Job 31:38
If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
Original Language Analysis
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
1 of 7
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
עָ֭לַי
H5921
עָ֭לַי
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
2 of 7
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
תִזְעָ֑ק
cry
H2199
תִזְעָ֑ק
cry
Strong's:
H2199
Word #:
4 of 7
to shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly
Historical Context
Ancient Israelite theology connected land fertility with covenantal obedience (Deuteronomy 28). Job's oath predates Mosaic law but reflects universal principles: land ownership involves ethical responsibility. Ancient Near Eastern texts occasionally personified land, but Job's formulation uniquely ties agricultural justice to divine judgment. His claim addresses whether he acquired or worked land through oppression, theft, or exploitation.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Job's environmental ethic challenge modern attitudes toward land use and creation stewardship?
- In what ways might 'the land cry out' against contemporary agricultural and economic practices?
- What does it mean practically to exercise dominion over creation in a way that honors God and blesses the earth?
Analysis & Commentary
If my land cry against me (אִם־עָלַי אַדְמָתִי תִזְעָק, 'im-'alay 'admati tiz'aq)—Job invokes the land itself as witness to his conduct. The verb za'aq (cry out) is the same used of Abel's blood crying from the ground (Genesis 4:10) and Israel crying under Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3:7). The land 'crying' against someone implies violent injustice that Creation itself protests. The furrows likewise thereof complain (וּתְלָמֶיהָ יַחַד יִבְכָּיוּן, ut'lameha yachad yivkayun)—telem means furrow or ridge; bakah means weep, showing agricultural land personified as witness to ethical behavior.
This profound ecological theology recognizes that land itself responds to human righteousness or wickedness. Leviticus 18:25 warns that land 'vomits out' inhabitants who defile it. Romans 8:19-22 speaks of creation groaning, awaiting redemption. Job claims his stewardship has been so just that even the soil would testify in his favor. This anticipates environmental ethics rooted in covenant faithfulness—the land prospers under righteous governance and suffers under exploitation.