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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 31:38 if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/job/31-38.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/18_Job_31_38.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Job 31:38 - Job's Final Appeal" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together," /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad18.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/job/31-37.htm" title="Job 31:37">◄</a> Job 31:38 <a href="/job/31-39.htm" title="Job 31:39">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/job/31.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/job/31.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />&#8220if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/31.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“If my land accuses me and all its furrows cry out together,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/31.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />“If my land has cried out against me and its furrows have wept together,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/31.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/31.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/31.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/31.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/31.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/31.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/31.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />“If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/31.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“For if my land has cried out against me, And its furrows weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/31.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />If my land cries out against me and its furrows join in weeping,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/31.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />If my land cries out against me and its furrows join in weeping, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/31.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />If my land crieth out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/31.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />I have never mistreated the land I farmed and made it mourn. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/31.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />If my land cry out against me, and the furrows thereof weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/31.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"If my land has cried out against me, and its furrows have wept....<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/31.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />If I have stolen the land I farm and taken it from its rightful owners--<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/31.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"If my land were to cry out against me or if all its furrows wept as one,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/31.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/31.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />"If my land cried out against me and all its furrows wept together, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/31.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/31.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />If my land crieth against me, or its furrows likewise complain;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/31.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together; <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/31.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />If my land cries out against me, "" And together its furrows weep,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/31.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/31.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />If my land shall cry against me, and its, furrows shall weep together;<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/31.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />If my land cry against me, and with it the furrows thereof mourn: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/31.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />So, if my land cries out against me, and if its furrows weep with it,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/31.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />If my land has cried out against me till its furrows wept together; <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/31.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />“If my land has cried out against me, and its furrows have wept together;<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/31.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Let the earth lament over me, let its furrows weep together,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/31.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And the Earth will wail over me and its furrows will weep as one<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/31.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />If my land cry out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/31.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />If at any time the land groaned against me, and if its furrows mourned together;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/31-38.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwuD5NuZq0?start=4814" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/job/31.htm">Job's Final Appeal</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">37</span>I would give account of all my steps; I would approach Him like a prince.)