Job 9:31
Job 9:31 in Multiple Translations
then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.
Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.
Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, And mine own clothes shall abhor me.
Then you will have me pushed into the dust, so that I will seem disgusting to my very clothing.
you would toss me into a slime pit so that even my own clothes would hate me!
Yet shalt thou plunge mee in the pit, and mine owne clothes shall make me filthie.
Then in corruption Thou dost dip me, And my garments have abominated me.
yet you will plunge me in the ditch. My own clothes will abhor me.
Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes shall abhor me.
Yet thou shalt plunge me in filth, and my garments shall abhor me,
he would still throw me into a filthy pit; as a result it would be as though even my clothes would detest me.
Berean Amplified Bible — Job 9:31
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Job 9:31 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
אָ֭ז
בַּ/שַּׁ֣חַת
תִּטְבְּלֵ֑/נִי
וְ֝/תִֽעֲב֗וּ/נִי
שַׂלְמוֹתָֽ/י
אָ֭ז
ʼâz
H227
then
Adv
בַּ/שַּׁ֣חַת
shachath
H7845
pit
Prep | N-fs
תִּטְבְּלֵ֑/נִי
ṭâbal
H2881
to dip
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms | Suff
וְ֝/תִֽעֲב֗וּ/נִי
taʻâb
H8581
to abhor
Conj | V-Piel-3cp | Suff
שַׂלְמוֹתָֽ/י
salmâh
H8008
garment
N-fp | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Job 9:31
אָ֭ז
ʼâz
H227
"then"
Adv
This Hebrew word refers to a past time or place, often used to describe something that happened earlier. It can also be used as a conjunction to show a cause-and-effect relationship. In the Bible, it appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah.
Definition: 1) then, at that time 1a) temporal expressions 1a1) then (past) 1a2) then, if...then (future) 1a3) earlier 1b) logical expressions 1b1) in that case 1b2) that (being so)
Usage: Occurs in 133 OT verses. KJV: beginning, for, from, hitherto, now, of old, once, since, then, at which time, yet. See also: Genesis 4:26; 1 Chronicles 22:13; Psalms 2:5.
בַּ/שַּׁ֣חַת
shachath
H7845
"pit"
Prep | N-fs
This noun refers to a pit or grave, and it is often used figuratively to describe destruction or corruption, as seen in Proverbs and other books.
Definition: 1) pit, destruction, grave 1a) pit (for catching lions)
Usage: Occurs in 23 OT verses. KJV: corruption, destruction, ditch, grave, pit. See also: Job 9:31; Psalms 35:7; Psalms 7:16.
תִּטְבְּלֵ֑/נִי
ṭâbal
H2881
"to dip"
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms | Suff
This Hebrew word means to dip or immerse something in a liquid, like water or oil. It is used in the Bible to describe various actions, such as dipping food or plunging into water.
Definition: 1) to dip, dip into, plunge 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to dip in or into 1a2) to dip oneself 1b) (Niphal) to be dipped
Usage: Occurs in 16 OT verses. KJV: dip, plunge. See also: Genesis 37:31; Numbers 19:18; Job 9:31.
וְ֝/תִֽעֲב֗וּ/נִי
taʻâb
H8581
"to abhor"
Conj | V-Piel-3cp | Suff
To abhor or detest something is what this Hebrew word means, and it is often used in a moral or ritual sense. It can also mean to cause something to be detested.
Definition: 1) to abhor, be abominable, do abominably 1a) (Niphal) to be abhorred, be detested 1a1) in the ritual sense 1a2) in the ethical sense 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to loathe, abhor, regard as an abomination 1b1a) in the ritual sense 1b1b) in the ethical sense 1b2) to cause to be an abomination 1c) (Hiphil) to make abominable, do abominably 1c1) in the ritual sense 1c2) in the ethical sense Also means: ta.av (תָּאַב "to loathe" H8374)
Usage: Occurs in 20 OT verses. KJV: (make to be) abhor(-red), (be, commit more, do) abominable(-y), [idiom] utterly. See also: Deuteronomy 7:26; Psalms 53:2; Psalms 5:7.
שַׂלְמוֹתָֽ/י
salmâh
H8008
"garment"
N-fp | Suff
A salmah is a garment or outer clothing in Hebrew, often translated as 'clothes' or 'raiment' in the Bible.
Definition: 1) garment, outer garment, wrapper, mantle 1a) garment, outer garment
Usage: Occurs in 16 OT verses. KJV: clothes, garment, raiment. See also: Exodus 22:8; 1 Kings 11:29; Psalms 104:2.
Study Notes — Job 9:31
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Job 9:31 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Job 9:31
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 9:31
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 9:31
- Trapp's Commentary on Job 9:31
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 9:31
- Cambridge Bible on Job 9:31
- Barnes' Notes on Job 9:31
- Whedon's Commentary on Job 9:31
- Sermons on Job 9:31
Context — Job: How Can I Contend with God?
29Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?
30If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,
31then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.
32For He is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court. 33Nor is there a mediator between us, to lay his hand upon us both.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 64:6 | Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. |
| 2 | Isaiah 59:6 | Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. |
| 3 | Job 15:6 | Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you. |
| 4 | Job 9:20 | Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty. |
| 5 | Philippians 3:8–9 | More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. |
Job 9:31 Summary
[Job 9:31 is saying that even if Job tried to clean himself up, God would still see his sin and judge him for it, which is a scary thought (Psalm 130:3). This verse is also saying that sin can make us feel like we're all alone and that even the things closest to us are against us, which is a feeling of deep sadness and shame (Genesis 3:10). But even in the midst of these feelings, we can turn to God for help and forgiveness, just like Job does later in the book (Job 13:15), and just like the Psalmist does in Psalm 51:1-2.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for God to 'plunge me into the pit' in Job 9:31?
