Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 31:27

And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

27. or my mouth hath kissed my hand ] lit. and my hand hath kissed my mouth. The meaning is, if his hand touched his mouth “in order to wave the homage of the lips towards the object of adoration” (Con.). Pliny (quoted in Del.) says, Inter adorandum dexteram ad osculum referimus et totum corpus circumagimus. The worship of the heavenly bodies was widely spread in the East and in Arabia. The remarkable passage, Jer 44:17 seq., shews that before the Exile worship of the “queen of heaven” had long been practised among all classes and in all the towns of Israel; comp. Eze 8:16.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

And my heart hath been secretly enticed – That is, away from God, or led into sin.

Or my mouth hath kissed my hand – Margin, my hand hath kissed my mouth. The margin accords with the Hebrew. It was customary in ancient worship to kiss the idol that was worshipped; compare 1Ki 19:18, I have left me seven thousand in Israel – and every mouth which hath not kissed him. See, also, Hos 13:2. The Muslims at the present day, in their worship at Mecca, kiss the black stone which is fastened in the corner of the Beat Allah, as often as they pass it, in going round the Caaba. If they cannot come near enough to kiss it, they touch it with the hand, and kiss that. An Oriental pays his respects to one of a superior station by kissing his hand and putting it to his forehead. Paxton. See the custom of kissing the hand of a Prince, as it exists in Arabia, described by Niebuhr, Reisebeschreib. 1, S. 414. The custom prevailed, also, among the Romans and Greeks. Thus, Pliny (Hist. Nat. 28:2) says, Inter adorandum dexterarm ad osculum referimus, et totum corpus circumagimus. So Lucian in the book, peri orcheseos, says, And the Indians, rising early, adore the sun – not as we, kissing the hand – ten cheira kusantes – think that our vow is perfect. The foundation of the custom here alluded to, is the respect and affection which is shown for one by kissing; and as the heavenly bodies which were worshipped were so remote that the worshippers could not have access to them, they expressed their veneration by kissing the hand. Job means to say, that he had never performed an act of homage to the heavenly bodies.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Secretly; in my inward thoughts or affections, whilst I made open profession of my adherence to God and to the true religion. Enticed, or seduced, or deceived, by its plausible and glorious appearance, which might easily cheat a credulous and inconsiderate person to believe that there was something of a divinity in it, and so induce him to worship it. This emphatical expression seems to be used with design to teach the world this necessary and useful truth, that no mistake or error of mind would excuse the practice of idolatry. Or my mouth, Heb. and my mouth, which seems more proper here, because the secret error of the mind, without some such visible action and evidence as here follows, had not been punishable by the judges.

Kissed my hand, in token of worship; whereof this was a sign, whether given to men, as Gen 41:40; Psa 2:12, or to idols, 1Ki 19:18; Hos 13:2. And when the idols were out of the reach of idolaters, that they could not kiss them, they used to kiss their hands, and, as it were, to throw kisses at them; of which we have many examples in heathen writers; of which see my Latin Synopsis on this place.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

27. enticedaway from God toidolatry.

kissed . . .hand“adoration,” literally means this. Inworshipping they used to kiss the hand, and then throw the kiss, asit were, towards the object of worship (1Ki 19:18;Hos 13:2).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

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, Eze 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, 1Ki 19:18. Kissing is used to signify the religious veneration, homage, and worship of a divine Person, the Son of God, Ps 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 comments on Ho 13:2]. Job denies that he had been guilty of such idolatry, either secretly or openly.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

27. Mouth kissed hand Literally, My hand hath kissed my mouth, as in the margin. “In the act of worship,” says Pliny, we “kiss the right hand, and turn the whole body to the right,” Job 28:2; Job 28:5; also Job 11:45. Worshippers of the rising sun in Western Asia and Greece, according to Lucian, also kissed the hand to this luminary, “and then thought their adoration complete.” The act was expressive of affection for these objects.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 31:27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

Ver. 27. And my heart hath been secretly enticed ] sc. By the devil, who is , as, saith Synesius, a great promoter of idolatry; and probably had tempted good Job to this sin also; but was bravely repulsed. If I have done this secretly, saith he, that is, contrary to my open profession of sincere religion. See Deu 27:10 .

Or, my mouth hath kissed my hand ] An action of idolaters, who kissed their idols that were present, 1Ki 19:18 Hos 13:2 (as the Papists now do their idols, even to the wearing of hardest marble), and to those which were further from them, they held out their hand, and afterwards did put it to their mouth; as an acknowledgment that they had their life and breath from them, saith Diodati, as a sign of subjection, saith Piscator, from Gen 41:40 Psa 2:12 , “Kiss the Son,” sc. with a kiss of homage, such as wherewith Samuel kissed Saul, 1Sa 10:1 . And Plutarch saith (in Caton. Uticens.), that not to all, but to some special chief commanders, and generals, it was granted among the Romans, That the hand should be kissed before them by way of honour; and this was called adorare, quasi applicare manum ad os. That saying of Bernard (In Cantic. serm. iv.) is worthy of inserting, Qui in se, non in Domino gloriatur, manum suam osculatur; He that glories in himself, and not in the Lord, kisseth his own hand, and is, interpretative, an idolater.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

my mouth hath kissed my hand: i.e. the outward sign of homage [to, or in worship, of the sun].

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

my heart: Deu 11:16, Deu 13:6, Isa 44:20, Rom 1:21, Rom 1:28

my mouth hath kissed my hand: Heb. my hand hath kissed my mouth, 1Ki 19:18, Psa 2:12, Hos 13:2

Reciprocal: Gen 41:40 – be ruled Deu 4:19 – when thou Deu 17:3 – the sun Jos 10:12 – Sun 2Ki 17:9 – secretly Eze 20:24 – their eyes Jam 1:14 – when

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

31:27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my {s} hand:

(s) If my own doings delighted me.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes