the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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King James Version
Job 31:40
Bible Study Resources
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- InternationalParallel Translations
then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley." Job's words are ended.
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
then let thorns come up instead of wheat, and let weeds come up instead of barley." The words of Job are finished.
then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat, and in place of barley, weeds!" The words of Job are ended.
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
Let briars grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Let thorns grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed and cockleburs instead of barley." So the words of Job [with his friends] are finished.
let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
a brere growe to me for wheete, and a thorn for barli.
then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley." Thus conclude the words of Job.
If I had, I would pray for weeds instead of wheat to grow in my fields. After saying these things, Job was silent.
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.
then let thistles grow instead of wheat and noxious weeds instead of barley! "The words of Iyov are finished."
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and tares instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
If I ever did any of these bad things, let thorns and weeds grow in my fields instead of wheat and barley!" Job's words are finished.
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and noisome weeds instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
Let thistles grow in stead of wheat, and cockle in stead of barley. The words of Iob are ended.
let thorns grow instead of grain. And let weeds with a bad smell grow instead of barley." The words of Job are finished.
let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Let thistles growe in steade of wheate, and cockle in the stead of Barley. The wordes of Iob are ended.
Then let thistles grow instead of wheat and thorns instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
then instead of wheat and barley, may weeds and thistles grow. The words of Job are ended.
Instead of wheat, let there come forth bramble, and, instead of barley, a bad-smelling weed! Ended are the words of Job.
Let thistles grow up to me instead of wheat, and thorns instead of barley.
let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Then let thystles growe in steede of my wheate, and cockle for my barlye.
then let the nettle come up to me instead of wheat, and a bramble instead of barley. And Job ceased speaking.
then let thorns grow instead of wheatand stinkweed instead of barley.
Let briars grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Iyov are ended.
let thorns grow in place of wheat and noxious weeds in place of barley." The words of Job are ended.
let thorns come forth instead of wheat, and a weed instead of barley. The words of Job are finished.
Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.
Than, let thistles growe in steade of my wheate, & thornes for my barlye.Here ende the wordes of Iob.
May the thorn-bush grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Let briars grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Let briars come out instead of wheat,And stinkweed instead of barley."The words of Job are ended.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
thistles: Choach, probably the black thorn. (See note on 2 Kings 14:9). Genesis 3:17, Genesis 3:18, Isaiah 7:23, Zephaniah 2:9, Malachi 1:3
cockle: or, noisome weeds
The: Psalms 72:20
Reciprocal: Leviticus 26:20 - for your land Numbers 5:22 - the woman Job 31:22 - let Proverbs 24:31 - it Jeremiah 51:64 - Thus far Hebrews 6:8 - beareth
Cross-References
And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.
Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;
And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.
And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley,.... This is an imprecation of Job's, in which he wishes that if what he had said was not true, or if he was guilty of the crimes he denied, that when and where he sowed wheat, thorns or thistles might come up instead of it, or tares, as some Jewish writers d interpret it; and that when and where he should sow barley, cockle, or darnel, or any "stinking" or "harmful" weed e, as the word signifies, might spring up in room of it; respect seems to be had to the original curse upon the earth, and by the judgment of God is sometimes the case, that a fruitful land is turned into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell in it, Genesis 3:18;
the words of Job are ended; which is either said by himself, at the close of his speech; thus far says Job, and no farther, having said enough in his own defence, and for the confutation of his antagonists, and so closes in a way of triumph: or else this was added by Moses, supposed to have written this book; or by some other hand, as Ezra, upon the revision of it, and other books of the Old Testament, when put in order by him: and these were the last words of Job to his friends, and in vindication of himself; for though there is somewhat more said afterwards by him, and but little, yet to God, and by way of humiliation, acknowledging his sin, and repentance for it with shame and abhorrence; see Job 40:3. Jarchi, and so the Midrash, understand this concluding clause as all imprecation of Job's; that if he had done otherwise than he had declared, he wishes that these might be his last words, and he become dumb, and never open his mouth more; but, as Bar Tzemach observes, the simple sense is, that his words were now completed and finished, just as the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are said to be, Psalms 72:20.
d Bar Tzemach, et alii. e באשה "herba foetens", Montanus, Bolducius; "spina foetida", Drusius; "vitium frugum", Junius Tremellius, Piscator "labrusca", Cocceius, Schultens.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Let thistles grow; - Genesis 3:18. Thistles are valueless; and Job is so confident of entire innocence in regard to this, that he says he would be willing, if he were guilty, to have his whole land overrun with noxious weeds.
