Job 31:1 Meaning and Explanation
“I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Job opens his final defense by recalling a binding agreement he made with his own eyes not to look lustfully upon a young woman.
What Does Job 31:1 Mean?
Job has finished answering his three friends, and now he lays out a long, solemn account of how he has lived. He begins not with public deeds but with the most private discipline of all: what he allows his eyes to do. A 'covenant with mine eyes' is a firm, self-imposed vow to guard his gaze.
Job traces sin back before the act, to the look and the thought that feed it. He treats purity as a matter of the inner life, not merely outward behavior. This anticipates the teaching of Jesus, who said that to look on another with lust is already to sin in the heart. True righteousness, then and now, begins where no human eye can follow — in the secret governing of desire.
Job 31:1 in the Original Language
berit (בְּרִית), 'covenant' -- a binding agreement or solemn pledge, here made by Job with his own eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 31:1
What does Job 31:1 mean?
Job opens his final defense by recalling a binding agreement he made with his own eyes not to look lustfully upon a young woman.