Job 31:8
then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out.
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Job 31:8
then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Job is so certain of his integrity that he asks for a curse: if he's ever defrauded anyone, may his hard work be stolen by others, and may everything he plants—his literal crops and even his future prosperity—be completely destroyed and uprooted. This powerful image shows that "offspring" here refers not to children, but to the "shoots" or produce of his labor, emphasizing the completeness of the devastation he invokes.
Job is in the midst of a profound defense of his integrity, essentially taking a solemn oath and calling down curses on himself if he's been dishonest, particularly regarding exploitation and greed. He's moving through a list of potential sins, and here he focuses on the injustice of profiting from another's hard work. This verse is his bold statement: if he has wronged others in this way, may all his agricultural efforts be fruitless, with the harvest reaped by strangers, and whatever he plants utterly destroyed.
Job is laying it all on the line. He's not just saying 'I didn't do it.' He's invoking a curse that feels intensely personal and devastating.
Job is making an 'oath of innocence' in Job 31. He's declaring his purity in how he has treated others, specifically in financial dealings. He’s so confident in his integrity that he’s willing to face the worst possible outcomes if he’s lying.
What kind of curse is this?
This isn't just a casual statement; it's an imprecation, a spoken curse. Job is essentially saying, 'If I have been dishonest in my business dealings, then may God bring the harshest judgment upon me and my household.'
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Job 31:8 is available in the Sola app.
It’s a powerful way to emphasize his certainty: 'If I’ve cheated anyone, let my own efforts and everything I produce come to nothing.'
Job isn't just worried about losing his crops; he's calling down destruction on the very 'springs' of his livelihood. What specific wrong is he defending against?
Job is speaking in the context of his dealings with the poor and vulnerable. In the preceding verses (Job 31:5-7), he declares he hasn't:
This oath in verse 8 is the apodosis – the consequence – to these declarations. He's specifically addressing financial integrity and fair dealings.
What does 'offspring rooted out' really mean here?
While it can refer to children in other contexts, the immediate flow of Job's argument points to his produce or yield. He’s just talked about sowing and eating – the cycle of agriculture.
It’s about the fruit of his labor being nullified because of his potential sin. This emphasizes that true integrity isn't just about not stealing, but about fair and just dealings in all aspects of life, especially when it impacts others.
This passage describes God's curses for disobedience, including sowing seed only for enemies to eat, which directly parallels Job's imprecation about his labor being fruitless.
Deuteronomy 28:30Here, God warns that a disobedient people will betroth a wife but another man will possess her, and sow fields but another will eat the produce, echoing Job's fear of his efforts being seized by others.
Amos 9:14This verse speaks of restoring Israel's fortunes, including planting vineyards and enjoying their produce, contrasting with the curse Job invokes where his planting would be enjoyed by others.
Job 5:5Eliphaz uses a similar concept when he accuses Job, stating that the hungry would eat his bread even out of his own labor, highlighting the theme of fruitless toil and stolen sustenance.
wesleyJob 31:8: "Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out."
31:8 Increase - All my plants, and fruits, and improvements.
barnesJob 31:8: "Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out."
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 Leviticus 26:16 : "And ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it;" compare Deuteronomy…
Job is so certain of his integrity that he asks for a curse: if he's ever defrauded anyone, may his hard work be stolen by others, and may everything he plants—his literal crops and even his future prosperity—be completely destroyed and uprooted. This powerful image shows that "offspring" here refers not to children, but to the "shoots" or produce of his labor, emphasizing the completeness of the devastation he invokes.
Job is in the midst of a profound defense of his integrity, essentially taking a solemn oath and calling down curses on himself if he's been dishonest, particularly regarding exploitation and greed. He's moving through a list of potential sins, and here he focuses on the injustice of profiting from another's hard work. This verse is his bold statement: if he has wronged others in this way, may all his agricultural efforts be fruitless, with the harvest reaped by strangers, and whatever he plants utterly destroyed.
Job is in the midst of a profound defense of his integrity, essentially taking a solemn oath and calling down curses on himself if he's been dishonest, particularly regarding exploitation and greed. He's moving through a list of potential sins, and here he focuses on the injustice of profiting from another's hard work. This verse is his bold statement: if he has wronged others in this way, may all his agricultural efforts be fruitless, with the harvest reaped by strangers, and whatever he plants utterly destroyed.
"then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out." — Job is so certain of his integrity that he asks for a curse: if he's ever defrauded anyone, may his hard work be stolen by others, and may everything he plants—his literal crops and even his future p…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.