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Texts -- Job 31:1-40 (NET)

Context
Job Vindicates Himself
31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes ; how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin ? 31:2 What then would be one’s lot from God above , one’s heritage from the Almighty on high ? 31:3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust , and disaster for those who work iniquity ? 31:4 Does he not see my ways and count all my steps ? 31:5 If I have walked in falsehood , and if my foot has hastened to deceit – 31:6 let him weigh me with honest scales ; then God will discover my integrity . 31:7 If my footsteps have strayed from the way , if my heart has gone after my eyes , or if anything has defiled my hands , 31:8 then let me sow and let another eat , and let my crops be uprooted . 31:9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman , and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door , 31:10 then let my wife turn the millstone for another man, and may other men have sexual relations with her. 31:11 For I would have committed a shameful act , an iniquity to be judged . 31:12 For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction , and it would uproot all my harvest . 31:13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants or my female servants when they disputed with me , 31:14 then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment; when he intervenes , how will I respond to him? 31:15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us in the womb ? 31:16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired , or caused the eyes of the widow to fail , 31:17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself , and did not share any of it with orphans – 31:18 but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father , and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow! 31:19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing , or a poor man without a coat , 31:20 whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep , 31:21 if I have raised my hand to vote against the orphan , when I saw my support in the court , 31:22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder , let my arm be broken off at the socket . 31:23 For the calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his majesty I was powerless . 31:24 “If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold , ‘You are my security !’ 31:25 if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth, or because of the great wealth my hand had gained , 31:26 if I looked at the sun when it was shining , and the moon advancing as a precious thing, 31:27 so that my heart was secretly enticed , and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth , 31:28 then this also would be iniquity to be judged , for I would have been false to God above . 31:29 If I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy or exulted because calamity found him– 31:30 I have not even permitted my mouth to sin by asking for his life through a curse – 31:31 if the members of my household have never said , ‘If only there were someone who has not been satisfied from Job’s meat !’– 31:32 But no stranger had to spend the night outside , for I opened my doors to the traveler – 31:33 if I have covered my transgressions as men do, by hiding iniquity in my heart , 31:34 because I was terrified of the great multitude , and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I remained silent and would not go outdoors –
Job’s Appeal
31:35 “If only I had someone to hear me! Here is my signature – let the Almighty answer me! If only I had an indictment that my accuser had written . 31:36 Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder , I would bind it on me like a crown ; 31:37 I would give him an accounting of my steps ; like a prince I would approach him.
Job’s Final Solemn Oath
31:38 “If my land cried out against me and all its furrows wept together , 31:39 if I have eaten its produce without paying , or caused the death of its owners , 31:40 then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat , and in place of barley , weeds !” The words of Job are ended .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Integrity

    [isbe] INTEGRITY - in-teg'-ri-ti (tom, tummah): The translation of tom, "simplicity," "soundness," "completeness," rendered also "upright," "perfection." Its original sense appears in the phrase letom (1 Ki 22:34; 2 Ch 18:33), "A c...
    [nave] INTEGRITY. Gen. 18:19; Ex. 18:21; Deut. 16:19, 20; Job 10:7; Job 13:15, 18; Job 16:17; Job 27:4-6; Job 29:14; Job 31:1-40; Psa. 7:3-5, 8; Psa. 15:1-5; Psa. 17:3; Psa. 18:20 2 Sam. 22:21. Psa. 24:3-5; Psa. 26:1-3; Psa. 69:4;...

  • JOB, BOOK OF

    [isbe] JOB, BOOK OF - || I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Place in the Canon 2. Rank and Readers II. THE LITERARY FRAMEWORK 1. Setting of Time, Place and Scene 2. Characters and Personality 3. Form and Style III. THE COURSE OF THE STORY A) To Jo...

  • Job

    [nave] JOB 1. A man who dwelt in Uz, Job 1:1. Righteousness of, Job 1:1, 5, 8; 2:3; Ezek. 14:14, 20. Riches of, Job 1:3. Trial of, by affliction of Satan, Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10. Fortitude of, Job 1:20-22; 2:10; Jas. 5:11. Visite...

  • CHARM

    [isbe] CHARM - charm: Definition.--The word charm is derived from the Latin carmen, "a song," and denotes strictly what is sung; then it comes to mean a magical formula chanted or recited with a view to certain desired results. Cha...

  • Temptation

    [nave] TEMPTATION. Gen. 3:1-13; Gen. 20:6; Ex. 34:12 vs. 13-16.; Deut. 7:25; Deut. 8:11-14, 17, 18; Deut. 13:3; 1 Chr. 21:1; 2 Chr. 32:30, 31; Psa. 119:165; Prov. 1:10-17; Prov. 2:10-12, 16; Prov. 4:14, 15; Prov. 5:6-21; Prov. 6:2...

