Job 21:10
in Job 21Their bulls breed without fail; their cows bear calves and do not miscarry.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
KJV
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.
⋯
This verse in Job 21
Commentary
8 notes on this verseVer. 10. Their ox conceiveth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and loseth not her calf. It is the usage of common talk to call 'ox' masculine, and 'cow' feminine, but literary phraseology designates 'ox' of the common gender. Hence it is now said, Their ox conceiveth, and faileth not; their cow calveth, and loseth not her calf.
This site's exposition
Their bulls breed without fail
on Job 21:10-11
The picture turns to increase without loss: "Their bulls breed without fail; their cows bear calves and do not miscarry". Gill reads the verses as chosen because they mirror the picture of Job's house in chapter 1, now enjoyed by men his friends call wicked.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Since you believe to be wise and to know the reason why I suffer these afflictions, now answer my question. Why does it happen that very often many impious persons reach an old age in their wealth?… Their fields produce large crops, and they are …
The Medieval Church1 voice
He speaks then about the increase of their goods, since their goods are not barren, nor are they deprived of their fruit. He clearly shows this in the species "ox," for the ancients were very partial to oxen for use in agriculture. Thus he says, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Their cattle increase, and they meet with no disappointment in them; not so much as a cow casts her calf, and then their much must needs grow more. This is promised, Exod. xxiii. 14 . [4.] They are merry and live a jovial life (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Their bull gendereth, and faileth not,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Their bull gendereth - עבר ibbar, passes over, i.e., on the cow, referring to the actions of the bull when coupling with the female. Their flocks multiply greatly, they bring forth in time, and none of them is barren.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Their bull gendereth - See Rosenmuller and Lee on this verse; comp Bochart, Hieroz. P. 1, Lib. ii. c. xxx. The general idea is, that the wicked were prospered as well as the pious. God did not interpose by a miracle to cut off their cattle, and to prevent their becoming rich.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שׁוֹר֣וֹ | shoro | bull his | H7794 → | 79 times |
| עִ֭בַּר | ʾibar | it impregnates | H5674 → | 556 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַגְעִ֑ל | yagil | it fails | H1602 → | |
| תְּפַלֵּ֥ט | tefalet | it calves | H6403 → | |
| פָּ֝רָת֗וֹ | parato | cow his | H6510 → | |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תְשַׁכֵּֽל׃ | teshakel | it miscarries | H7921 → |
שׁוֹר֣וֹbull his
shoroH7794 →79 times
עִ֭בַּרit impregnates
ʾibarH5674 →556 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יַגְעִ֑לit fails
yagilH1602 →
תְּפַלֵּ֥טit calves
tefaletH6403 →
פָּ֝רָת֗וֹcow his
paratoH6510 →
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
תְשַׁכֵּֽל׃it miscarries
teshakelH7921 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 23:26No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:4
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, as well as the produce of your land and the offspring of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 7:14
You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock.
- Job 5:26
You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
- Isaiah 65:20
No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails…
- Psalms 144:13
Our storehouses will be full, supplying all manner of produce; our flocks will bring forth thousands, tens of thousands in our fields.
- Deuteronomy 28:4
Through
Deuteronomy 28:11The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 30:9
So the LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land.…
- Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.
- Deuteronomy 30:9
Through
Luke 16:19Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 16:49
Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.
- Ezekiel 16:49
About Job
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XV; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Olympiodorus of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON JOB 21:6-14 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.