Job 31:10
New International Version
then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her.

New Living Translation
then let my wife serve another man; let other men sleep with her.

English Standard Version
then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down on her.

Berean Standard Bible
then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her.

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

New King James Version
Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her.

New American Standard Bible
May my wife grind grain for another, And let others kneel down over her.

NASB 1995
May my wife grind for another, And let others kneel down over her.

NASB 1977
May my wife grind for another, And let others kneel down over her.

Legacy Standard Bible
May my wife grind for another, And let others kneel down over her.

Amplified Bible
Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man], And let others kneel down over her.

Christian Standard Bible
let my own wife grind grain for another man, and let other men sleep with her.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
let my own wife grind grain for another man, and let other men sleep with her.

American Standard Version
Then let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her.

Contemporary English Version
then let some stranger steal my wife from me.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
[then] let my wife grind for another [man], and let other [men] kneel over her.

Good News Translation
then let my wife cook another man's food and sleep in another man's bed.

International Standard Version
then let my wife cook for another person and may someone else sleep with her,

Majority Standard Bible
then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her.

NET Bible
then let my wife turn the millstone for another man, and may other men have sexual relations with her.

New Heart English Bible
then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down upon her.

World English Bible
then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Let my wife grind to another, "" And let others bend over her.

Young's Literal Translation
Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

Smith's Literal Translation
My wife shall grind for another, and others shall bow down upon her.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let my wife be the harlot of another, and let other men lie with her.

Catholic Public Domain Version
then let my wife be the harlot of another, and let other men lean over her.

New American Bible
Then may my wife grind for another, and may others kneel over her!

New Revised Standard Version
then let my wife grind for another, and let other men kneel over her.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then let my wife grind for another, and let her bake bread at another man's place,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Unless my wife has ground meal for others and she has baked in another place
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
then let my wife also please another, and let my children be brought low.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job's Final Appeal
9If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door, 10then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her. 11For that would be a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.…

Cross References
Proverbs 5:15-20
Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. / Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? / Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. ...

Proverbs 6:32-35
He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. / Wounds and dishonor will befall him, and his reproach will never be wiped away. / For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance. ...

Proverbs 7:21-23
With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him. / He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap, / until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.

Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.

Leviticus 20:10
If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ / But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 19:9
Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Mark 10:11-12
So He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. / And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Luke 16:18
Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Romans 7:2-3
For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. / So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 7:10-11
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. / But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

James 4:4
You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.


Treasury of Scripture

Then let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down on her.

grind

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.

Isaiah 47:2
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

Matthew 24:41
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

and let

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.

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.

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…

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Job 31
1. Job makes a solemn protestation of his integrity in several duties














then may my own wife
In this phrase, Job is expressing a conditional curse upon himself, should he be guilty of the sins he denies. The Hebrew word for "wife" here is "אִשָּׁה" (ishah), which signifies not just a spouse but a partner in covenant. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a wife was integral to the household's honor and stability. Job's invocation of his wife in this self-imposed curse underscores the gravity of his integrity; he is willing to risk the most sacred relationship in his life to affirm his innocence.

grind grain for another
The act of grinding grain was traditionally a task for women in ancient households, symbolizing domestic duty and provision. The Hebrew root "טָחַן" (tahan) means to grind or crush, often associated with servitude or subjugation. Job's use of this imagery suggests a reversal of roles and a loss of status, implying that his wife would be reduced to serving another household if he were guilty. This reflects the cultural understanding of honor and shame, where one's actions could bring disgrace upon the entire family.

and may other men
The phrase "other men" introduces the idea of outsiders or strangers, which in the Hebrew context often carried connotations of threat or dishonor. The presence of "אֲחֵרִים" (acherim) in this context highlights the severity of the curse Job is willing to pronounce upon himself. It underscores the societal norms where the intrusion of other men into one's household was seen as a profound violation and a source of shame.

sleep with her
The Hebrew verb "שָׁכַב" (shakab) means to lie down, often used euphemistically for sexual relations. In the cultural and scriptural context, this phrase indicates a deep breach of marital fidelity and honor. Job's invocation of such a curse is a testament to his confidence in his righteousness. It reflects the biblical principle that marital faithfulness is sacred, and any violation thereof is a serious offense. Job's willingness to invoke such a dire consequence upon himself if found guilty speaks to his unwavering commitment to integrity and righteousness before God and man.

(10) Then let my wife grind--i.e., perform all menial offices, like a slave.

Verse 10. - Then let my wife grind unto another; i.e. "let the wife of my bosom be brought so low as to be compelled to do the servile work of grinding the corn in the household of another woman." The condition of the female slaves who ground the corn was regarded as the lowest point in domestic slavery (see Exodus 11:5; Isaiah 47:2). And let others bow down upon her. Let them, i.e., claim the master's right, and reduce her to the extremest degradation There would be a just nemesis in this punishment of an adulterer (see 2 Samuel 12:11).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
then may my own wife
אִשְׁתִּ֑י (’iš·tî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

grind grain
תִּטְחַ֣ן (tiṭ·ḥan)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2912: To grind meal, to be a, concubine

for another,
לְאַחֵ֣ר (lə·’a·ḥêr)
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 312: Hinder, next, other

and may other men
אֲחֵרִֽין׃ (’ă·ḥê·rîn)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 312: Hinder, next, other

sleep
יִכְרְע֥וּן (yiḵ·rə·‘ūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 3766: To bend the knee, to sink, to prostrate

with her.
וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ (wə·‘ā·le·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Poetry: Job 31:10 Then let my wife grind for another (Jb)
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