Albert Barnes Commentary Job 36:15

"He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression." — Job 36:15 (ASV)

He delivereth the poor in his affliction - Margin, “or afflicted.” This agrees better with the usual meaning of the Hebrew word (עני ‛ ânı̂y) and with the connection. The inquiry was not particularly concerning the “poor,” but the “afflicted,” and the sentiment that Elihu is illustrating is, that when the afflicted call upon God he will deliver them. The object is to induce Job to make such an application to God that he might be rescued from his calamities, and be permitted still to enjoy life and happiness.

And openeth their ears - Causes them to understand the nature of his government, and the reasons why he visits them in this way (compare Job 33:16 and Job 33:23-27). The sentiment here is a mere repetition of what Elihu had more than once before stated. It is his leading thought; the “principle” on which he sets out to explain the reason why God afflicts people, and by which he proposes to remove the difference between Job and his friends.

In oppression - This word expresses too much. It refers to God, and implies that there was something oppressive, harsh, or cruel in his dealings. This is not the idea of Elihu in the language he uses. The word he uses here (לחץ lachats) means “that which crushes”; then straits, distress, affliction. Jerome, “in tribulatione.” The word “affliction” would express the thought.