Job 31 · Verse 10

Job 31:10

Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.
Job 31:10, King James Version

Job 31:10 in other translations

BSBthen may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her.
WEBthen let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.
ASVThen let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her.
YLTGrind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.
DARBYLet my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.
BBEThen let my wife give pleasure to another man and let others make use of her body.
WebsterThen let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down upon her.

What does Job 31:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 31:9-12

9-12. Job asserts his innocence of adultery. deceived--hath let itself be seduced (Pr 7:8; Ge 39:7-12). laid wait--until the husband went out.

Read the full comment on Job 31:9-12 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 10 Let my wife grind unto another - Let her work at the handmill, grinding corn; which was the severe work of the meanest slave. In this sense the passage is understood both by the Syriac and Arabic. See Exo 11:5 (note), and Isa 47:2 (note); and see at the end of the chapter, Isa 31:8 (note). And let others bow down upon her - Let her be in such a state as to have no command of her own person; her owner disposing of her person as he pleases. In Asiatic countries slaves were considered so absolutely the property of their owners, that they not only served themselves of them in the way of scortation and concubinage, but they were accustomed to accommodate their guests with them! Job is so conscious of his own innocence, that he is willing it should be put to the utmost proof; and if found guilty, that he may be exposed to the most distressing and humiliating punishment; even to that of being deprived of his goods, bereaved of his children, his wife made a slave, and subjected to all indignities in that state.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Job 31:9-15

All the defilements of the life come from a deceived heart. Lust is a fire in the soul: those that indulge it, are said to burn. It consumes all that is good there, and lays the conscience waste. It kindles the fire of God's wrath, which, if not quenched by the blood of Christ, will consume even to eternal destruction. It consumes the body; it consumes the substance. Burning lusts bring burning judgments. Job had a…

Read the full comment on Job 31:9-15 →

Job 31:10 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

תִּטְחַ֣ןtit.Chanlet her grindH2912
לְאַחֵ֣רle.'a.Cherfor anotherH312
אִשְׁתִּ֑י'ish.Tiwife myH802
וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָve.'a.Lei.haand over herH5921
יִכְרְע֥וּןyikh.re.'Unlet them bow down !H3766
אֲחֵרִֽין\׃'a.che.RinothersH312

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Job 31:10

  • Jeremiah 8:10

    Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

  • Deuteronomy 28:30

    Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

  • 2 Samuel 12:11

    Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

  • Isaiah 47:2

    Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

  • Exodus 11:5

    And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

  • Hosea 4:13-14

    They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.

  • Matthew 24:41

    Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
grind.
Ex 11:5; Isa 47:2; Mt 24:41
and let.
2Sa 12:11; Jer 8:10; Ho 4:13,14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Job 31:9

    If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;

  • Job 31:10

    Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

  • Job 31:11

    For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

Read all of Job 31

Job 31:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Muela para otro mi mujer, y sobre ella otros se encorven.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Que ma femme tourne la meule pour un autre, et que d’autres se penchent sur elle;
German
Elberfelder 1871		so möge mein Weib für einen anderen mahlen, und andere mögen sich über sie beugen!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		scortum alterius sit uxor mea, et super illam incurventur alii.