— <span class="reftext">38</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/518.htm" title="518: ’im- (Conj) -- If. A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!">if</a> <a href="/hebrew/127.htm" title="127: ’aḏ·mā·ṯî (N-fsc:: 1cs) -- Ground, land. From 'adam; soil.">my land</a> <a href="/hebrew/2199.htm" title="2199: ṯiz·‘āq (V-Qal-Imperf-3fs) -- To cry, cry out, call. A primitive root; to shriek; by analogy, to announce or convene publicly.">cries out</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·lay (Prep:: 1cs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">against me</a> <a href="/hebrew/8525.htm" title="8525: tə·lā·me·hā (N-mpc:: 3fs) -- A furrow. From an unused root meaning to accumulate; a bank or terrace.">and its furrows</a> <a href="/hebrew/1058.htm" title="1058: yiḇ·kā·yūn (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: Pn) -- To weep, bewail. A primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan.">weep</a> <a href="/hebrew/3162.htm" title="3162: wə·ya·ḥaḏ (Conj-w:: Adv) -- Unitedness. From yachad; properly, a unit, i.e. unitedly.">together,</a> </span><span class="reftext">39</span>if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/4-10.htm">Genesis 4:10</a></span><br />“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/27-17.htm">Deuteronomy 27:17</a></span><br />‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/5-8.htm">Isaiah 5:8</a></span><br />Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/22-13.htm">Jeremiah 22:13</a></span><br />“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/habakkuk/2-9.htm">Habakkuk 2:9-12</a></span><br />Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster! / You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting your life. / For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/5-4.htm">James 5:4</a></span><br />Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/leviticus/19-13.htm">Leviticus 19:13</a></span><br />You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/22-28.htm">Proverbs 22:28</a></span><br />Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have placed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/2-2.htm">Micah 2:2</a></span><br />They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/8-4.htm">Amos 8:4-6</a></span><br />Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, / asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales. / Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-23.htm">Matthew 23:23</a></span><br />Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/16-10.htm">Luke 16:10-12</a></span><br />Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. / So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? / And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/13-8.htm">Romans 13:8-10</a></span><br />Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. / The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” / Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/6-8.htm">1 Corinthians 6:8</a></span><br />Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, even against your own brothers!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/3-25.htm">Colossians 3:25</a></span><br />Whoever does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;</p><p class="hdg">cry</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/20-27.htm">Job 20:27</a></b></br> The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/habakkuk/2-11.htm">Habakkuk 2:11</a></b></br> For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/james/5-4.htm">James 5:4</a></b></br> Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.</p><p class="hdg">complain.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/65-13.htm">Psalm 65:13</a></b></br> The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/job/7-11.htm">Complain</a> <a href="/job/30-28.htm">Cried</a> <a href="/job/31-29.htm">Cries</a> <a href="/job/24-12.htm">Crieth</a> <a href="/job/30-28.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/job/31-8.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/hosea/12-11.htm">Furrows</a> <a href="/esther/1-18.htm">Likewise</a> <a href="/job/23-2.htm">Outcry</a> <a href="/job/4-8.htm">Ploughed</a> <a href="/job/30-31.htm">Sorrow</a> <a href="/job/19-10.htm">Tears</a> <a href="/job/31-17.htm">Thereof</a> <a href="/job/31-25.htm">Together</a> <a href="/job/30-31.htm">Weep</a> <a href="/job/30-25.htm">Wept</a> <a href="/job/24-8.htm">Wet</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/job/33-13.htm">Complain</a> <a href="/psalms/3-4.htm">Cried</a> <a href="/job/33-26.htm">Cries</a> <a href="/psalms/72-12.htm">Crieth</a> <a href="/job/34-28.htm">Cry</a> <a href="/job/34-13.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/psalms/65-10.htm">Furrows</a> <a href="/job/37-6.htm">Likewise</a> <a href="/psalms/74-23.htm">Outcry</a> <a href="/psalms/65-10.htm">Ploughed</a> <a href="/job/36-21.htm">Sorrow</a> <a href="/psalms/6-6.htm">Tears</a> <a href="/job/31-39.htm">Thereof</a> <a href="/job/34-4.htm">Together</a> <a href="/psalms/69-10.htm">Weep</a> <a href="/psalms/69-10.htm">Wept</a> <a href="/job/33-6.htm">Wet</a><div class="vheading2">Job 31</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/31-1.htm">Job makes a solemn protestation of his integrity in several duties</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/31.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/job/31.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>if my land cries out against me</b><br>This phrase suggests a deep connection between the land and its owner, reflecting the ancient belief that the land could bear witness to human actions. In the Old Testament, the land is often personified and seen as having a relationship with its inhabitants (<a href="/genesis/4-10.htm">Genesis 4:10</a>, where Abel's blood cries out from the ground). The idea of the land crying out implies a moral or ethical breach, possibly related to injustice or mistreatment. In the context of Job, this reflects his integrity and righteousness, as he is willing to be judged by the very ground he has worked. This concept is also seen in <a href="/leviticus/18-25.htm">Leviticus 18:25</a>, where the land is said to "vomit out" its inhabitants due to their sins.<p><b>and its furrows weep together</b><br>The imagery of furrows weeping suggests a profound sorrow or lamentation, possibly due to neglect or exploitation. In an agrarian society, furrows are the result of plowing, essential for planting crops. If they "weep," it could indicate poor stewardship or unjust practices, such as failing to give the land its Sabbath rest (<a href="/exodus/23-10.htm">Exodus 23:10-11</a>). This phrase underscores the importance of ethical treatment of the land, resonating with the biblical principle of stewardship found in <a href="/genesis/2-15.htm">Genesis 2:15</a>, where humanity is tasked with tending and keeping the earth. The weeping of the furrows can also symbolize the interconnectedness of creation, where human sin affects the natural world, a theme echoed in <a href="/romans/8-22.htm">Romans 8:22</a>, where creation groans under the weight of sin.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>The central figure in the Book of Job, a man described as blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. In this chapter, Job is making his final defense, asserting his integrity and righteousness.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/l/land.htm">Land</a></b><br>Represents Job's property and livelihood. In ancient times, land was a significant part of one's wealth and sustenance, and it was believed to have a voice in matters of justice and righteousness.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/f/furrows.htm">Furrows</a></b><br>The trenches made in the soil by a plow. They symbolize the productivity and fruitfulness of the land, as well as the labor invested in it.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/c/cry/weep.htm">Cry/Weep</a></b><br>These terms are personifications of the land and its furrows, suggesting that they could testify against Job if he had wronged them.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>The ultimate judge to whom Job is appealing, asserting that he has not committed any injustice that would cause his land to cry out against him.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/s/stewardship_of_creation.htm">Stewardship of Creation</a></b><br>As stewards of God's creation, we are responsible for treating the land and environment with respect and justice. Job's assertion that his land does not cry out against him challenges us to consider how we care for the earth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/i/integrity_in_all_areas_of_life.htm">Integrity in All Areas of Life</a></b><br>Job's defense of his integrity extends to how he manages his property. This teaches us that righteousness should permeate every aspect of our lives, including our business dealings and environmental practices.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_witness_of_creation.htm">The Witness of Creation</a></b><br>The idea that the land can testify against us serves as a reminder that our actions have consequences beyond what we might immediately see. We should live in a way that even the earth would testify to our righteousness.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/a/accountability_before_god.htm">Accountability Before God</a></b><br>Ultimately, we are accountable to God for how we live and manage the resources He has entrusted to us. Job's appeal to God as his judge encourages us to live with an awareness of divine accountability.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_job_31.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Job 31</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible_books'_order.htm">What is the order of the Bible's books?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_can_job_claim_purity_in_job_31_1-4.htm">In Job 31:1–4, how can Job claim such purity given other scriptures teach no one is entirely sinless? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_isaiah_33_16_align_with_righteous_suffering.htm">How does the promise of safety in Isaiah 33:16 align with observable instances of righteous people facing disaster historically?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_job_38_31_relate_to_astronomy.htm">How does Job 38:31's mention of binding the constellations (Pleiades and Orion) fit with what we know about astronomy?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/job/31.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(38) <span class= "bld">Or that the furrows likewise thereof complain.</span>--Rather, <span class= "ital">Or if the furrows thereof weep together</span>--a strong impersonation to express the consequence of oppression and wrong-doing. It is to be observed that throughout this defence Job has far more than traversed the indictment of his friends. He has shown that he has not only not broken the moral law, as they insinuated, but, much more, has shown himself exemplary in all the relations of life, so that, according to the narrator of the history, he was not only one that <span class= "ital">feared God and eschewed evil </span>(<a href="/job/1-1.htm" title="There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.">Job 1:1</a>), but also was <span class= "ital">perfect, i.e., </span>of sincere and consistent conduct and <span class= "ital">upright.</span><p><span class= "bld"><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/job/31.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 38-40.</span> - It is generally supposed that these verses, with the exception of the last clause of ver. 40, are misplaced. As a termination, they form an anti-climax, and greatly weaken the peroration. Their proper place would seem to be between vers. 32 and 33. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 38.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">If my land cry against me</span>; <span class="accented">i.e.</span> if my land disclaim my ownership, as having been acquired by wrong or robbery. <span class="cmt_word">If the furrows likewise thereof complain;</span> or, weep, as having been torn from their rightful proprietors, and seized by a stranger. The apodosis is in ver. 40. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/31-38.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">If</span><br /><span class="heb">אִם־</span> <span class="translit">(’im-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_518.htm">Strong's 518: </a> </span><span class="str2">Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not</span><br /><br /><span class="word">my land</span><br /><span class="heb">אַדְמָתִ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(’aḏ·mā·ṯî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_127.htm">Strong's 127: </a> </span><span class="str2">Ground, land</span><br /><br /><span class="word">cries out</span><br /><span class="heb">תִזְעָ֑ק</span> <span class="translit">(ṯiz·‘āq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2199.htm">Strong's 2199: </a> </span><span class="str2">To shriek, to announce, convene publicly</span><br /><br /><span class="word">against me</span><br /><span class="heb">עָ֭לַי</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·lay)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and its furrows</span><br /><span class="heb">תְּלָמֶ֥יהָ</span> <span class="translit">(tə·lā·me·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8525.htm">Strong's 8525: </a> </span><span class="str2">A bank, terrace</span><br /><br /><span class="word">weep</span><br /><span class="heb">יִבְכָּיֽוּן׃</span> <span class="translit">(yiḇ·kā·yūn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1058.htm">Strong's 1058: </a> </span><span class="str2">To weep, to bemoan</span><br /><br /><span class="word">together,</span><br /><span class="heb">וְ֝יַ֗חַד</span> <span class="translit">(wə·ya·ḥaḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3162.htm">Strong's 3162: </a> </span><span class="str2">A unit, unitedly</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/31-38.htm">Job 31:38 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/31-38.htm">OT Poetry: Job 31:38 If my land cries out against me (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/31-37.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 31:37"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 31:37" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/31-39.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 31:39"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 31:39" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>