Bible Commentaries
Job 31

Verse 1

Proverbs 6:25; Matthew 5:28;

Not to look upon a woman, and wantonly gaze at her beauty, lest his heart should be drawn thereby to lust after her; for the eyes are inlets to many sins, and particularly to uncleanness, of which there have been instances, both in bad men and good men, Genesis 34:2; - Gill

why then should I think upon a maid; -- of corrupting and defiling her, since he had made a covenant with his eyes, and this would be a breach of that covenant: and therefore, besides the sin of lusting after her, or of corrupting her, he would be a covenant breaker, and so his sin would be an aggravated one:- Gill

Verse 2

This question he himself answers in the following verse, and says, that he could have expected only destruction from the Almighty.

Verse 3

Is not destruction to the wicked? -- That is, Job says that he was well aware that destruction would overtake the wicked, and that if he had given indulgence to impure desires he could have looked for nothing else.

Destruction is their portion, and a strange punishment, some extraordinary and dreadful judgment, - Poole

Verse 4

Doth he not see my ways? -- This either means that God was a witness of all that he did - his thoughts, words, and deeds, and would punish him if he had given indulgence to improper feelings and thoughts; or that since God saw all his thoughts, he could boldly appeal to him as a witness of his innocence in this matter, and in proof that his life and heart were pure

Verse 5

“Falsehood” or vanity, are here treated as persons; with the one Job denies that he has “walked,” i. e. - CBSC

He had never, on seeing an opportunity where others might be defrauded, hastened to embrace it. - BN