  • Idolatry

    [isbe] IDOLATRY - i-dol'-a-tri (teraphim, "household idols," "idolatry"; eidololatreia): There is ever in the human mind a craving for visible forms to express religious conceptions, and this tendency does not disappear with the ac...
    [smith] strictly speaking denotes the worship of deity in a visible form, whether the images to which homage is paid are symbolical representations of the true God or of the false divinities which have been made the objects of worshi...
    [nave] IDOLATRY. Wicked Practices of Human sacrifices, Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kin. 3:26, 27; 16:3; 17:17, 18; 21:6; 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6; Psa. 106:37, 38; Isa. 57:5; Jer. 7:31; 19:4-7; 32:35; Ezek. 16:20, 2...

  • Poor

    [isbe] POOR - poor ('ebhyon, dal, `ani, rush; ptochos): I. In the Old Testament. The poor have great prominence in the Bible; it is said, indeed, that there should be no poor among the Hebrews because Yahweh should so greatly bless...
    [nave] POOR Atonement money of, uniform with that of the rich, Ex. 30:15. Inexpensive offerings of the poor, Lev. 5:7; 12:8; 14:21, 22. See: Beneficence; Giving; Liberality; Orphans; Poverty; Widow. Also See: Rich; Riches. Uncl...

  • PSALMS, BOOK OF

    [isbe] PSALMS, BOOK OF - samz, (tehillim, "praises," cepher tehillim, "book of praises"; Psalmoi, Psalterion): I. INTRODUCTORY TOPICS 1. Title 2. Place in the Canon 3. Number of Psalms 4. Titles in the Hebrew Text II. AUTHORSHIP AN...

  • Fear of God

    [nave] FEAR OF GOD. Reverence Gen. 35:5; Ex. 18:21; Ex. 20:18-20; Lev. 22:32; Deut. 4:10; Deut. 5:29; Deut. 6:2; Deut. 10:12, 20, 21 Deut. 6:13; 13:4; 14:23. Deut. 28:49, 58; Josh. 4:24; Josh. 24:14; 1 Sam. 2:30; 1 Sam. 12:14, 24...

  • Beneficence

    [nave] BENEFICENCE. Deut. 15:7-15, 18. Lev. 25:35-43. Psa. 41:1; Psa. 112:9; Prov. 3:27, 28; Prov. 11:25; Prov. 22:9; Prov. 25:21, 22; Prov. 28:27; Isa. 58:6, 7, 10, 11; Ezek. 18:5, 7-9; Matt. 5:42; Matt. 19:21 Mark 10:21. Matt. 2...

  • Adultery

    [isbe] ADULTERY - a-dul'-ter-i: In Scripture designates sexual intercourse of a man, whether married or unmarried, with a married woman. 1. Its Punishment: It is categorically prohibited in the Decalogue (seventh commandment, Ex 20...
    [nave] ADULTERY. Gen. 20:3; 2 Sam. 12:14; Job 24:15-17 v. 18.; Job 31:1, 9-12; Prov. 2:16, 18, 19 v. 17.; Prov. 5:3, 4 vs. 5-22.; Prov. 6:24-29, 32, 33; Prov. 7:5-23; Prov. 9:13-18; Prov. 22:14; Prov. 23:27, 28; Prov. 29:3; Prov. ...

  • Sun

    [ebd] (Heb. shemesh), first mentioned along with the moon as the two great luminaries of heaven (Gen. 1:14-18). By their motions and influence they were intended to mark and divide times and seasons. The worship of the sun was one...
    [smith] In the history of "greater light," of the creation the sun is described as "greater light," in contradistinction to the moon, the "lesser light," in conjunction with which it was to serve "for signs and for seasons, and for d...
    [nave] SUN Created, Gen. 1:14-18; Psa. 74:16; 136:7; Jer. 31:35. Rising and setting of, Eccl. 1:5. Daily motion of, Psa. 19:4, 6. Worship of, forbidden, Deut. 4:19; 17:3. Worshiped, Job 31:26-28; Jer. 8:2; Ezek. 6:4, 6; 8:16. ...

  • Moon

    [ebd] heb. yareah, from its paleness (Ezra 6:15), and lebanah, the "white" (Cant. 6:10; Isa. 24:23), was appointed by the Creator to be with the sun "for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Gen. 1:14-16). A lunation ...
    [isbe] MOON - moon (yareach; meaning obscure--probably "wanderer"; by some given as "paleness"; selene): The moon was very early worshipped by the nations of the Far East as a divinity or the representative of one or more deities. ...
    [smith] The moon held an important place in the kingdom of nature, as known to the Hebrews. Conjointly with the sun, it was appointed "for signs and for seasons, and for days and years;" though in this respect it exercised a more imp...
    [nave] MOON Created by God, Gen. 1:16; Psa. 8:3; 136:7-9. Its light, Job 31:26; Eccl. 12:2; Song 6:10; Jer. 31:35; 1 Cor. 15:41. Its influences, Deut. 33:14; Psa. 121:6. Seasons of (months), Psa. 104:19. Joseph's dream concerni...

