# Job 31 đ: Job's Final Defense
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
## Job Vindicates Himself
[[#Verse 01.]] âI made a covenant with my eyes;
how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin?
[[#Verse 02.]]Â What then would be oneâs lot from God above,
oneâs heritage from the Almighty on high?
[[#Verse 03.]]Â Is it not misfortune for the unjust,
and disaster for those who work iniquity?
[[#Verse 04.]]Â Does he not see my ways
and count all my steps?
[[#Verse 05.]] If I have walked in falsehood,
and if my foot has hastened to deceitâ
[[#Verse 06.]] let him weigh me with honest scales;
then God will discover my integrity.
[[#Verse 07.]]Â If my footsteps have strayed from the way,
if my heart has gone after my eyes,
or if anything has defiled my hands,
[[#Verse 08.]] then let me sow and let another eat,
and let my crops be uprooted.
[[#Verse 09.]]Â If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
and I have lain in wait at my neighborâs door,
[[#Verse 10.]] then let my wife turn the millstone for another man,
and may other men commit adultery with her.
[[#Verse 11.]] For I would have committed a shameful act,
an iniquity to be judged.
[[#Verse 12.]]Â For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction,
and it would uproot all my harvest.
[[#Verse 13.]]Â âIf I have disregarded the right of my male servants
or my female servants
when they disputed with me,
[[#Verse 14.]]Â then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment;
when he intervenes,
how will I respond to him?
[[#Verse 15.]]Â Did not the one who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us in the womb?
[[#Verse 16.]]Â If I have refused to give the poor what they desired,
or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
[[#Verse 17.]]Â If I ate my morsel of bread myself,
and did not share any of it with orphansâ
[[#Verse 18.]] but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father,
and from my motherâs womb I guided the widowâ
[[#Verse 19.]]Â If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing,
or a poor man without a coat,
[[#Verse 20.]]Â whose heart did not bless me
as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
[[#Verse 21.]] if I have raised my hand to vote against the orphan,
when I saw my support in the court,
[[#Verse 22.]] then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let my arm be broken off at the socket.
[[#Verse 23.]]Â For the calamity from God was a terror to me,
and by reason of his majesty I was powerless.
[[#Verse 24.]]Â âIf I have put my confidence in gold
or said to pure gold,
âYou are my security!â
[[#Verse 25.]]Â if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth,
or because of the great wealth my hand had gained,
[[#Verse 26.]] if I looked at the sun when it was shining,
and the moon advancing as a precious thing,
[[#Verse 27.]]Â so that my heart was secretly enticed,
and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth,
[[#Verse 28.]] then this also would be iniquity to be judged,
for I would have been false to God above.
[[#Verse 29.]] If I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy
or exulted because calamity found himâ
[[#Verse 30.]] I have not even permitted my mouth to sin
by asking for his life through a curseâ
[[#Verse 31.]] if the members of my household have never said,
âIf only there were someone
who has not been satisfied from Jobâs meat!ââ
[[#Verse 32.]] But no stranger had to spend the night outside,
for I opened my doors to the travelerâ
[[#Verse 33.]] if I have covered my transgressions as men do,
by hiding iniquity in my heart,
[[#Verse 34.]] because I was terrified of the great multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I remained silent
and would not go outdoorsâ
[[#Verse 35.]] âIf only I had someone to hear me! Here is my signatureâ let the Almighty answer me! If only I had an indictment that my accuser had written.
[[#Verse 36.]] Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder, I would bind it on me like a crown;
[[#Verse 37.]] I would give him an accounting of my steps; like a prince I would draw near to him.
[[#Verse 38.]] âIf my land cried out against me and all its furrows wept together,
[[#Verse 39.]] if I have eaten its produce without paying, or caused the death of its owners,
[[#Verse 40.]] then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat, and in place of barley, noxious weeds.â The words of Job are ended.
### Jobâs Appeal
35 âIf only I had someone to hear me!
Here is my signatureâ
let the Almighty answer me!
If only I had an indictment
that my accuser had written.
36 Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder,
I would bind it on me like a crown;
37Â I would give him an accounting of my steps;
like a prince I would draw near to him.
### Jobâs Final Solemn Oath
38Â âIf my land cried out against me
and all its furrows wept together,
39Â if I have eaten its produce without paying,
or caused the death of its owners,
40Â then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat,
and in place of barley, noxious weeds.â The words of Job are ended.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
###### Verse 29.
###### Verse 30.
###### Verse 31.
###### Verse 32.
###### Verse 33.
###### Verse 34.
###### Verse 35.
###### Verse 36.
###### Verse 37.
###### Verse 38.
###### Verse 39.
###### Verse 40.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The chapter is a series of "if I have... then let..." oaths, a form of self-curse used in ancient legal settings.
2. Job's covenant with his eyes (31:1) anticipates Jesus' teaching on lust in the heart (Matthew 5:28).
3. Job asks to be weighed on honest scales (31:6). Ancient Egyptian texts also pictured a person's heart being weighed in judgment.
4. Job's statement that God made both master and servant (31:13-15) was a remarkable view of human dignity in the ancient world.
5. Job answers the specific charges Eliphaz made about the poor, the widow, and the orphan (22:6-9; 31:16-22).
6. Kissing one's hand toward the sun or moon (31:26-27) was an ancient gesture of worship to heavenly bodies.
7. Job opened his door to travelers (31:32). Hospitality was a central virtue in the ancient Near East (Genesis 18:1-8).
8. In 31:33, the Hebrew word *adam* can mean "humanity" or "Adam," possibly recalling Adam hiding in the garden (Genesis 3:8-10).
9. "Here is my signature" (31:35) is literally "here is my *taw*," the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which in ancient script looked like an X or cross-shaped mark.
10. "The words of Job are ended" (31:40). Job speaks again only briefly when he answers God (40:3-5; 42:1-6).
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the only One who could truly pass every test of innocence Job lists. Jesus committed no sin (1 Peter 2:22), and He gives His righteousness to all who trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman (31:1). What practical boundaries help guard your heart today (Matthew 5:28)?
2. Job says the same God who made him made his servants (31:13-15). How should that truth shape the way we treat people who work for or under us?
3. Job refused to hide his sin like others do (31:33). Why is it so tempting to hide sin instead of confessing it?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 1: Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.
- đ verse 15: The God who made Job in the womb also made his servants.
- đ verse 35: Job signs his defense and asks the Almighty to answer him.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Matthew 05#Verse 27.|Matthew 5:27-28]] - Lust in the heart is adultery.
- đ [[1 Peter 02#Verse 22.|1 Peter 2:22]] - Jesus committed no sin.
- đ [[2 Corinthians 05#Verse 21.|2 Corinthians 5:21]] - We become the righteousness of God in Him.
- đ [[Proverbs 11#Verse 01.|Proverbs 11:1]] - The Lord hates dishonest scales.
- đ [[Hebrews 13#Verse 02.|Hebrews 13:2]] - Do not neglect hospitality to strangers.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Job 31 - SOAP|Be Your Own Accountability Partner]]
## đ Internal Notes