Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 31:39

If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

39. to lose their life ] lit. if I have caused the soul of the owners thereof to breathe out. The reference may be either to oppressions which brought the owners to death, after which their land was seized without money, or to oppressive appropriation of the land so that the rightful owner was brought to death through penury and misery.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

If I have eaten the fruits thereof – Margin, strength. The strength of the earth is that which the earth produces or which is the result of its strength. We speak now of a strong soil – meaning that it is capable of bearing much.

Without money – Hebrew without silver – silver being the principal circulating medium in early times. The meaning here is, without paying for it; either without having paid for the land, or for the labor. Or have caused the owners thereof. Margin, the soul of the owners thereof to expire, or breathe out. The Hebrew is, If I have caused the life of the owners (or lords) of it to breathe out. The meaning is, if I have appropriated to myself the land or labor of others without paying for it, so that their means of living are taken away. He disclaims all injustice in the case. He had not deprived others of their land by violence or fraud, so that they had no means of subsistence.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 39. If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money] I have never been that narrow-minded man who, through a principle of covetousness, exhausts his land, putting himself to no charges, by labour and manure, to strengthen it; or defrauds those of their wages who were employed under him. If I have eaten the fruits of it, I have cultivated it well to produce those fruits; and this has not been without money, for I have gone to expenses on the soil, and remunerated the labourers.

Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life] Coverdale translates, Yee yf I have greved eny of the plowmen. They have not panted in labour without due recompense.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Without money; either without paying the price required by the right owner for the land, or by defrauding my workmen of the wages of their labours.

To lose their life; killing them, that so I might have undisturbed possession of it, as Ahab did Naboth.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

39. lose . . . lifenotliterally, but “harassed to death”; until he gave me up hisland gratis [MAURER]; asin Jud 16:16; “sufferedhim to languish” by taking away his means of living [UMBREIT](1Ki 21:19).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,…. Or, “the strength thereof without silver” b; see Ge 4:12, silver being the money chiefly in use in those times. Job’s meaning is, that he ate not anything of the fruits and increase of his own land, without having paid for the same, which he would have done, if he had got his land out of the hands of the rightful owners of it, by deceit or violence; or if he had not paid his workmen for ploughing, sowing, reaping, c. or if he had demanded the fruits of the earth of his tenants, to whom he had let out his farms, without giving them a proper price for them:

or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life as Jezebel caused Naboth to lose his, who was the original proprietor, that Ahab might possess it, 1Ki 21:7; or it may signify tenants, to whom Job rented out fields, but did not starve them by renting them under hard leases, or lands on hard terms, so that they could not live upon them; or it may design the tillers of the land, as Jarchi and Bar Tzemach; those that wrought in it, the servants that were employed in ploughing, c. to whom wages were due, and who had not too hard labour imposed upon them, to the endangering of their lives or he did not “afflict [and] grieve” c them, as some versions; or make their lives bitter, through hard bondage and service, as the Israelites in Egypt.

b “robur ejus”, Montanus, Bolducius, Mercerus, Drusius; “vim ejus”, Junius Tremellius, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens

“sine, vel absque argento”, Mercer, Drusius, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens.

c “afflixi”, V. L. “dolore affeci”, Pagninus; so Broughton.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

39. To lose their life Literally, breathe out their life. The idea seems to be, not of direct murder, but of “harassing to death” (thus Maurer) the rightful owners, in order that their lands might be secured.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 31:39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

Ver. 39. If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money ] i.e. Not paying the labourers their wages, which is a bony sin, Amo 5:12-13 , crying cruelty, Jas 5:4 , such as hath a woe hanging on the heels of it, Jer 22:17 . See what sins it is set among, and what punishment is awarded to it, Mal 3:5 . Let Laban be guilty of it, Gen 31:7 , but Job protesteth against it here with an imprecation.

Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life ] That is, the occupiers thereof, the poor rent holders (by racking their rents), to miss subsistence, so that they could not make a living of it with all their labour. Owners of the land he calleth them improperly; since the land was his, as in the former verse; but if he had the propriety, they had the pains, and theretbro should have a livelihood, as Solomon’s vinedressers had, Son 8:12 ; but so had not Pharaoh’s labourers, the oppressed Israelites, who toiled like horses, and yet were held to so hard allowance, that they were weary of their lives, and their souls were ready to expire, as the Hebrew here hath it. Prisoners’ pittance many poor tenants have, such as will neither keep them alive nor suffer them to die.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

have caused, &c. = made the souls of the owners groan.

life = soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

fruits: Heb. strength, Gen 4:12

caused the owners thereof to lose their life: Heb. caused the soul of the owners thereof to expire, or breathe out, 1Ki 21:13-16, 1Ki 21:19, Pro 1:19, Isa 26:21, Eze 22:6, Eze 22:12, Eze 22:13

Reciprocal: Gen 4:10 – crieth Exo 22:23 – they cry at all Lev 19:13 – the wages Num 5:22 – the woman Neh 5:1 – a great cry Job 18:15 – because Job 20:19 – Because Isa 5:7 – a cry Jam 5:4 – the hire

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

31:39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused {e} the owners thereof to lose their life:

(e) Meaning, that he was not a briber or extortioner.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes