Job 31:9

If mine heart have been deceived by a woman,.... By another man's wife, by wantonly looking at her beauty, and so lusting after her; and so, not through any blame or fault of hers, or by any artful

If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door; Job asserts his innocence of adultery. Deceived - hath let itself be seduced (Proverbs 7:8, etc.; Genesis 39:7-12).

By a woman, to wit, by a strange woman, or rather by my neighbour’ s wife, as the next words limit it; for of a maid he spoke before, , and this cannot be meant of his own wife. He saith, by a woman, i.e. either by gazing upon her beauty, so as to be enamoured with it, and to lust after her; or by her persuasions or allurements. Or, concerning a woman, i.e. concerning impure conversation with a forbidden woman. The phrase is very emphatical, taking from himself and others the vain excuses wherewith men use to palliate their sins, by pretending that they did not design the wickedness, but were merely drawn in and seduced by the strong enticements and provocations of others; all which Job supposeth, and yet nevertheless owns the great guilt of such practices even in that case, as well knowing that temptation to sin is no justification of it. Laid wait at my neighbour’ s door; watching for a fit opportunity to defile his wife. Compare Proverbs 7 Proverbs 9.

Job 31:9 If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or [if] I have laid wait at my neighbour’ s door;Ver. 9. If my heart hath been deceived by a woman] By a female sinner, as they call such, a strange woman (as the Scripture), whose lips are snares, whose hands are bands, whose words are cords to draw a man in, as an ox to the slaughter, Proverbs 7:21, whose face is as a glass, wherein while larks gaze they are taken in a day net ( τηδ, Hinc πειθω, persuadeo). Here Job disavoweth and disclaimeth the sin of adultery, purging himself, as it were, by oath, as before he had done of fornication, and of wrong dealing. These sins he reckoneth up, either as they came to mind, or else in such order as men are many times tempted to them. Young people are prone to fornication; Job, when young, had kept himself clear from that iniquity. When men have got some years over their heads, and are entered into the world, as they call it, they usually grow greedy and gripple; they are set upon it, and will be rich, however they come by it. Job was none such either, Job 31:5; Job 31:7. Afterwards, when married, they are sick of a pleurisy; and as the devil, who sets them to work, they long to be sowing another man’ s ground, Matthew 13:25. The temptation to fornication is strong, but to adultery stronger, Adulterium quasi ad alterius torum. God doth often punish fornication, unrepented of, with strong and vexing honings and hankerings after strange flesh. But Job either was never troubled in this way; or else, when the temptation came, he was sure to be ever out of the way. The devil’ s fire fell upon wet tinder; and if he knocked at Job’ s door, there was no one at home to look out at the window and let him in; for he considered the punishment both human, Job 31:11, and divine, Job 31:12, due to this great wickedness. Or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’ s door] Either as waiting the opportunity of his absence, as Proverbs 7:19, or as insinuating myself into her familiarity, while she was standing in her door. Of the Italian women one giveth this character, That though witty in speech, and modest in outward appearance, yet they are magpies at the door, goats in the garden, devils in the house, angels in the streets, and syrens in the windows. Job’ s heart was not deceived by any such; neither sought he to defraud his brother in any such matter, 1 Thessalonians 4:5-6.

Verse 9. If mine heart have been deceived by a woman] The Septuagint add, ανδροςετερου, another man's wife.

1–12. Job clears himself of cherishing or yielding to sensuous desires. This idea is pursued through a series of instances; (1) simple desire, excited by the eye, Job 31:1-4; (2) actual yielding to such desire in word or deed, Job 31:5-8; (3) the grossest form of sensual sin, Job 31:9-12.

If mine heart have been deceived by a woman - If I have been enticed by her beauty. The word rendered “deceived” פתה pâthâh means to open, to expand.

Second strophe — Job affirms that he has practised righteousness in all the relationships of life; and at the same time protests, first, with contempt and detestation, that he had never been