Job 31:8 — Word Study
WLCאֶ֭זְרְעָה וְאַחֵ֣ר יֹאכֵ֑ל וְֽצֶאֱצָאַ֥י יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ׃
BSA◂then may anotherʼachêr [a different person, someone else] eatʼâkal▸ [consume, devour] what I have sownzâraʻ [planted seeds, cultivated] and may my cropstseʼĕtsâʼ [offspring, produce] be uprootedshârash▸ [removed, destroyed, rooted out]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֶ֭זְרְעָה | let me sow | Verb, Qal, infinitive construct first person common singular |
| וְאַחֵ֣ר | and another | Conjunction |
| יֹאכֵ֑ל | let him eat | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| וְֽצֶאֱצָאַ֥י | and produce my | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ׃ | let them be rooted up | Verb, Pual, imperfect third person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted. |
| KJV | Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out. |
| ASV | Then let me sow, and let another eat; Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out. |
| YLT | Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out. |
| WEB | then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out. |
| BBE | Let me put seed in the earth for another to have the fruit of it, and let my produce be uprooted. |
Translations agree on the core meaning but differ in the rendering of יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence structure is composed of a main clause followed by two subordinate clauses, creating a clear conditional statement.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאַחֵר
verbזָרַע
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 31:8
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Job's Integrity and Appealsgenerated
Job 31:8 is part of Job's defense of his integrity, where he outlines the consequences he would accept if he were guilty of wrongdoing. This verse emphasizes the seriousness of his claims and the weight of his moral standing. Job is invoking a principle of justice, suggesting that if he has acted unjustly, he would deserve to lose the fruits of his labor, echoing themes of accountability found throughout the book of Job.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 5:5 | The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. |
| 2 | Job 24:6 | They gather fodder in the fields and glean the vineyards of the wicked. |
| 3 | Leviticus 26:16 | then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 28:30–33 | You will be pledged in marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but will not enjoy its fruit. |
| 5 | Judges 6:3–6 | Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ, ye.sho.Ra.shugenerated
The verb שָׁרַשׁ (sharash) means to uproot or remove from the ground. In this context, it implies a complete destruction of what has been cultivated. The parsing indicates that it is in the Pual form, which suggests a passive voice, meaning that the crops are acted upon by an external force.
This word carries significant weight in the agricultural context of ancient Israel, where the loss of crops would have dire consequences for livelihood. Job's use of this term underscores the seriousness of his appeal — he is not merely wishing for loss but for a total uprooting, reflecting the depth of his potential guilt.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is straightforward, consisting of two main clauses connected by 'and'. The first clause contains a verb in the imperfect tense, יֹאכֵ֑ל, indicating a future action, while the second clause presents a parallel consequence with another verb, יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ, also in the imperfect tense.
This construction emphasizes the conditional nature of Job's statement, as he lays out what he believes should happen if he is guilty of the sins he is contemplating.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יֹאכֵ֑ל as φάγοισαν, which means 'they will eat'. This choice reflects a direct correspondence to the Hebrew, maintaining the sense of consumption.
However, for יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ, the Greek does not provide a direct equivalent, indicating a potential interpretative gap or a different emphasis in the Greek tradition.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 31:8 expresses Job's desire for accountability. He states that if he has acted wrongly, he would accept the consequence of losing his crops to another person. This highlights the seriousness of his moral standing and the weight of his words.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job is expressing a wish for justice, stating that if he has acted unjustly, he would deserve to lose the fruits of his labor to someone else.
The uprooting of crops symbolizes total loss and destruction, emphasizing the severity of the consequences he believes he should face if guilty.
Job's appeal reflects his commitment to integrity and his desire for justice, which is a central theme in the book of Job.
This verse connects to the themes of suffering, justice, and the integrity of the individual, which are explored throughout Job's dialogues.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does it mean to you to hold yourself accountable for your actions?
- In what areas of your life do you feel the need for justice or integrity?
- How can you relate Job's situation to challenges you face in your own life?
- What lessons can you draw from Job's appeal for accountability?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentators like Gregory the Dialogist reflect on this verse, interpreting it as a call to preach and share the words of life.
