Job 31 8

Job 31:8 kjv

Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

Job 31:8 nkjv

Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

Job 31:8 niv

then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

Job 31:8 esv

then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out.

Job 31:8 nlt

then let someone else eat the crops I have planted.
Let all that I have planted be uprooted.

Job 31 verses

Job 31 8 Meaning

Job 31:8 is part of Job's elaborate oath of innocence, where he asserts his blamelessness before God and his accusers. In this verse, Job calls for a severe personal curse upon himself if he has committed the specific sin mentioned in the preceding verse (Job 31:7), namely, allowing his steps to turn aside from the way of righteousness, especially if his heart had been led by his eyes in lustful covetousness concerning another's land. The self-imprecation means that if he has acted unjustly concerning agricultural land or exploited others through farming, then his own efforts in sowing would yield no personal benefit, but instead, others would consume his produce, and the very yield of his fields would be completely uprooted or destroyed. It underscores his claim to have maintained integrity regarding property rights and honest labor.

Job 31 8 Context

Job 31:8 is a pivotal statement within Job's extended self-defense (Job 29-31), specifically the climax of his personal integrity oath in Chapter 31. This chapter functions as Job's final, desperate, and impassioned plea of innocence before God, where he systematically denies a long list of specific sins that his friends have implicitly or explicitly accused him of.

In the immediate context, verses 1-8 form a thematic unit concerning Job's purity of thought and action regarding covetousness and lust, especially related to land and wealth. Job 31:7 states, "If my step has turned aside from the way, and my heart has followed my eyes, and if any spot has stuck to my hands." Verse 8 then presents the accompanying self-curse specifically for coveting land or unjust agricultural dealings, serving as a consequence clause. This deeply rooted principle of lex talionis (justice of measure for measure) meant that the punishment for a crime was directly related to the nature of the offense. For unjustly acquiring land or depriving someone of their agricultural produce, the fitting curse was that Job's own produce would be consumed by others, and his field's yield uprooted.

Historically and culturally, land and its produce were the bedrock of ancient Israelite society and the broader Ancient Near East. Land ownership was seen as a divine inheritance, especially within the Mosaic covenant (Leviticus, Deuteronomy). Exploiting the poor, coveting land, or unjustly appropriating another's agricultural produce were grave social and spiritual offenses, directly violating communal ethics and divine law. This kind of oath was common in ancient legal settings, where individuals would invoke curses upon themselves if their testimony was false, thereby inviting divine judgment if they were indeed guilty. Job's detailed self-curses reinforce his absolute conviction of his innocence and challenge the traditional "retribution theology" asserted by his friends.

Job 31 8 Word analysis

• then let me sow: (עִם אֶזְרָֽע - ʿim ʾezraʿ)
  • ʿim (אם): An intensive "if" or "then" implying a conditional oath/curse, here directly connecting the preceding sin (v. 7) to its proposed consequence.
  • ʾezraʿ (אֶזְרָע, from זרע - zaraʿ): "I sow/let me sow." Refers to the fundamental act of planting seeds. It represents labor, investment, and expectation of future harvest. Its use here highlights the futility if the harvest is not reaped by the one who labored.
• and another eat; (וְאֶחֵר יֹאכֵֽל - wəʾaḥēr yōʾkhēl)
  • wəʾaḥēr (וְאֶחֵר): "and another," "a stranger," or "a different person." Emphasizes the illegitimate, foreign, or unintended recipient of the fruits of Job's labor. This points to a complete loss of enjoyment from one's hard work.
  • yōʾkhēl (יֹאכֵל, from אכל - ʾākhal): "he shall eat/consume." The direct antithesis to sowing—someone else gains the benefit. This speaks to the reversal of natural and expected outcomes of labor.
• yes, let the produce (וְצֶאֱצָאִֽי - wəṣeʾĕṣāʾî)
  • wəṣeʾĕṣāʾî (וְצֶאֱצָאִֽי, from צֶאֱצָא - ṣeʾĕṣāʾ): "and my offspring/produce." Though literally "offspring" or "what comes forth," it's used here metaphorically for the yield or produce of the field. It represents the full result, the output, the direct fruit of agricultural endeavor.
• of my field (שָׂדַ֖י - śāḏay)
  • śāḏay (שָׂדַי, from שָׂדֶה - śādeh): "my field." Refers to his personal land, his specific plot of ground designated for cultivation. It grounds the curse in the concrete reality of his primary means of livelihood and wealth.
• be uprooted. (יֵעָקֵר - yēʿāqēr)
  • yēʿāqēr (יֵעָקֵר, from עָקַר - ʿāqar): "it shall be uprooted/torn out/destroyed." A strong verb implying not just harvesting or taking, but complete removal or devastation of the crop, potentially even the fertility of the ground. It suggests a comprehensive destruction of the source of sustenance, going beyond mere theft to an act of desolation.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "then let me sow, and another eat": This phrase directly contrasts labor with benefit, highlighting the ultimate futility and injustice. It implies a curse where Job would experience a complete disconnect between his diligent effort and any personal gain, the result of his work diverted to undeserving recipients. This evokes images of famine or hostile confiscation often described in biblical curses against disobedience.
• "yes, let the produce of my field be uprooted": This phrase intensifies the curse. "Uprooted" goes beyond just someone else eating the harvest; it speaks of the destruction of the very source of the produce. It means annihilation, leaving nothing behind for future growth or harvest. This level of devastation speaks to the severest form of divine retribution for a grave agricultural or land-related offense, ensuring total loss and barrenness.

Job 31 8 Bonus section

• This verse, like much of Job 31, functions as a "negative confession" or "oath of purgation," a well-documented ancient Near Eastern legal practice where the accused publicly declares innocence by enumerating a list of sins they have not committed, calling for divine judgment if they are lying.
• The intensity of the self-curse indicates the profound significance of honest dealings concerning land and agriculture in the ancient world. Such integrity was seen not merely as legalistic but as foundational to social justice and the very order of community life, echoing Mosaic laws concerning gleaning and landmark moving.
• The curse in Job 31:8 parallels the specific curses found in the Pentateuch against those who violate God's covenant, particularly in relation to agricultural output and national sustenance (e.g., Lev 26:16, Deut 28:30-33). This shows Job's deep familiarity with covenant stipulations, implying that he believed his suffering was not a result of such violations.
• The imagery of "uprooting" (עָקַר - ʿāqar) is highly symbolic; it doesn't just mean a poor harvest, but a fundamental undoing of the effort, indicating utter devastation or even barrenness, a concept of a divine blight upon the very means of production.

Job 31 8 Commentary

Job 31:8 is a profound expression of Job's integrity, focusing on a specific sphere crucial to ancient agrarian life: land and its produce. It acts as a powerful conditional curse: if Job has exploited others' land, coveted property, or gained agriculturally through injustice, he declares that he himself should suffer the mirror consequence—his labor should be fruitless, his harvest consumed by others, and his field's yield utterly destroyed. This reveals several key aspects: First, the centrality of property rights and honest agricultural practices within Job's moral code. For Job, maintaining integrity in these areas was non-negotiable for a righteous individual. Second, it highlights the principle of divine justice, often called lex talionis, where the punishment fits the crime—sin regarding one's neighbor's field results in the loss of one's own. Third, it powerfully contrasts the biblical blessing of enjoying the fruit of one's labor (Ps 128:2) with the covenant curse of others consuming one's produce (Deut 28:30-33). Job's willingness to invite such a dire and devastating curse upon his primary livelihood underscores his unwavering conviction in his own righteousness, further challenging the simplistic cause-and-effect theology proposed by his friends.