Logos Bible Study

Job 31:38–40

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Job’s Final Solemn Oath73

31:38“If my land cried out against me74

and all its furrows wept together,

31:39if I have eaten its produce without paying,75

or caused the death76 of its owners,77

31:40then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat,

and in place of barley, weeds!”78

The words of Job are ended.

V. The Speeches of Elihu (32:1–37:24)

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Footnotes

  1. 73 Many commentators place vv. 38–40b at the end of v. 34, so that there is no return to these conditional clauses after his final appeal.
  2. 74 Some commentators have suggested that the meaning behind this is that Job might not have kept the year of release (Deut 15:1), and the law against mixing seed (Lev 19:19). But the context will make clear that the case considered is obtaining the land without paying for it and causing the death of its lawful owner (see H. H. Rowley, Job [], 206). Similar to this would be the case of Naboth’s vineyard.
  3. 75 Heb “without silver.”
  4. 76 The versions have the verb “grieved” here. The Hebrew verb means “to breathe,” but the form is Hiphil. This verb in that stem could mean something of a contemptuous gesture, like “sniff” in Mal 1:13. But with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in Job 11:20 it means “to cause death,” i.e., “to cause to breathe out; to expire.” This is likely the meaning here, although it is possible that it only meant “to cause suffering” to the people.
  5. 77 There is some debate over the meaning of בְּעָלֶיהָ (bé’aleyha), usually translated “its owners.” Dahood, following others (although without their emendations), thought it referred to “laborers” (see M. Dahood, 41 [1960]: 303; idem, 43 [1962]: 362).
  6. 78 The word בָּאְשָׁה (bo’shah, from בָּאַשׁ [ba’as, “to have a foul smell”]) must refer to foul smelling weeds.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“If my land has cried out against me

and its furrows have wept together,

if I have eaten its yield without payment

and made its owners breathe their last,

let thorns grow instead of wheat,

and foul weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“if my land cries out against me

and all its furrows are wet with tears,

if I have devoured its yield without payment

or broken the spirit of its tenants,

then let briers come up instead of wheat

and stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

If my land cries out against me

and its furrows join in weeping,

if I have consumed its produce without payment

or shown contempt for its tenants,

then let thorns grow instead of wheat

and stinkweed instead of barley.

The words of Job are concluded.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“If my land accuses me

and all its furrows cry out together,

or if I have stolen its crops

or murdered its owners,

then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat,

and weeds instead of barley.”

Job’s words are ended.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

If my land has cried out against me,

and its furrows have wept together,

if I have eaten its yield without payment,

or I have caused the breath of its owners to die,

let thorns grow in place of wheat

and noxious weeds in place of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

If my land cry against me,

Or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;

If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,

Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

Let thistles grow instead of wheat,

And cockle instead of barley.

The words of Job are ended.

Public Domain