Then let me sow, and let another eat; let my offspring be rooted out. After the manner of Sacred Revelation we call it to 'sow' to preach the words of life. Thus it is hence the Prophet says, Blessed are ye that sow upon all waters.Early Church Fathers on Job 31 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 31:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible[Then] let me sow, and another eat,.... If what he had before said was not true; but he had turned out of the way of righteousness, and walked after the sight of his eyes, and the mammon of
Read John Gill on Job 31 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThen let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 31 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleLet strangers enjoy the fruit of my labours, according to God’ s curse, . My offspring; as this word is used, 27:14. Or rather, my increase, or growths, or sprouts, i.e. all my plants, and fruits, and improvements. For, 1. So the word properly signifies. 2. So this latter branch of the verse explains the former, as is most frequent in this and some other books of Scripture. 3. He had not now any children to be rooted out.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 31 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 31:8 [Then] let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.Ver. 8. Then let me sow, and another eat] God loves to retaliate; and let him do so to me, according to that he hath threatened, Deuteronomy 28:30, &c., and as he executed upon Laban, Nabal, Saul, Haman, others. The Greeks have a proverb, Aλλοιμενσπειρουσ’ αλλοιδαναμησονται. Some sow that which others reap. This Job wisheth may befall, if he had been oppressive and injurious, as Eliphaz had wrongfully accused him, Job 22:6. Yea, let my offspring be rooted out] Or, Let that which I have planted be plucked up by the roots. It is commonly seen that oppressors and unconscionable persons procure their own ruth…
Read John Trapp on Job 31 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 8. Let me sow, and let another eat] Let me be plagued both in my circumstances and in my family. My offspring be rooted out.] It has already appeared probable that all Job's children were not destroyed in the fall of the house mentioned Job 1:18-19.
Read AdamClarke on Job 31 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges8. The imprecation. let my offspring be rooted out] Rather, let my produce, i. e. what springs out of that which I have planted or sown; comp. Leviticus 26:16; Deuteronomy 28:33.
Read Cambridge on Job 31 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThen 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.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 31 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible8. Let me sow, etc. — A proverbial phrase. See John 4:37. Offspring — Produce of the land.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 31 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.
then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.
then let me sow and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted.
Tyndale line
Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
Then let me sow, and let another eat; Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
Then let me sow, and let another eat; yes, let my offspring be rooted out.
Let me sowe, and let another eate: yea, let my plantes be rooted out.
Strictly literal
Let me sow, and another eat; and let mine offspring be rooted out.
Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.
Let me sow—and another eat, || And let my products be rooted out.
Then let me sow, and let another eat; and let what I have growing be rooted out.
then let me sow, and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted.
From the Latin
Then let me sow and let another eat: and let my offspring be rooted out.
Simplified
then let someone else eat what I have sown, and all that I have grown be uprooted.
Let me put seed in the earth for another to have the fruit of it, and let my produce be uprooted.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text presents the verse as אֶ֭זְרְעָה וְאַחֵ֣ר יֹאכֵ֑ל וְֽצֶאֱצָאַ֥י יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ׃. The Septuagint matches only two of the five words, indicating some differences in translation approach. The lack of a direct translation for יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ suggests an interpretive choice by the translators.
אֶ֭זְרְעָה וְאַחֵ֣ר יֹאכֵ֑ל וְֽצֶאֱצָאַ֥י יְשֹׁרָֽשׁוּ׃
2 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 31:8
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
זָרַע (zara`) is a Hebrew verb meaning to sow or scatter seed. It covers various aspects of planting and yielding, including the figurative sense of producing or conceiving. The root can denote actions in different forms, such as being sown or becoming pregnant. The entries indicate a range of uses, from agricultural to reproductive contexts.
זָרַע vb. sow, scatter seed
Qal
lit. sow
of shrub and tree producing, yielding seed
fig.
Niph. be sown, fructified
be sown
be fructified, made pregnant
Pu. of princes and judges under fig. of trees
Hiph.
produce seed
of a woman, = bear a child
base
H2232 זָרַע sow, scatter seed .. lit. sow
2232 zara` zaw-rah'
a primitive root; to sow; figuratively, to disseminate,
plant, fructify:--bear, conceive seed, set with sow(-er),
yield.
זָרַע (za.ra) — to sow.
