Job 31:27
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And my heart has been secretly enticed, or my mouth has kissed my hand:
American King James Version (AKJV)
And my heart has been secretly enticed, or my mouth has kissed my hand:
American Standard Version (ASV)
And my heart hath been secretly enticed, And my mouth hath kissed my hand:
Basic English Translation (BBE)
A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth;
Webster's Revision
And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:
World English Bible
and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
English Revised Version (ERV)
And my heart hath been secretly enticed, and my mouth hath kissed my hand:
Barnes's Job 31:27 Bible Commentary
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 1 Kings 19:18, "I have left me seven thousand in Israel - and every mouth which hath not kissed him." See, also, Hosea 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, περὶ ὀρχήτεως peri orchēseōs, says, "And the Indians, rising early, adore the sun - not as we, kissing the hand - τὴν χείρα κύσαντες tēn 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.
Wesley's Job 31:27 Bible Commentary
31:27 Kissed - In token of worship, whereof this was a sign.