Job 31:27

27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

Job 31:27 in Other Translations

KJV
27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:
ESV
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand,
NLT
27 and been secretly enticed in my heart to throw kisses at them in worship?
MSG
27 That I let myself become seduced by them and worshiped them on the sly?
CSB
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and I threw them a kiss,

Job 31:27 Meaning and Commentary

Job 31:27

And mine heart hath been secretly enticed
Drawn away by beholding the magnitude of these bodies, the swiftness of their motion, their glorious appearance, and great usefulness to mankind, to entertain a thought of their being deities; and privately to worship them, in secret acts of devotion, as by an honourable esteem of them as such, reverence and affection for them, trust and confidence in them; for, as there is a secret worshipping of the true God, so there is a secret idolatry, idolatry in the heart, and setting up of idols there, as well as worshipping them in dark places, in chambers of imagery, as the Jews did, ( Ezekiel 8:12 ) ;

or my mouth hath kissed my hand;
idols used to be kissed by their votaries, in token of their veneration of them, and as expressive of their worship of them; so Baal and Jeroboam's calves were kissed by the worshippers of them, ( 1 Kings 19:18 ) ( Hosea 13:2 ) . Kissing is used to signify the religious veneration, homage, and worship of a divine Person, the Son of God, ( Psalms 2:12 ) ; and such deities especially that were out of the reach of their worshippers, as the sun, moon, and stars were, they used to put their hands to their mouths, and kiss them, in token of their worship; just as persons now, at a distance from each other, pay their civil respects to one another: instances of religious adoration of idols performed in this manner, (See Gill on Hosea 13:2). Job denies that he had been guilty of such idolatry, either secretly or openly.

Job 31:27 In-Context

25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained,
26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
28 then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him—

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Deuteronomy 11:16; S Job 24:15; James 1:14
  • 2. Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 16:11
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.