1) to sow, scatter seed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to sow
1a2) producing, yielding seed
1b)(Niphal)
1b1) to be sown
1b2) to become pregnant, be made pregnant
1c) (Pual) to be sown
1d) (Hiphil) to produce seed, yield seed
V-Qal-1cs — Verb · Qal · infinitive construct first person common singularHVqc1cs
sou.
See SWINE.
[SWINE]
אַחֵר (acher) means 'another' or 'other' and can imply something that follows or is different. It is derived from a root that suggests hindrance or being next to something else. The term appears in various contexts in the Old Testament, often referring to another person or thing.
אַחֵר adj. another
base
H312 אַחֵר another
312 'acher akh-air'
from 309; properly, hinder; generally, next, other,
etc.:--(an-)other man, following, next, strange.
see HEBREW for 0309
אַחֵר (a.cher) — another.
1) another, other, following
1a) following, further
1b) other, different
Conj | Adj — ConjunctionHC/Aamsa
אָכַל (akal) means 'to eat' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including literal consumption by humans and animals, as well as figurative uses like devouring by fire or destruction. It can describe actions such as feeding or causing to eat, and it also appears in contexts of oppression and destruction. The verb has various forms, indicating different subjects and nuances.
אָכַל 806 vb. eat
Qal
eat, human subject
of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
fig. of fire, devour, consume
of sword, devour, slay
in genl., devour, consume, destroy
fig. of oppression, devour the poor
Niph.
be eaten by man
be devoured by fire, consumed
be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
Pu. be consumed
Hiph.
cause to eat, feed with
cause to devoure, obj. sword
base
H398 אָכַל eat .. eat, human subject
. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
. fig. of fire, devour, consume
. of sword, devour, slay
. in genl., devour, consume, destroy
. fig. of oppression, devour the poor
. . be eaten by man
. be devoured by fire, consumed
. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
. be consumed
. . cause to eat, feed with
. cause to devoure, obj. sword
398 'akal aw-kal'
a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively):--X at
all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up),
feed (with), food, X freely, X in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay)
meat, X quite.
אָכַל (a.khal) — to eat.
1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to eat (human subject)
1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds)
1a3) to devour, consume (of fire)
1a4) to devour, slay (of sword)
1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought)
1a6) to devour (of oppression)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be eaten (by men)
1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire)
1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh)
1c) (Pual)
1c1) to cause to eat, feed with
1c2) to cause to devour
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to feed
1d2) to cause to eat
1e) (Piel)
1e1) consume
Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVqi3ms
צֶאֱצָא (tse'etsa') refers to offspring or produce, specifically in plural form. It encompasses children, descendants, and the produce of the earth. The term is derived from another Hebrew word, but the entries do not provide further details on its usage in specific verses.
[צֶאֱצָא] n.m. only pl., issue, offspring, produce
base
H6631 [צֶאֱצָא] only pl., issue, offspring, produce
6631 tse'etsa' tseh-ets-aw'
from 3318; issue, i.e. produce, children:--that which cometh
forth (out), offspring.
see HEBREW for 03318
צֶאֱצָא (tse.e.tsa) — offspring.
1) offspring, produce, issue
1a) offspring (of men)
1b) produce (of earth)
1c) descendants (metaphorical)
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncmpc/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word שָׁרַשׁ (*sharash*) is a verb that relates to rooting, both in the sense of establishing roots and uprooting. It includes various forms such as rooting up, taking root, and being rooted out. The entries indicate a range of meanings connected to the concept of roots, but there is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[שָׁרַשׁ] vb. denom. Pi. = deal with the roots
root up, out
Pu. be rooted up (of produce)
Po‛ēl take root, establish oneself firmly
Po‛al id.
Hiph. id.
base
H8327 שָׁרַשׁ vb. denom. Pi. = deal with the roots
8327 sharash shaw-rash'
a primitive root; to root, i.e. strike into the soil, or (by
implication) to pluck from it:--(take, cause to take) root
(out).
שָׁרַשׁ (sha.rash) — to uproot.
1) to uproot, take root, deal with the roots
1a) (Piel) to root up, root out
1b) (Pual) to be rooted up or out (of produce)
1c) (Poel) to take root
1d) (Poal) to take root
1e) (Hiphil) to take root, cause to take root
V-Pual-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Pual · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVPi3mp