Job 31:29-40

e.

He lived openly and would not hesitate to have the Almighty publish his record. (Job 31:29-40)

TEXT 31:29-40

29 If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,

Or lifted up myself when evil found him

30 (Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin

By asking his life with a curse);

31 If the men of my tent have not said,

Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat?

32 (The sojourner hath not lodged in the street;

But I have opened my doors to the traveller);

33 If like Adam I have covered my transgressions,

By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom.

34 Because I feared the great multitude,

And the contempt of families terrified me,
So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door

35 Oh that I had one to hear me!

(Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me)
And that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written!

36 Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder;

I would bind it unto me as a crown:

37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps;

As a prince would I go near unto him.

38 If my land crieth out against me,

And the furrows thereof weep together;

39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,

Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

40 Let thistles grow instead of wheat,

And cockle instead of barley.
The words of Job are ended.

COMMENT 31:29-40

Job 31:29Job declares that he has never found pleasure in the destruction of his enemies. We are here presented with a rare treat. If chapter 31 is the crown of all the ethical development of the Old Testament, Job 31:29 is the jewel of that crown (Duhm). Oh, if he could have heard Jesus speakMatthew 5:43 ff. Moses enjoins help to one's enemiesExodus 23:4 ff; Proverbs 20:22; Proverbs 24:17 ff; Proverbs 25:21 ff. Though the Psalmists often reveal a spirit of malevolence toward their enemiesPsalms 58:10; Psalms 109:6 ff; Psalms 118:10 ff; Psalms 137:8 ffor become exulted over their misfortunePsalms 57:7; Psalms 59:10; Psalms 92:11; Psalms 118:7Job declares against the imprecatory spirit found in some of Israel's hymns.

Job 31:30The contrary-to-fact conditional (lu) is not apparent in the A. V. translation; it is stronger than (lonot) a negation. The turn of phrase Job uses, my palate, suggests a dainty morsel, meaning he never permitted himself to taste such a delicious tid-bitEcclesiastes 5:5 and 1 Kings 3:11.

Job 31:31Job's hospitality has been shared by his slaves, not only his social equals. The uncompleted oath if not (-im lo) has been taken by both Tur Sinai and Pope to imply the reading to be sated with his flesh, i.e., homosexual abuse, at Job's table or in his house.[324] This is not self-evident from the Hebrew grammar, nor its most likely emendations. Imposing the sexual content of the Ugaritic literature on Job is a precarious pastime, as well as of dubious exegetical value.

[324] Pope, Job. pp. 236-237.

Job 31:32His hospitality has been extended to both slaves and strangers (lit. wayfarer)Genesis 19 and Jude 1:19. Extension of hospitality meant the extension of protection from abuses of any kind.

Job 31:33Now Job repudiates the sin of hypocrisy. Job identifies Adam as a person who has sinned and attempted to hide his guilt along with himself from God. The mark of hypocrisy is living a lie. Often men try to hide their sins, but I have not.

Job 31:34If it refers to guests, then he refused to give up his guest to the aggressive ones outside. Protection both inside and outside the home is the mark of true, i.e., non-hypocritical, hospitality. Or if the verse refers to Job, then had Job actually done the things charged to him by his enemies, he would have been afraid to have gone out of doors. He lived with a pure and unafraid heartJob 29:7. But if he were guilty, he would be horrified. Hospitality was a sacred trust in Job's world, dominated by God.

Job 31:35What are the specific chargesGod? Every accused person has a right to know the charges brought against him. State the chargesGod. I will validate my oath by my signature (Heb. -tawlast letter of Hebrew alphabet).[325] Job's opponent (lit. man of my controversy) is God. Divine accuser, specify my charges, write them down, either as a writ of indictment or of acquittal.

[325] For grammatical possibilities, see E. F. Sutcliffe, Biblica, 1949, pp. 71ff; P. P. Saydon, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1961, pp. 252ff.

Job 31:36What is it that Job would carry on his head or shoulders? The natural antecedent is the writ that he has called for in Job 31:35. To carry or wear something in this manner is to display it proudlyIsaiah 9:5; Isa. 27:22; Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18; Proverbs 6:21. The exchange of dirty clothes for clean is the symbol of acquittal as in Zechariah 3:2-6; Zechariah 3:8-9. The mixed images suggest that the display of the writ and the symbol of acquittal he would wear as a crown.

Job 31:37There is nothing from his past that he is seeking to hide. He is willing to appear before God as an innocent man, not as an unrighteous oneJob 31:34. He would appear as a prince with a clear conscience.

Job 31:38Job calls his land to testify. If he has gained the land unjustly, let it cry outDeuteronomy 15:1 ff and Leviticus 19:19. Instead the land weeps for joy. The land is personified and identified with its rightful owner, Job.

Job 31:39The imagery is unclear. It is not certain whether the reference is to oppressive appropriation[326] of lands which brought death to their owner, such as Naboth1 Kings 21or that the owner died from some other cause.

[326] On this point see M. Dahood, Biblical, 1960, p. 303; also Biblica, 1962, p. 362; and the Gregorianum, 1962, p. 75.

Job 31:40If I have wrongly acquired the land, let it refuse to bear fruit, wheat, etc. Instead, let it bear thorns and putrid smelling plants. Presumably an editorial note adds, The words of Job are ended. Thus he has delivered his final response to his consolers and his last challenge to God. Job's oath is response to the friends-' charges, and it will stand because of default of evidence. His case against them is intact, but he has not won a judicial hearing before his creator. Job has made at least one defective move, i.e., presenting God as an adversary in a lawsuit. He has drawn conclusions from his unblemished life which are inappropriate in the presence of deity. From his suffering he has precariously deduced what God ought to do about it. What is the way to mediate between God's transcendence and His immanence? Rilke says that man cried for a ladder of escape, but God sent down a cross! Nonetheless, Job has asserted his rightsJob 9:20; Job 13:18; Job 19:7; Job 23:7; Job 27:2; Job 27:6. He has been what God pronounced him to beJob 1:8 and Job 2:3. His presumptiveness face to face with holiness is hybris of the highest order. Prometheus and Iscarus combined had less arrogance than Job. His integrity has become a high wall, separating him from God, while he is searching for Him. He could never find God while walking the path of pride. God must come to Him; he could never come to God2 Corinthians 5:17 ff.[327]

[327] For the hermeneutical problems in Chapter s 29-31, see J. R. Kautz, A Hermeneutical Study of Job 29-31. Diss. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1970; see Diss. Abstracts 30, 1970, 5516s.