And cockle - Cockle is a well known herb that gets into wheat or other grain. It has a bluish flower, and small black seed, and is injurious because it tends to discolor the flour. It is not certain by any means, however, that this is intended here. The margin is, noisome weeds. The Hebrew word באשׁה bo'shâh is from באשׁ bâ'ash, “to have a bad smell, to stink,” and was given to the weed here referred to on that account, compare Isaiah 34:3. The cockle however, has no unpleasant odor, and the word here probably means noxious weeds. So it is rendered by Herder and by Noyes. The Septuagint has βάτος batos, bramble; the Vulgate, spina, thorn; Prof. Lee, prunus sylvestris, “a bramble resembling the hawthorn;” Schultens, labrusca, wild vine.
The words of Job are ended - That is, in the present speech or argument; his discussions with his friends are closed. He spoke afterward, as recorded in the subsequent chapters, but not in controversy with them. He had vindicated his character, sustained his positions, and they had nothing to reply. The remainder of the book is occupied mainly with the speech of Elihu, and with the solemn and sublime address which God himself makes.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 31:40. Let thistles grow instead of wheat — What the word חוח choach means, which we translate thistles, we cannot tell: but as חח chach seems to mean to hold, catch as a hook, to hitch, it must signify some kind of hooked thorn, like the brier; and this is possibly its meaning.
And cockle — באשה bashah, some fetid plant, from באש baash, to stink. In Isaiah 5:2; Isaiah 5:4, we translate it wild grapes; and Bishop Lowth, poisonous berries: but Hasselquist, a pupil of the famous Linnaeus, in his Voyages, p. 289, is inclined to believe that the solanum incanum, or hoary nightshade is meant, as this is common in Egypt, Palestine, and the East. Others are of opinion that it means the aconite, which [Arabic] beesh, in Arabic, denotes: this is a poisonous herb, and grows luxuriantly on the sunny hills among the vineyards, according to Celsus in Hieroboticon. [Arabic] beesh is not only the name of an Indian poisonous herb, called the napellus moysis, but [Arabic] beesh moosh, or [Arabic] farut al beesh, is the name of an animal, resembling a mouse, which lives among the roots of this very plant. "May I have a crop of this instead of barley, if I have acted improperly either by my land or my labourers!"
The words of Job are ended. — That is, his defence of himself against the accusations of his friends, as they are called. He spoke afterwards, but never to them; he only addresses God, who came to determine the whole controversy.
These words seem very much like an addition by a later hand. They are wanting in many of the MSS. of the Vulgate, two in my own possession; and in the Editio Princeps of this version.
I suppose that at first they were inserted in rubric, by some scribe, and afterwards taken into the text. In a MS. of my own, of the twelfth or thirteenth century, these words stand in rubric, actually detached from the text; while in another MS., of the fourteenth century, they form a part of the text.
In the Hebrew text they are also detached: the hemistichs are complete without them; nor indeed can they be incorporated with them. They appear to me an addition of no authority. In the first edition of our Bible, that by Coverdale, 1535, there is a white line between these words and the conclusion of the chapter; and they stand, forming no part of the text, thus: -
Here ende the wordes of Job.
Just as we say, in reading the Scriptures "Here ends such a chapter;" or, "Here ends the first lesson," c.
Or the subject of the transposition, mentioned above, I have referred to the reasons at the end of the chapter.
Dr. Kennicott, on this subject, observes: "Chapters xxix., xxx., and xxxi., contain Job's animated self-defence, which was made necessary by the reiterated accusation of his friends. This defense now concludes with six lines (in the Hebrew text) which declare, that if he had enjoyed his estates covetously, or procured them unjustly, he wished them to prove barren and unprofitable. This part, therefore seems naturally to follow Job 31:25, where he speaks of his gold, and how much his hand had gotten. The remainder of the chapter will then consist of these four regular parts, viz.,
"1. His piety to God, in his freedom from idolatry, Job 31:26-28.
"2. His benevolence to men, in his charity both of temper and behaviour, Job 31:29-32.
