King James Version

Job 31:1

I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

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Hebrew

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בְּ֭רִיתberitconfederacyבְּרִיתnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “confederacy”, the ordinary formH1285a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh)confederacy, (con-) feder(-ate), covenant, league.כָּרַ֣תִּיkaraticovenantכָּרַתverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “covenant”, a completed actionH3772to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces)be chewed, be con-(feder-) ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league (covenant), [idiom] lose, perish, [idiom] utterly, [idiom] want.לְעֵינָ֑יleeynayto eye , , -sightעַיִןpreposition, noun, common, both genders, dual, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “to eye , , -sight”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5869an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)affliction, outward appearance, [phrase] before, [phrase] think best, colour, conceit, [phrase] be content, countenance, [phrase] displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, [phrase] favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), [idiom] him…וּמָ֥הumahand howמָהconjunction, particle, interrogative — “and how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.אֶ֝תְבּוֹנֵ֗ןetbonenunderstandבִּיןverb, hithpolel, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “understand”, an unfinished actionH995to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e.(generally) understandattend, consider, be cunning, diligently, direct, discern, eloquent, feel, inform, instruct, have intelligence, know, look well to, mark, perceive, be prudent, regard, (can) skill(-full), teach, think, (cause, make to, get, give, have) und…עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…בְּתוּלָֽהbetulahvirginבְּתוּלָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “virgin”, the ordinary formH1330a virgin (from her privacy); sometimes (by continuation) a bride; also (figuratively) a city or statemaid, virgin.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

I made a covenant with mine eyes; how then should I look upon a maid?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then should I look upon a virgin?

Young’s Literal Translation

A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?

World English Bible

“I made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

Darby Translation

I made a covenant with mine eyes; and how should I fix my regard upon a maid?

Douay-Rheims

I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

I made a covenant with mine eyes; how then should I look upon a maid?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

I made a covenant with mine eyes, and I will not think upon a virgin.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Διαθήκην ἐθέμην τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου, καὶ οὐ συνήσω ἐπὶ παρθένον.