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Job 20:12
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- InternationalParallel Translations
Though evil tastes sweet in his mouthand he conceals it under his tongue,
"Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
"Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,
"Evil may taste sweet in their mouths, and they may hide it under their tongues.
"If evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue,
"Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue,
"Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,
When wickednesse was sweete in his mouth, and he hid it vnder his tongue,
"Though evil is sweet in his mouthAnd he hides it under his tongue,
Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
Sinners love the taste of sin; they relish every bite
"Wickedness may taste sweet in his mouth, he may savor and roll it around on his tongue,
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth [and] he hide it under his tongue,
"Evil tastes sweet in his mouth. He keeps it under his tongue to enjoy it fully.
Though his wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hide deceit under his tongue,
Evil tastes so good to them that they keep some in their mouths to enjoy its flavor. <
"Though wickedness tastes sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue,
Even if evil is sweet in his mouth (he hides it under his tongue,
Whe wickednesse is swete in his mouth, he hydeth it vnder his tonge.
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,
Though evil-doing is sweet in his mouth, and he keeps it secretly under his tongue;
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
Though wickednes be sweet in his mouth, though hee hide it vnder his tongue;
When wickednesse was sweete in his mouth, he hyd it vnder his tongue.
Though evil be sweet in his mouth, though he will hide it under his tongue;
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
For whanne yuel was swete in his mouth, he hidde it vndur his tunge.
Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, Though he hides it under his tongue,
Though wickedness may be sweet in his mouth, [though] he may hide it under his tongue;
"Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue,
"They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness, letting it melt under their tongue.
"Sin is sweet in his mouth. He hides it under his tongue.
"Though wickedness is sweet in their mouth, though they hide it under their tongues,
Though, a sweet taste in his mouth, be given by vice, though he hide it under his tongue;
For when evil shall be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue.
"Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,
Though he doth sweeten evil in his mouth, Doth hide it under his tongue,
"They savor evil as a delicacy, roll it around on their tongues, Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence— real gourmets of evil! But then they get stomach cramps, a bad case of food poisoning. They gag on all that rich food; God makes them vomit it up. They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison— a deadly diet—and it kills them. No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks. They spit out their food half-chewed, unable to relax and enjoy anything they've worked for. And why? Because they exploited the poor, took what never belonged to them.
"Though evil is sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
wickedness: Job 15:16, Genesis 3:6, Proverbs 9:17, Proverbs 9:18, Proverbs 20:17, Ecclesiastes 11:9
he hide: Psalms 10:7, Psalms 109:17, Psalms 109:18
Reciprocal: Genesis 27:42 - comfort himself 2 Samuel 11:6 - Send me 2 Samuel 12:16 - lay all night Proverbs 19:28 - the Ezekiel 7:19 - they shall not Acts 1:18 - with
Cross-References
Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai (later called Sarah), and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.
"Please tell them that you are my sister so that things will go well for me for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you."
Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,.... Which may respect some particular sin, and by the context it seems to be the sin of covetousness, or of getting riches in an unlawful way, which is very sweet and pleasing to wicked men, while they are in such pursuits that succeed; and so Mr. Broughton renders it by "wrong"; though it may be applied to sin in general, which is "wickedness", or an evil q, being contrary to the pure and holy nature, will, and law of God; and it is evil in its effects on men, it having deprived them of the image and glory of God, and exposed them to his wrath, to the curses of his law, and to eternal deaths. Now this is "sweet" to an unregenerate man, who minds and savours the things of the flesh, whose taste is not changed, but is as it was from his birth, and who calls sweet bitter, and bitter sweet; such a man has the same delight in sin as a man has in his food, drinks up iniquity like water, and commits sin with greediness; for it is natural to him, he is conceived, born, and brought up in it; besides, some sins are what are more particularly called constitution sins, which some are peculiarly addicted to, and in which they take a peculiar delight and pleasure; these are like the right hand or right eye, and they cannot be persuaded, at any rate, to part with them:
[though] he hide it under his tongue; not for the sake of concealing it, nor by denying, dissembling, or excusing it, but for the sake of enjoying more pleasure in it; as a gluttonous man, when he has got a sweet morsel in his mouth, do not let it go down his throat immediately, but rolls it under his tongue, that he may have all the pleasure of it he can; so a wicked man devises sin in his heart, keeps it on his mind, revolves it in his thoughts, and his meditation on it is sweet; and he is so far from hiding it from others, that he openly declares it, freely tells of it, and takes pleasure in so doing: "fools make a mock at sin"; it is their diversion and recreation.
q רעה "malum", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, &c.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth - Though he has pleasure in committing it, as he has in pleasant food. The sense of this and the following verses is, that though a man may have pleasure in indulgence in sin, and may find happiness of a certain kind in it, yet that the consequences will be bitter - as if the food which he ate should become like gall, and he should cast it up with loathing. There are many sins which, from the laws of our nature, are attended with a kind of pleasure. Such, for illustration, are the sins of gluttony and of intemperance in drinking; the sins of ambition and vanity; the sins of amusement and of fashionable life. To such we give the name of “pleasures.” We do not speak of them as “happiness.” That is a word which would not express their nature. It denotes rather substantial, solid, permanent joy - such joy as the “pleasures of sin for a season” do not furnish. It is this temporary “pleasure” which the lovers of vanity, fashion and dress, seek, and which, it cannot be denied, they often find. As long ago as the time of Zophar, it was admitted that such pleasure might be found in some forms of sinful indulgence and yet even in his time that was seen, which all subsequent observation has proved true, that such indulgence must lead to bitter results.
Though he hide it under his tongue - It is from this passage, probably, that we have derived the phrase, “to roll sin as a sweet morsel under the tongue,” which is often quoted as if it were a part of Scripture. The “meaning” here is, that a man would find pleasure in sin, and would seek to prolong it, as one does the pleasure of eating that which is grateful to the palate by holding it long in the mouth, or by placing it under the tongue.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 20:12. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth — This seems to refer to the secret sins mentioned above.
Hide it under his tongue — This and the four following verses contain an allegory; and the reference is to a man who, instead of taking wholesome food, takes what is poisonous, and is so delighted with it because it is sweet, that he rolls it under his tongue, and will scarcely let it down into his stomach, he is so delighted with the taste; "he spares it, and forsakes it not, but keeps it still within his mouth," Job 20:13. "But when he swallows it, it is turned to the gall of asps within him," Job 20:14, which shall corrode and torture his bowels.
