Verse 40 is the imprecation, or curse, that Job places upon himself if he is guilty of the crimes in verses 38 and 39. It is appropriate that the curse apply to the land, which has been the subject in the final three verses.

Let thorns grow instead of wheat: in Genesis 3.18 God told Adam that the ground is cursed and that thorns and thistles would come from it; however, the words are different from the ones used here. The word translated thorns is rendered in 2 Kings 14.9 as “thorn bush” (Good News Translation) and in Isaiah 34.13 “thistles.” Wheat and barley were the most prized grain crops and occur together in Deuteronomy 8.8 and Joel 1.11.

And foul weeds instead of barley: the word translated foul weeds occurs only here in the Old Testament, but it is derived from the verb meaning “to have a bad odor.” There is little point in trying to be too specific in the translation of this term, unless there is a weed that commonly grows in uncultivated soil and has a bad odor. In languages in which wheat and barley are unknown, translators should follow the procedure suggested in 28.18.

The words of Job are ended: these words are in prose form. The reference is to all that Job has said in chapters 29–31. Job will speak again briefly in chapters 40 and 42. We may translate “Job has finished speaking” or “Job will not make any more speeches.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .