Job 31:8

Job 31:8 [Then] let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

Ver. 8. Then let me sow, and another eat] God loves to retaliate; and let him do so to me, according to that he hath threatened, Deu 28:30, &c., and as he executed upon Laban, Nabal, Saul, Haman, others. The Greeks have a proverb,

Aλλοι μεν σπειρουσ’ αλλοι δ αν αμησονται.

Some sow that which others reap. This Job wisheth may befall, if he had been oppressive and injurious, as Eliphaz had wrongfully accused him, Job 22:6.

Yea, let my offspring be rooted out] Or, Let that which I have planted be plucked up by the roots. It is commonly seen that oppressors and unconscionable persons procure their own ruth and ruin; and he that gathereth the fruits of another man’s tree pulleth his own up by the roots.

Oι αυτω κακα τευχει ανηρ, αλλω κακα τευχων.

Those who spoil houses which they builded not, Job 20:19, shall, when they cease to spoil, be made a spoil; and when they have made an end of dealing treacherously, be treacherously dealt with themselves, Isa 13:1.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

According to the curse of the law, Deut. 28:33.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Apodosis to Job 31:5, Job 31:7; the curses which he imprecates on himself, if he had done these things (Lev 26:16; Amo 9:14; Psa 128:2).

offspring--rather, "what I plant," my harvests.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. Let me sow, and let another eat] Let me be plagued both in my circumstances and in my family.

My offspring be rooted out.] It has already appeared probable that all Job's children were not destroyed in the fall of the house mentioned Job 1:18-19.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. The imprecation.

let my offspring be rooted out] Rather, let my produce, i. e. what springs out of that which I have planted or sown; comp. Lev_26:16; Deu_28:33.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

If mine heart have been deceived by a woman,.... By another man's wife, by wantonly looking at her beauty, and so lusting after her; and so, not through any blame or fault of hers, or by any artful methods made use of by her, to allure and ensnare; such as were practised by the harlot, Pro 7:1; but by neither was the heart of Job deceived, and drawn into the sin of uncleanness; for he had made a covenant with his eyes, as not to look at a virgin, so much less at another man's wife, to prevent his lusting after her; and whatever temptations and solicitations he might have been attended with, through the grace of God, as Joseph was, he was enabled to withstand them; though as wise a man, and the wisest of men, had his heart deceived and drawn aside thereby, Ecc 7:26;

or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door: to meet with his wife there, and carry on an intrigue with her; or to take the opportunity of going in when opened, in order to solicit her to his embraces, knowing her husband to be away from home; see Pro 5:8.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Then let me sow, and let another eat - This is the imprecation which he invokes, in case he had been guilty in this respect. He consented to sow his fields, and let others enjoy the harvest. The expression used here is common in the Scriptures to denote insecurity of property or calamity in general; see Lev 26:16 : “And ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it;” compare Deu 28:30; Amo 9:13-14.

Yea, let my offspring be rooted out - Or, rather, “Let what I plant be rooted up.” So Umbreit, Noyes, Schultens, Rosenmuller, Herder, and Lee understand it. There is no evidence that he here alludes to his children, for the connection does not demand it, nor does the word used here require such an interpretation. The word צאצאים tse'ĕtsâ'iym - means properly shoots; that is, what springs out of anything - as the earth, or a tree - from יצא yâtsâ' - to go out, to go forth. It is applied to the productions of the earth in Isa 42:5; Isa 34:1, and to children or posterity, in Isa 22:24; Isa 61:9; Isa 65:23; Job 5:25; Job 21:8. Here it refers evidently to the productions of the earth; and the idea is, that if he had been guilty of dishonesty or fraud in his dealings, he wished that all that he had sowed should be rooted up.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Let strangers enjoy the fruit of my labours, according to God’s curse, Lev 26:16; Deu 28:30.

My offspring; as this word is used, Job 5:25; 27:14. Or rather, my increase, or growths, or sprouts, i.e. all my plants, and fruits, and improvements. For,

1. So the word properly signifies.

2. So this latter branch of the verse explains the former, as is most frequent in this and some other books of Scripture.

3. He had not now any children to be rooted out.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. Let me sow, etc. — A proverbial phrase. See Joh_4:37.

Offspring — Produce of the land.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then let me sow, and let another eat. (comp. Job_5:5 Lev_26:16 Deu_28:33, Deu_28:51, etc.) The expression is proverbial. Yea, lot my offspring be rooted out; rather, my produce, or the produce of my field (see the Revised Version).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Increase - All my plants, and fruits, and improvements.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

may I sow and another eat, and my produce be uprooted their roots should be torn up.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.