to give · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
mouth
חִכִּ֑יchi.Ki
H2441
properly · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
sin
לַחֲטֹ֣אla.cha.To'
H2398
properly · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
wishing
לִשְׁאֹ֖לlish.'Ol
H7592
to inquire · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
curse
בְּאָלָ֣הbe.'a.Lah
H423
an imprecation · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
soul
נַפְשֽׁוֹnaf.Sho
H5315
properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit…
Exodus 23:4-5 If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to…
Matthew 5:43-44 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
James 3:9-10 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
1 Peter 2:22-23 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: there…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 31:24-32
Four articles more of Job's protestation we have in these verses, which, as all the rest, not only assure us what he was and did, but teach us what we should be and do: -
I. He protests that he never set his heart upon the wealth of this world, nor took the things of it for his portions and happiness. He had gold; he had fine gold. His wealth was great, and he had gotten much. Our wealth is either advantageous or pernicious to us according as we stand affected to it. If we make it our rest and our ruler, it will be our ruin; if we make it our servant, and an instrument of righteousness, it will be a blessing to us. Job here tells us how he stood affected to his worldly wealth. 1. He put no…
mouth--literally, "palate." (See on Job 6:30).
wishing--literally, "so as to demand his (my enemy's) soul," that is, "life by a curse." This verse parenthetically confirms Job 31:30. Job in the patriarchal age of the promise, anterior to the law, realizes the Gospel spirit, which was the end of the law (compare Lev 19:18; Deu 23:6, with Mat 5:43-44).
John Gill on Job 31:30
Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin,.... Which, as it is the instrument of speech, is often the means of much sin; particularly of cursing men, and expressing much bitterness against enemies; but Job laid an embargo upon it, kept it as with a bridle, restrained it from uttering any evil, or wishing any to his worst adversaries; which is difficult to do, when provocations are given, as follows:
by wishing a curse to his soul; not to his soul as distinct from his body, being the superior excellency and immortal part; that it be everlastingly damned, as wicked men wish to their own souls, and the souls of others, but to his person, wishing some calamity might befall him, some disease seize…
29 If I rejoiced over the destruction of him who hated me,
And became excited when evil came upon him -
30 Yet I did not allow my palate to sin
By calling down a curse upon his life.
The aposiopesis is here manifest, for Job 31:29 is evidently equal to a solemn denial, to which Job 31:30 is then attached as a simple negative. He did not rejoice at the destruction (פיד, Arab. fêd,
(Note: Gesenius derives the noun פיד from the verb פיד, but the Arabic, which is the test here, has not only the verb fâda as med. u and as med. i in the signification to die, but also in connection with el̇feid (fêd) the substantival form el-fı̂d (= el-môt), which (= fiwd, comp. p. 26, note) is referable to f…
The Church Fathers
"Let my ear hear the curses spoken against me. May these curses penetrate me with pain. "May I be an object of contempt among my people," among the holy people, let it be separated with derision.
Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul. For he would sin, if he were to desire that to be done by God, which he himself either could not at all be able to do, or if he could it would not be in any wise right. For they who assail an enemy with curses, what other thing do they wish God to do in his case, but what they are either unable or ashamed to do themselves? For they wish death to their enemy, which same even if they have the power, they are afraid to bring upon him; lest they should either be bound as guilty of murder committed, or shew themselves wicked even when they are. What then is it to say to God, 'Kill the man whom I hate,' but to cry out to him in audible accents; 'Do Thou that to mine enemy, which it is not proper for me to do towards him even as a sinner.' In which same words it is to be thought where had this person read, Love your enemies? where had he read, Bless, and curse not? and again, Not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing? But the precepts of grace from above, not heard with the outward ears he observed, because the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote them in the heart of that man. To whom however it would have been but little that he loved those adversaries situated without, excepting he had to bear these also living within, and holding daily converse with him, even those of his household, as adversaries.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Enemies · Curse them not — Curse them not
Enemy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Hatred · Saints should: Not rejoice in the calamities of those who exhibit — Saints should: Not rejoice in the calamities of those who exhibit
Integrity · 16:19,20; — 16:19,20;
Malice · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies: See Prov 24:17-18; cp. 2 Sam 16:5-8. • Cursing anyone violated the spirit of the sixth commandment (Deut 5:17; see Matt 5:21-22). • It was against God’s will to ask for revenge (Matt 5:43-44; Rom 12:14; Jas 3:6-10; 1 Pet 3:9).
Rashi on Job 31:30
but I did not allow my palate to sin to provoke my enemy and to sue him for money that he does not owe me, in order to adjure him and to ask for the soul of my enemy with an oath.
