Job 31, Oath of Innocence

After describing the difficulties of finding wisdom (chapter 28), in Job's final speech recalls earlier days of joy, when he was blessed by God (chapter 29), laments God's attack on him (chapter 30) and now gives an oath of innocence. In this oath of innocence, Job lists a variety of sins that he could have committed, but insists he did not.

This chapter is the end of Job's final speech and concludes Job's claims in this dispute over his suffering.

Job 31:1-4, Lust and ruin

"I made a covenant with my eyes 

not to look lustfully at a girl.

For what is man's lot from God above, 

his heritage from the Almighty on high?

Is it not ruin for the wicked, 

disaster for those who do wrong?

Does he not see my ways 

and count my every step?

God sees Job's steps and Job has committed himself to acting righteously, including his attitudes and thoughts about lust. Job affirms his belief that God does indeed watch over mankind.

Job 31:5-8, Have I walked in falsehood?

"If I have walked in falsehood 

or my foot has hurried after deceit--

let God weigh me in honest scales 

and he will know that I am blameless--

if my steps have turned from the path, 

if my heart has been led by my eyes, 

or if my hands have been defiled,

then may others eat what I have sown, 

and may my crops be uprooted.

This is the beginning of a sequenece of oaths of innocence by Job. The structure of these is "if... then"; they oaths begin with "if I have done [such-and-such]..." and then offer punishments if he is found guilty.

Job 31:9-12, I have not stalked

"If my heart has been enticed by a woman, 

or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

then may my wife grind another man's grain, 

and may other men sleep with her.

For that would have been shameful, 

a sin to be judged.

It is a fire that burns to Destruction; 

it would have uprooted my harvest.

Job has not lurked at a neighbor's door; he has not been enticed by another woman. If I have done these things, may others take my wife. This fire of unrestrained sexual desire, leads to destruction. All of this is shameful, claims Job, and I have not done it!

The parallel lines in verse 10 are clearly sexual; the first phrase "grind another man's grain" apparently pictures Job's wife as the slave of another; the second phrase "other men sleep with her" is translated by the NIV from a Hebrew phrase that is literally "bend over her" or "kneel over her". In short, if Job has gone after other women, he deserves the reverse, that other men take his wife. 

Job 31:13-15, Justice to the servants

"If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants 

when they had a grievance against me,

what will I do when God confronts me? 

What will I answer when called to account?

Did not he who made me in the womb make them? 

Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

Job insists that he has been just with his servants. In his claims, Job argues that the servants were made in the womb by God, just as he was. For the ancient Near East, this is a strong claim of class equality!

Job 31:16-23, Commitment to the poor

"If I have denied the desires of the poor 

or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

if I have kept my bread to myself, 

not sharing it with the fatherless--

but from my youth I reared him as would a father, 

and from my birth I guided the widow--

if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, 

or a needy man without a garment,

and his heart did not bless me for warming him 

with the fleece from my sheep,

if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, 

knowing that I had influence in court,

then let my arm fall from the shoulder, 

let it be broken off at the joint.

For I dreaded destruction from God, 

and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

In all his actions, Job has remembered the poor. The sins listed here would include ignoring the poor, the widow, the orphan, the man with no clothing. If Job has done any of that, may God break his arm from his shoulder! Instead Job has, in following Wisdom, feared God and taken care of the vulnerable.

Job 31:24-28, Materialism and idolatry

"If I have put my trust in gold 

or said to pure gold, `You are my security,'

if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, 

the fortune my hands had gained,

if I have regarded the sun in its radiance 

or the moon moving in splendor,

so that my heart was secretly enticed 

and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

then these also would be sins to be judged, 

for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

Job, confronting Eliphaz's previous claims (Job 22: 23-25), has not placed his trust in wealth. Nor has he made an idol of the sun or moon; he has not blown a kiss of worship to the celestial objects. He has been faithful to the One God.

Job 31:29-32, Open to the traveler

"If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune 

or gloated over the trouble that came to him--

I have not allowed my mouth to sin 

by invoking a curse against his life--

if the men of my household have never said, 

`Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?'--

but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, 

for my door was always open to the traveler--

Job has not rejoiced at the misfortunes of his enemy nor cursed at him. To every traveler he has been a good host; no one had to sleep on the street; no one complained that they were not well fed at his table.

Job 31:33-34, I have been transparent

if I have concealed my sin as men do, 

by hiding my guilt in my heart

because I so feared the crowd 

and so dreaded the contempt of the clans

  that I kept silent and would not go outside

Job is aware that men often hide their actions and he swears that he has not been silent about his faults.

Job 31:35-37, Please, let me stand trial!

("Oh, that I had someone to hear me! 

I sign now my defense--

let the Almighty answer me; 

let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, 

I would put it on like a crown.

I would give him an account of my every step; 

like a prince I would approach him.)--

Job once again asks for a trial, for a chance to give account. Hartley says that this avowal of innocence would, in the ancient Near East, force an accuser to step forward. If no one steps forward to make accusations, the speaker is recognized as righteous.  We see the elderly Samuel doing this before his own death in 1 Samuel 12: 3.

Psalm 7 represents a lament of David, reaching a height in verses 3-5 when David too insists on his innocence.

Job 31:38-40a, Care for the land and its tenants

"if my land cries out against me 

and all its furrows are wet with tears,

if I have devoured its yield without payment 

or broken the spirit of its tenants,

then let briers come up instead of wheat 

and weeds instead of barley."

Job concludes with insistence that he has treated the land fairly and also treated the tenants fairly. In the Mosaic Covenant, one was to leave the land fallow one year out of seven (Exodus 23: 10-11.) In the ancient Near East, where people were tied to the land, to its crops and livestocks, the land was identified with one righteousness. In Leviticus 18: 24-28, the Israelites were told that the land would "vomit" them out if they acted imorally and Numbers 35: 33-34, the land is polluted by bloodshed. In all of this, even Job's land supports his claims of innocence.

Job 31:40b, Now silent

  The words of Job are ended.

The speeches of Job are over.  In Job 13:22, Job asked to speak in court before God. There he offers God the chance to speak first or second. Since God has not spoken, Job now (in these past three chapters) speaks first and makes his pitch before God's court. Now he waits on God to respond.