What is the meaning of Job 31:31?

if the men of my house

Job points first to the witnesses closest to him—his household.

• Family, servants, and guests all lived under his roof (Job 1:5).

• Like Abraham, who “command[ed] his children and his household after him” (Genesis 18:19), Job set the spiritual and ethical tone of his home.

• Integrity that is genuine always shows up where people see us at our most unguarded (Proverbs 20:7).

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have not said

Job appeals to their spoken testimony.

• Proverbs 27:2 encourages, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth,” and Job follows that principle.

• Paul maintained the same concern that “no one should be able to discredit us” (2 Corinthians 8:21).

• The claim is measurable: either the household vouched for Job’s generosity or they did not; Job is confident they would.

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Who is there

The rhetorical question throws the net as wide as possible.

• It includes servants, travelers, widows, orphans—anyone crossing Job’s threshold (Job 31:16–20).

• Hospitality was a hallmark of righteousness: see Hebrews 13:2, where believers are urged to entertain strangers.

• The Old Testament consistently commands openness to the needy (Deuteronomy 15:7-8). Job’s life mirrored that command.

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who has not had his fill?

The answer, of course, is “no one.”

• Job gave until needs were completely met, echoing Isaiah 58:7—“Share your bread with the hungry….”

• Psalm 107:9 declares God “satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things”; Job imitated his Lord.

• Generosity that satisfies recalls Jesus’ promise, “Give, and it will be given to you… running over” (Luke 6:38).

• By ensuring fullness rather than mere survival, Job fulfilled the spirit of James 2:15-16, which rebukes sending the needy away unfed.

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summary

Job 31:31 is the sworn testimony that every person under Job’s roof, whether resident or passing through, left fully supplied. Those closest to him would readily confirm it. In his final defense, Job points to a lifelong pattern of wholehearted hospitality that reflects God’s own generous heart and stands as living proof of his integrity.