This phrase is a metaphor for being overwhelmed by God's judgment or wrath, similar to what is described in Psalm 55:23, where the wicked are said to be cast into the pit.
Why would Job's 'own clothes despise' him in this verse?
This is a poetic way of saying that even the things closest to Job, like his own clothes, would be tainted by his sin and reject him, much like how Adam and Eve's sin caused them to be ashamed of their nakedness in Genesis 3:10.
Is Job saying that he is beyond hope in this verse?
Job is expressing his feelings of despair and hopelessness in the face of God's judgment, but this does not mean he has given up on God's mercy, as seen in his later statements of trust in God, such as in Job 13:15.
How does this verse relate to the concept of sin and guilt in the Bible?
This verse highlights the idea that sin separates us from God and leads to feelings of guilt and shame, as seen in Isaiah 59:2, where it says that our iniquities have separated us from God.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I feel like I am being 'plunged into the pit' by my own sin or struggles, and how can I turn to God for help?
- How do I respond when I feel like even the things closest to me are 'despising' me, and what does this say about my relationship with God?
- In what ways can I identify with Job's feelings of despair and hopelessness, and how can I find hope in the midst of those feelings?
- What does this verse teach me about the nature of sin and its consequences, and how can I apply that to my own life?
Gill's Exposition on Job 9:31
Yet shall thou plunge me in the ditch,.... In the filthy ditch of sin, the pit wherein is no water, the horrible pit, the mire and clay, in which all unregenerate men are, and to which hypocrites
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 9:31
Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. No JFB commentary on this verse.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 9:31
In the ditch, i.e. in miry and puddle water, whereby I shall become most filthy. But as Job’ s washing, so God’ s plunging him, &c., is not understood really, as if God would make him filthy; but only judicially, that God would prove him to be a most guilty and filthy creature, notwithstanding all the professions and evidences of his purity before men. Mine own clothes shall abhor me, i.e. I shall be so altogether filthy, that my own clothes, if they had any sense in them, would abhor to touch me: a figure called prosopopaeia.
Trapp's Commentary on Job 9:31
Job 9:31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.Ver. 31. Thou shalt plunge me in the ditch] Thou shalt declare me to be no less loathsome than he that, having fallen into a foul guzzle, or nasty jakes, abhorreth himself and his own clothes, being ready to lay up his gorge at the sight and smell of them. The Vulgar hath it, Sordibus intinges me, thou shalt dip me in the dirt over head and ears, and stain me all over, as dyers do the cloth they colour. By the ditch, Beza and others understand the grave; and by clothes, grave clothes, q.d. My very winding sheet shall abhor my filthiness. Take the proud Pharisee for instance, and Popish merit mongers, whom the Lord abhorreth.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 9:31
Verse 31. And mine own clothes shall abhor me.] Such is thine infinite purity, when put in opposition to the purity of man, that it will bear no comparison. Searched and tried by the eye of God, I should be found as a leper, so that my own clothes would dread to touch me, for fear of being infected by my corruption. This is a strong and bold figure; and is derived from the corrupted state of his body, which his clothes dreaded to touch, because of the contagious nature of his disorder.
Cambridge Bible on Job 9:31
31. An expressive figure for, to cover again with uncleanness. The naked body (Job 9:30) is supposed plunged in the ditch, and the clothes refuse to cover so foul an object.
Barnes' Notes on Job 9:31
Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch - God would treat me as if he should throw me into the gutter, and as if I were wholly defiled and polluted.
Whedon's Commentary on Job 9:31
31. Truly man’s defilement must be great if so be, after he has cleansed himself with the best detergents of his day, God’s purity would cast him, the naked one, into a slimy pit, so that his own
Sermons on Job 9:31
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Winter Afore Harvest or the Soul's Growth in Grace - Part 2 by J.C. Philpot | J.C. Philpot preaches about the journey of hope in the soul, comparing it to a bud that blossoms into a flower under the genial ray of God's countenance. He emphasizes the importan |
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A Craving for the Presence of the Lord by David Wilkerson | In this sermon, the pastor emphasizes the importance of being a watchman and warning the body of Christ. He acknowledges that while there will be encouraging messages about communi |
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An Appeal to Sinners by C.H. Spurgeon | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the benevolence of God and His desire to save sinners. He describes how Jesus, out of love and sorrow, willingly went to the grave in mortal |
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Great Men by the Grace of God by Paul Washer | In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the cultural significance of the film "What Dreams May Come" and how it portrays heaven. He emphasizes that even in our modern culture, ther |
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Dependence Upon the Lord by K.P. Yohannan | In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the destruction of a printing press and the loss of valuable materials. He emphasizes the importance of humility and exalting God in all asp |
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Sermon at Barbara Washer's (Paul's Mother) Funeral Service by Paul Washer | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of a prince in C.S. Lewis' book "The Silver Chair" who is captured by a wicked witch. The prince lives a life of luxury and enterta |
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A Tree and Its Fruit by J. Glyn Owen | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the concept of producing apples in a garden as a metaphor for spiritual growth. He emphasizes the importance of planting good seeds in order |