JobChapter 31

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I made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a young woman?

For what portion would I have from God above, what inheritance from the Almighty on high?

Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do evil?

Does he not see my ways and count my every step?

If I have walked with falsehood, or my foot has hurried after deceit—

let God weigh me on honest scales; then he will know my integrity.

If my steps have turned aside from the way, if my heart has followed my eyes, or my hands have been stained with wrong,

then let another eat what I sow, and let my crops be uprooted.

If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

then let my wife grind grain for another, and let other men lie with her.

For that would be a shameful act, a sin to be judged by the courts.

It is a fire that burns all the way to destruction, tearing up all my harvest by the roots.

If I have denied justice to my servant, whether man or woman, when they had a grievance against me,

what would I do when God confronts me? What would I answer when he calls me to account?

Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us both there?

If I have withheld from the poor what they needed, or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

if I have eaten my bread alone and shared none of it with the fatherless—

but from my youth I reared him as a father would, and from my birth I guided the widow—

if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without a garment,

and his body did not bless me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,

if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing I had influence in the gate,

then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.

For I lived in dread of calamity from God, and before his majesty I could not have stood.

If I have put my trust in gold, or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'

if I have gloried in my great wealth, in the fortune my hands had gained,

if I have looked at the sun in its brilliance, or the moon moving in splendor,

so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand blew them a kiss,

that too would be a sin to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God above.

If I have rejoiced at my enemy's ruin, or gloated over the trouble that found him—

no, I never let my mouth sin by calling down a curse on his life.

Have the men of my household not said, 'Who has not been filled with Job's meat?'

No stranger ever spent the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler.

If I have concealed my sin as others do, hiding my guilt in my heart [footnote: Or 'as Adam did'; the Hebrew term can mean either 'humankind' or the name Adam.]

because I feared the crowd and dreaded the contempt of the clans, so that I kept silent and would not go outside—

Oh, that someone would hear me! Here is my signature—let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out his indictment.

Surely I would wear it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me like a crown.

I would give him an account of my every step; like a prince I would approach him.

If my land has cried out against me and its furrows have wept together,

if I have consumed its yield without payment and broken the spirit of its tenants,

then let thorns come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

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Summary2

Chapter 31

Main Theme: Job makes a solemn declaration of innocence in the form of conditional curses to prove his righteousness before God.

Content: Job begins with his covenant with his eyes regarding sexual purity and then reviews various areas of life where he asserts his innocence: he has treated servants fairly, helped the poor, widows, and orphans, avoided idolatry and greed, and shown hospitality to strangers. Throughout the chapter, he uses the oath formula "if I have done this, let a curse come upon me." The chapter concludes with Job's challenge to God to answer him and his desire for a written indictment.

Key Words/Images:

Covenant with my eyes (v.1): Job committed himself not to look at a virgin with lust – symbolizing inner moral discipline.
The scales of righteousness (v.6): Job asks to be weighed on the scale of righteousness – an image of God's righteous judgment.
Conditional curses (אִם-formula): A recurring structure in which Job calls down punishment upon himself if he has sinned – a legal oath form.
Indictment (v.35): Job desires a written document from his accuser – expressing a longing for a fair trial with God.

Historical context

Events and Customs

Job 31 presents a detailed "purity code" or negative confession, in which Job declares his innocence by listing sins he has not committed. This form has parallels in Egyptian religious practice, particularly chapter 125 of the "Book of the Dead," where the deceased makes a similar negative confession before the gods. Job's oath covers sexual purity (vv. 1, 9–12), honesty in business dealings (vv. 5–6), fair treatment of servants (vv. 13–15), care for the poor and vulnerable (vv. 16–23), rejection of idolatry (vv. 24–28), and hospitality (vv. 31–32). The structure with "if I have done this… let this happen to me" follows a well-known oath pattern from ancient Near Eastern legal practice.

Key Terms

The word תָּו (tav, v. 35) is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and in antiquity was written as a cross or an X mark. Job sets his "tav"—his signature or mark confirming the truth of the oath—and asks that the Almighty answer him. This reflects a practice where illiterate people made a mark instead of signing legal documents. The phrase עָוֺן פְּלִילִים (avon pelilim, vv. 11, 28) means "a sin before judges"—that is, an offense requiring legal action, not merely moral condemnation. The expression יִשְׁקְלֵנִי בְמֹאזְנֵי־צֶדֶק ("weigh me on scales of justice," v. 6) alludes to the widespread ancient Near Eastern belief in a divine weighing of human deeds.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Verses 26–28, concerning sun and moon worship, reflect a common practice in the ancient Middle East. The gesture where "the hand kisses the mouth" (v. 27: וַתִּשַּׁק יָדִי לְפִי) likely describes an act of worship directed toward heavenly bodies—an expression of reverence and devotion. Archaeological finds from Mesopotamia and Canaan show extensive astral cults. Job's explicit rejection of this places his faith in contrast to surrounding religions and underscores monotheistic piety. The verses on agricultural ethics (vv. 38–40)—that the land itself "cries out" if it has been unjustly acquired—reflect ancient Near Eastern ideas that land and property had a sacred dimension tied to family and justice.

People

No known people in this chapter.

Key words7

Righteousness — Acting in accordance with moral principles and ethics, and treating others fairly.
Covenant — An agreement or commitment between two parties, often used in a religious context to describe the relationship between God and humanity.
Purity of heart — An inner state of moral purity and sincerity, free from evil and sin.
Honesty — Being truthful and sincere in word and deed, without deceiving or hiding the truth.
Self-reflection — The process of thinking critically about oneself, one's actions and motives, to evaluate one's own character and behavior.
Wisdom — The ability to use knowledge and experience to make good decisions and act wisely.
God's punishment — The consequences God gives people for their sins and unjust actions, often to teach them a lesson or guide them.