, for I would like to vindicate you. But if not, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.””Elihu invites Job to answer and says he would like to vindicate him.
- Ezekiel 18:23 (BSB)“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?”God desires that the wicked turn from their ways and live.
- Psalm 56:13 (BSB)“For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”Deliverance from death is pictured as walking before God in the light of life.
Theological
True or False: Elihu closes chapter 33 by inviting Job to reply and saying he would like to see Job declared in the right.
Answer: True
This is true. Elihu’s summary is that God repeats these dealings more than once, restoring a person from the Pit to enlightened life (33:29-30). He then calls for Job’s attention while inviting a reply, expressing a desire to vindicate him (33:31-32); failing that, Job should listen and be taught wisdom (33:33). Scripture elsewhere affirms God’s will that the wicked turn and live (Ezekiel 18:23) and pictures the rescued walking in His presence in life-giving light (Psalm 56:13).
- Job 33:29-30 (BSB)“Behold, all these things God does to a man, two or even three times, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.”Elihu sums up God’s repeated work to rescue a person from the Pit.
- Job 33:31-33 (BSB)“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. But if you have something to say, answer me; speak up, for I would like to vindicate you. But if not, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.””Elihu invites Job to answer and says he would like to vindicate him.
- Ezekiel 18:23 (BSB)“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?”God desires that the wicked turn from their ways and live.
- Psalm 56:13 (BSB)“For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”Deliverance from death is pictured as walking before God in the light of life.
General
True or False: Elihu argues that God really does speak to people, repeatedly and in various ways, even though people often fail to perceive it.
Answer: True
This is true. Elihu asks why Job complains that God gives no answer to anyone (33:13). He insists that God does speak, again and again, though people do not notice (33:14). Job had in fact said that he cried out and God did not answer him (30:20), and he had longed to present his case and hear God’s reply (23:3-5). In the rest of the chapter Elihu names two ways God speaks: through dreams and through pain. Scripture elsewhere affirms that God has spoken many times and in many ways (Hebrews 1:1).
- Job 33:13-14 (BSB)“Why do you complain to Him that He answers nothing a man asks? For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.”Elihu rejects Job’s complaint that God never answers.
- Job 30:20 (BSB)“I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.”Job had complained that he cried out and God did not answer.
- Job 23:3-5 (BSB)“If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat. I would plead my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn how He would answer, and consider what He would say.”Job had longed to plead his case and hear God’s reply.
- Hebrews 1:1 (BSB)“On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.”Scripture elsewhere affirms that God has spoken many times and in many ways.
Theological
True or False: Against Job’s complaint of divine silence, Elihu maintains that God speaks repeatedly and in various ways, though people fail to perceive it.
Answer: True
This is true. Elihu challenges Job’s complaint that God answers nothing (33:13), insisting that God speaks again and again even when no one perceives it (33:14). Job had protested that his cries went unanswered (30:20) and longed to plead his case and hear God’s reply (23:3-5). Elihu goes on to name two modes of divine communication, dreams and affliction (33:15-22). That God has spoken many times and in many ways is affirmed elsewhere in Scripture (Hebrews 1:1).
- Job 33:13-14 (BSB)“Why do you complain to Him that He answers nothing a man asks? For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.”Elihu rejects Job’s complaint that God never answers.
- Job 30:20 (BSB)“I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.”Job had complained that he cried out and God did not answer.
- Job 23:3-5 (BSB)“If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat. I would plead my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn how He would answer, and consider what He would say.”Job had longed to plead his case and hear God’s reply.
- Hebrews 1:1 (BSB)“On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.”Scripture elsewhere affirms that God has spoken many times and in many ways.
General
In Job 33:23-24, what does the messenger or mediator do for the man who is close to death?
Answer: He speaks up for the man, asking that he be spared for a ransom
Elihu imagines a messenger who stands on the sufferer’s side, a rare go-between among a thousand, who shows the man the right way (33:23). This messenger shows him kindness and pleads that he be spared the Pit, the grave, because a ransom, a price paid to set someone free, has been found (33:24). Job had earlier lamented that there was no mediator between him and God (9:33), yet he also hoped for a witness and advocate in heaven (16:19). Elihu does not say who the messenger is or what the ransom is. Many Christians have seen here a pointer to Christ, the only go-between for God and humanity, who offered Himself as the price of release (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
- Job 33:23-24 (BSB)“Yet if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’”Elihu describes a messenger who pleads for the dying man and finds a ransom.
- Job 9:33 (BSB)“Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.”Job had lamented that there was no mediator between him and God.
- Job 16:19 (BSB)“Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.”Job had hoped for a witness and advocate on high.
- 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (BSB)“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.”Paul names Christ Jesus as the one mediator who gave Himself as a ransom for all.
Theological
What role does Elihu give the rare messenger who stands with the sufferer in Job 33:23-24?
Answer: He speaks up for the man, asking that he be spared for a ransom
Elihu envisions a messenger standing with the sufferer, a single go-between out of a thousand, who declares the right course to him (33:23), shows him grace, and pleads that he be spared the Pit on the ground that a ransom has been found (33:24). Job had lamented the absence of any mediator between himself and God (9:33) while still hoping for a heavenly witness and advocate (16:19). Elihu leaves the messenger and the ransom unidentified. Many Christians have seen here a pointer to Christ, the only go-between for God and humanity, who offered Himself as the price of release (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
- Job 33:23-24 (BSB)“Yet if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’”Elihu describes a messenger who pleads for the dying man and finds a ransom.
- Job 9:33 (BSB)“Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.”Job had lamented that there was no mediator between him and God.
- Job 16:19 (BSB)“Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.”Job had hoped for a witness and advocate on high.
- 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (BSB)“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.”Paul names Christ Jesus as the one mediator who gave Himself as a ransom for all.
General
What does the restored man declare to others in Job 33:27-28?
Answer: He admits his sin, says he was spared his due, and praises God’s rescue
In Elihu’s picture, once the ransom is found, the sick man’s body becomes fresh and young again (33:25). He prays, God accepts him, he looks on God’s face with joy, and God gives him back his righteousness (33:26). Then he tells others that he had sinned and twisted justice, but was not punished as he deserved, and that God rescued him from the Pit so he would live (33:27-28). Scripture elsewhere celebrates this same undeserved mercy: God does not treat His people as their sins deserve (Psalm 103:10) and rescues His people from the Pit (Psalm 103:3-4). Confession of sin is met with forgiveness (Psalm 32:5).
- Job 33:25-26 (BSB)“then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s; he returns to the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.”The ransomed man is renewed, prays, and is restored by God.
- Job 33:27-28 (BSB)“Then he sings before men with these words: ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’”The restored man confesses his sin and praises God for rescuing him.
- Psalm 103:10 (BSB)“He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.”God does not deal with His people as their sins deserve.
- Psalm 103:3-4 (BSB)“He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,”The LORD forgives iniquity and redeems life from the Pit.
- Psalm 32:5 (BSB)“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”Confessed sin is met with God’s forgiveness.
Theological
What testimony does the restored man give before others in Job 33:27-28?
Answer: He admits his sin, says he was spared his due, and praises God’s rescue
Elihu traces the restoration: the man’s flesh is renewed like a child’s (33:25); he prays, finds favor, beholds God’s face with joy, and has his righteousness restored (33:26). His public testimony confesses sin and perverted justice, acknowledges that he was not repaid as he deserved, and credits God with redeeming him from the Pit (33:27-28). The same note of grace, mercy withheld from the punishment sin deserves, is sounded elsewhere in Scripture: God does not repay His people as their iniquities deserve (Psalm 103:10), He rescues His people from the Pit (Psalm 103:3-4), and confession is met with forgiveness (Psalm 32:5).
- Job 33:25-26 (BSB)“then his flesh is refreshed like a child’s; he returns to the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.”The ransomed man is renewed, prays, and is restored by God.
- Job 33:27-28 (BSB)“Then he sings before men with these words: ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’”The restored man confesses his sin and praises God for rescuing him.
- Psalm 103:10 (BSB)“He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.”God does not deal with His people as their sins deserve.
- Psalm 103:3-4 (BSB)“He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,”The LORD forgives iniquity and redeems life from the Pit.
- Psalm 32:5 (BSB)“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah”Confessed sin is met with God’s forgiveness.
General
According to Elihu, why does God warn people through dreams and visions in the night (Job 33:15-18)?
Answer: To turn them from wrongdoing and pride, and spare their lives
Elihu says that when people are sound asleep, God may open their ears and frighten them with warnings (33:15-16). His purpose is to turn a person away from evil, guard him against pride, and rescue him from the Pit, meaning the grave, and from a violent death (33:17-18). Scripture records God doing this: He came to King Abimelech while he slept and warned him (Genesis 20:3), and so kept him from sinning (Genesis 20:6). The wise men who visited the child Jesus also received a warning while they slept (Matthew 2:12).
- Job 33:15-18 (BSB)“In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds, He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.”Elihu describes God’s warnings in sleep and their purpose.
- Genesis 20:3 (BSB)“One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.””God warned Abimelech in a dream at night.
- Genesis 20:6 (BSB)“Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.”God says the dream kept Abimelech from sinning against Him.
- Matthew 2:12 (BSB)“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.”The wise men were warned in a dream and changed their route.
Theological
What purpose does Elihu assign to God’s warnings in dreams and night visions (Job 33:15-18)?
Answer: To turn them from wrongdoing and pride, and spare their lives
Elihu’s first mode of divine speech is the night warning: in deep sleep God opens the ear and terrifies with admonitions (33:15-16), aiming to draw a person back from his deed, cut off pride, and spare him the Pit and the sword (33:17-18). The pattern is attested elsewhere in Scripture: God confronted Abimelech as he slept (Genesis 20:3) and thereby kept him from sin (Genesis 20:6), and the Magi received a warning in a dream (Matthew 2:12).
- Job 33:15-18 (BSB)“In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds, He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.”Elihu describes God’s warnings in sleep and their purpose.
- Genesis 20:3 (BSB)“One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.””God warned Abimelech in a dream at night.
- Genesis 20:6 (BSB)“Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.”God says the dream kept Abimelech from sinning against Him.
- Matthew 2:12 (BSB)“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.”The wise men were warned in a dream and changed their route.