"3. His solemn assurance that he did not conceal his guilt, from fearing either the violence of the poor, or the contempt of the rich, Job 31:33; Job 31:34.
"4. (Which must have been the last article, because conclusive of the work) he infers that, being thus secured by his integrity, he may appeal safely to God himself. This appeal he therefore makes boldly, and in such words as, when rightly translated, form an image which perhaps has no parallel. For where is there an image so magnificent or so splendid as this?
Job, thus conscious of innocence, wishing even God himself to draw up his indictment, [rather his adversary Eliphaz and companions to draw up this indictment, the Almighty to be judge,] that very indictment he would bind round his head and with that indictment as his crown of glory, he would, with the dignity of a prince, advance to his trial! Of this wonderful passage I add a version more just and more intelligible than the present: -
"Ver. Job 31:35. O that one would grant me a hearing!
Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would answer me;
And, as plaintiff against me, draw up the indictment.
With what earnestness would I take it on my shoulders!
I would bind it upon me as a diadem.
The number of my steps would I set forth unto Him;
Even as a prince would I approach before Him!"
I have already shown that Eliphaz and his companions, not GOD, are the adversary or plaintiff of whom Job speaks. This view makes the whole clear and consistent, and saves Job from the charge of presumptuous rashness. See also Kennicott's Remarks, p. 163.
It would not be right to say that no other interpretation has been given of the first clause of Job 31:10 than that given above. The manner in which Coverdale has translated the Job 31:9-10 verses is the way in which they are generally understood: Yf my hert hath lusted after my neghbour's wife, or yf I have layed wayte at his dore; O then let my wife be another man's harlot, and let other lye with her.
In this sense the word grind is not unfrequently used by the ancients. Horace represents the divine Cato commending the young men whom he saw frequenting the stews, because they left other men's wives undefiled!
Virtute esto, inquit sententia dia Catonis,
Nam simul ac venas inflavit tetra libido,
Hue juvenes aequum est descendere, non alienas
Permolere uxores.
SAT. lib. i., s. 2., ver. 32.
"When awful Cato saw a noted spark
From a night cellar stealing in the dark:
'Well done, my friend, if lust thy heart inflame,
Indulge it here, and spare the married dame.'"
FRANCIS.
Such were the morals of the holiest state of heathen Rome; and even of Cato, the purest and severest censor of the public manners! O tempora! O mores!
I may add from a scholiast: - Molere vetus verbum est pro adulterare, subagitare, quo verbo in deponenti significatione utitur alibi Ausonius, inquiens, Epigr. vii., ver. 6, de crispa impudica et detestabili: -
Deglubit, fellat, molitur, per utramque cavernam.
Qui enim coit, quasi molere et terere videtur. Hinc etiam molitores dicti sunt, subactores, ut apud eundem, Epigr. xc., ver. 3.
Cum dabit uxori molitor tuus, et tibi adulter.
Thus the rabbins understand what is spoken of Samson grinding in the prison-house: quod ad ipsum Palaestini certatim suas uxores adduxerunt, suscipiendae ex eo prolis causa, ob ipsius robur.
In this sense St. Jerome understands Lamentations 5:13: They took the young men to GRIND. Adolescentibus ad impudicitiam sunt abusi, ad concubitum scilicet nefandum. Concerning grinding of corn, by portable millstones, or querns, and that this was the work of females alone, and they the meanest slaves; Exodus 11:5, and on "Judges 16:21".
The Greeks use μυλλας to signify a harlot; and μυλλω, to grind, and also coeo, ineo, in the same sense in which Horace, as quoted above, alienas PERMOLERE uxores.
So Theocritus, Idyll. iv., ver. 58.
Ειπ' αγε μοι Κορυδων, το γεροντιον η ῥ' ετι μυλλει
Τηναν ταν κυανοφρυν ερωτιδα, τας ποτ' εκνισθη·
Dic age mihi, Corydon, senecio ille num adhuc molit,
Illud nigro supercilio scortillum, quod olim deperibat?
Hence the Greek paronomasia, μυλλαδα μυλλειν, scortam molere. I need make no apology for leaving the principal part of this note in a foreign tongue. To those for whom it is designed it will be sufficiently plain. If the above were Job's meaning, how dreadful is the wish or imprecation in verse the tenth! Job 31:10
