Job 31:40

_LET THISTLES GROW INSTEAD OF WHEAT, AND COCKLE INSTEAD OF BARLEY. THE WORDS OF JOB ARE ENDED._ Thistles - or brambles; thorns. COCKLE - literally, noxious weeds, perhaps wolfsbane, which is common in Arabia. THE WORDS ... ENDED - i:e., in the controversy with the friends. He spoke in the book afterward, but not to them. At Job 31:37 would be the regular conclusion in strict art. But Job 31:38 are natural to be added by one whose mind in agitation recurs to its sense of innocence, even after it has come to the point usual to stop at; this takes away the appearance of rhetorical artifice. Hence, the transposition by Eichorn of Job 31:38 to follow...

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, Proverbs 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, will never do them any good. The words of Job are ended. They end with a bold assertion, that, with respect to accusation against his moral and religious character as the cause for his sufferings, he could appeal to God. But, however confident Job was, we shall see he was mistaken, chap. Job 40:4;...

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

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

EXPOSITION The conclusion of Job's long speech (ch. 26-31.) is now reached. He winds it up by a solemn vindication of himself from all the charges of wicked conduct which have been alleged or insinuated against him. perhaps it may be said that he goes further, maintaining generally his moral rectitude in respect of all the principal duties which a man owes either to God (verses 4-6, 24-28, 35-37) or to his fellows (verses 1-3, 7-23, 29-34, 38-40). He protests that he is innocent of impure thoughts (verses 1-4); of false seeming (verses 5-8); of adultery (verses 9-12); of injustice towards dependants (verses 13-15); of hardness towards the poor and needy (verses 16-23); of covetousness (verses 24, 25); of idolatry (verses 26-28); of malevolence (verses 29, 30); of want of hospitality (verses 31, 32); of hiding his transgressions (verses 33, 34); and of injustice as a landlord (verses 38-4...

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

CHAPTER 31 _ 1. My chastity and righteousness (Job 31:1)_ 2. My philanthropy (Job 31:13) 3. My integrity and hospitality (Job 31:24) 4. Let God and man disprove me (Job 31:35) Job 31:1. His final word is the final word in his self-righteous vindication. He gives Eliphaz the lie. He gives a review of his life to prove that he is clean in the sight of God and of man. Even if after this outburst his friends would have an inclination to answer him they could not have done so. He silenced them for good. But what are his declarations after all

JOB 31. THE OATH OF CLEARING. Job's final protestation of his innocence, and appeal to God to judge him. This chapter, says Duhm, is the high-water mark of the OT ethic, higher than the Decalogue or even than the prophets, since they deal with social not private morality. Duhm notes especially the humanity towards the slave based on the fact of a common creation, also that we are not to hate our enemies. (Job does not go so far as to say, Love your enemies; that is Christ's.) JOB 31:1. Job clears himself of secret sensual desires. He remembered that the all-seeing God punishes the evildoer. Job speaks from the standpoint he had occupied before his trials made him doubt the Divine justice. JOB 31:5. He clears himself of falsehood and covetousness....

LET THISTLES GROW. This is not an imprecation, but an argument in favor of his integrity: i.e. Had he been as his friends alleged, would he not have had bad instead of bountiful harvests? See translation below. ENDED: so far as his friends were concerned. He had words for God (ch. Job 42:1)....

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)...