  • WISDOM

    [isbe] WISDOM - wiz'-dum: 1. Linguistic 2. History 3. Religious Basis 4. Ideals 5. Teaching of Christ 6. Remainder of the New Testament (1) James (2) Paul 7. Hypostasis LITERATURE 1. Linguistic: In the Revised Version (British and ...

  • Orphan

    [nave] ORPHAN. Ex. 22:22-24; Deut. 10:18; Deut. 14:28, 29; Deut. 16:11, 14; Deut. 24:17-22; Deut. 26:12, 13; Deut. 27:19; Job 6:27; Job 22:9; Job 24:3, 9; Job 29:12, 13; Job 31:16-18, 21; Psa. 10:14, 17, 18; Psa. 27:10; Psa. 68:5;...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Cockle

    [ebd] occurs only in Job 31:40 (marg., "noisome weeds"), where it is the rendering of a Hebrew word (b'oshah) which means "offensive," "having a bad smell," referring to some weed perhaps which has an unpleasant odour. Or it may b...
    [isbe] COCKLE - kok'-'-l (King James Version margin "stinking weeds," the Revised Version, margin "noisome weeds"; bo'shah, from Hebrew root ba'ash, "to stink"; batos): "Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of bar...
    [smith] probably signifies bad weeds or fruit. (Job 31:40)
    [nave] COCKLE, a general term for obnoxious plants, Job 31:40.

  • ADORATION

    [isbe] ADORATION - ad-o-ra'-shun: Though this word never occurs in English Versions, it represents aspects of worship which are very prominent in the Bible. I. Etymology. The word is derived from Latin adorare = (1) "to speak to," ...
    [smith] The acts and postures by which the Hebrews expressed adoration bear a great similarity to those still in use among Oriental nations. To rise up and suddenly prostrate the body was the most simple method; but, generally speaki...

  • Lust

    [nave] LUST Evil desire. Gen. 3:6; Ex. 20:17; Job 31:9-12; Psa. 81:12; Prov. 6:24, 25; Matt. 5:28; Mark 4:19; John 8:44; 1 Cor. 9:27; 1 Cor. 10:6, 7; Eph. 4:22; 1 Tim. 6:9; 2 Tim. 2:22; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4; Tit. 2:12; Jas. 1:14, 15; Jas....

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • The poetic body to the book begins with a soliloquy in which Job cursed the day of his birth. This introductory soliloquy corresponds to another one Job gave at the end of his dialogue with his three friends (chs. 29-31), esp...
  • The two soliloquies of Job (chs. 3 and 29-31) enclose three cycles of dialogue between Job and his three friends. Each cycle consists of speeches by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in that order interspersed with Job's reply to e...
  • "If, up to this point, Job has been praying, or at least soliloquizing, now he makes a more direct attack on the friends (the you' in verse 21 is plural)."42Job's friends had not been loyal to him when they judged him as they...
  • Verse 8 probably reflects what Eliphaz thought Job's attitude was. Eliphaz implied that Job arrogantly believed the strong, respected man of the world, not the godly man, is the one who controls others and dominates those aro...
  • "Chapter 26 is one of the grandest recitals in the whole book. It is excelled only by the Lord's speeches, as is fitting. It sounds well in Job's mouth, and ends the dialogue, like the first movement of a symphony, with great...
  • Because the speech in this chapter is more soliloquy than dialogue some scholars have concluded that someone other than Job spoke it: Zophar, Bildad, or God. One writer argued for its being a speech by none of the characters,...
  • Job gave a soliloquy before his dialogue with his three friends began (ch. 3). Now he concluded that dialogue with another soliloquy (chs. 29-31). In this one, Job longed for his past state of blessedness (ch. 29), lamented h...
  • As was common in ancient Near Eastern judicial cases, Job concluded his summary defense with an oath of innocence. He did so in the form of a negative confession complete with self-imprecations.127He concluded with a challeng...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • Finally God spoke to Job and gave revelation that Job had been demanding for so long (cf. 13:22; 31:35). There was now no need for the middle-man that Job had requested who could mediate between them (cf. 9:33; 16:19). Yahweh...
  • Earlier in the book Job had hesitated to confront God (9:14). Gradually he became more confident and demanded an audience with God (13:22a). Still later he spoke almost as God's equal boasting that he would approach God as a ...
  • Andersen, Francis I. Job. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series. Leicester, Eng. and Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1976.Archer, Gleason L., Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Revised ed. Chicago: Moody...
  • This section of Isaiah on "The Lord's redemption of His servant [Israel]"(44:23-47:15) has included an announcement of redemption (44:23-28), the identification of the instrument of redemption, Cyrus (45:1-13), and a reminder...
  • This section stresses Israel's covenant disloyalty to Yahweh.6:4 The Lord twice asked rhetorically what He would do with Ephraim and Judah. The questions express frustration, helplessness, and despair more than inquiry. The l...
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