Job 31:40

“Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley, etc.] This is an imprecation of Job’s, in which he wishes that if what he had said was not true, or if he was guilty of the crimes he denied, that when and where he sowed wheat, thorns or thistles might come up instead of it, or tares, as some Jewish writers f1155 interpret it; and that when and where he should sow barley, cockle, or darnel, or any “stinking” or “harmful” weed f1156, as the word signifies, might spring up in room of it; respect seems to be had to the original curse upon the earth, and by the judgment of God is sometimes the case, that a fruitful land is turned into barrenness for the wickedness of them that…”

“thistles--or brambles, thorns. cockle--literally, "noxious weeds." The words . . . ended--that is, in the controversy with the friends. He spoke in the book afterwards, but not to them. At Job 31:37 would be the regular conclusion in strict art. But Job 31:38-40 are naturally added by one whose mind in agitation recurs to its sense of innocence, even after it has come to the usual stopping point; this takes away the appearance of rhetorical artifice. Hence the transposition by EICHORN of Job 31:38-40 to follow Job 31:25 is quite unwarranted. Next: Job Chapter 32”

“Let thistles grow; - Genesis 3:18. Thistles are valueless; and Job is so confident of entire innocence in regard to this, that he says he would be willing, if he were guilty, to have his whole land overrun with noxious weeds. And cockle - Cockle is a well known herb that gets into wheat or other grain. It has a bluish flower, and small black seed, and is injurious because it tends to discolor the flour. It is not certain by any means, however, that this is intended here. The margin is, noisome weeds. The Hebrew word באשׁה bo'shâh is from באשׁ bâ'ash, “to have a bad smell, to stink,” and was given to the weed here referred to on that account, compare Isaiah 34:3. The cockle however, has no…”

“31:40 let thistles grow: Job’s curse on himself echoed God’s primal curse on Adam (Gen 3:17-18; cp. Isa 7:25; Zeph 2:9).”

“thistles: Choach, probably the black thorn. (See note on Kg2 14:9.) Gen 3:17, Gen 3:18; Isa 7:23; Zep 2:9; Mal 1:3 cockle: or, noisome weeds The: Psa 72:20 Next: Job Chapter 32”