Job 31:39

Job 31:39 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
• New International Version (NIV)if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
• English Standard Version (ESV)if I have eaten its yield without payment and made its owners breathe their last,
• New King James Version (NKJV)If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;

Context of Job 31:39

37I would give account of all my steps; I would approach Him like a prince.)— 38if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together, if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, 40then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” Thus conclude the words of Job.

Job 31:39 word by word

אִם־כֹּ֭חָהּ אָכַ֣לְתִּי בְלִי־כָ֑סֶף וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ בְּעָלֶ֣יהָ הִפָּֽחְתִּי׃Read the interlinear

• ifאִם'im · ifH518
• I have devouredאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• its produceכֹּחַkôach kôach · strengthH3581
• withoutבְּלִיbelîy · withoutH1097
• paymentכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
• or broken the spiritנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
• or broken the spiritנָפַחnâphach · to breatheH5301
• of its tenantsבַּעַלba‛al · masterH1167

Cross-references for Job 31:39

• Genesis 4:12When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
• 1 Kings 21:13And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
• Proverbs 1:19Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
• Isaiah 26:21For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
• Ezekiel 22:6See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood.

Commentaries on Job 31:39

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 39If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money - I have never been that narrow-minded man who, through a principle of covetousness, exhausts his land, putting himself to no charges, by labor and manure, to strengthen it; or defrauds those of their wages who were employed under him. If I have eaten the fruits of it, I have cultivated it well to produce those fruits; and this has not been without money, for I have gone to expenses on the soil, and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 39If I have eaten the fruits thereof - Margin, strength. The strength of the earth is that which the earth produces or which is the result of its strength. We speak now of a “strong soil “ - meaning that it is capable of bearing much. Without money - Hebrew “without silver “ - silver being the principal circulating medium in early times. The meaning here is, “without paying for it;” either without having paid for the land, or for the labor. “Or have caused…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-40Verses 33-40 Job clears himself from the charge of hypocrisy. We are loth to confess our faults, willing to excuse them, and to lay the blame upon others. But he that thus covers his sins, shall not prosper, Pr 28:13. He speaks of his courage in what is good, as an evidence of his sincerity in it. When men get estates unjustly, they are justly deprived of comfort from them; it was sown wheat, but shall come up thistles. What men do not come honestly by…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-40Job called down wrong against himself (curses) if he was guilty of the accusations against him. Apart from mentioning idolatry (worship of false gods), Job spoke about how loyal he was to God by focusing on the second half of the Ten Commandments (31:26–27). The summary of these is: “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3939. lose ... life--not literally, but "harassed to death"; until he gave me up his land gratis [Maurer]; as in Jud 16:16; "suffered him to languish" by taking away his means of living [Umbreit] (1Ki 21:19).Read the comment

Topics related to Job 31:39

• Integrity
• Money
• Poor
• Temptation

In the dictionaries

• Bosom
• Instead
• Lift
• Root
• Charm
• Job, Book of

Commentaries on Job 31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings