Amplified Bible
Job 20:12
12“Though evil and wickedness are sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue,
Job 20:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
- New International Version (NIV)“Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue,
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue,
Context of Job 20:12
10His sons favor the poor [and pay his obligations], And his hands give back his [ill-gotten] wealth. 11His bones are full of youthful strength But it lies down with him in the dust. “Though evil and wickedness are sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue, 13Though he desires it and will not let it go But holds it in his mouth, 14Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach; It is the venom of vipers within him.
Read all of Job 20Job 20:12 word by word
אִם־תַּמְתִּ֣יק בְּפִ֣יו רָעָ֑ה יַ֝כְחִידֶ֗נָּה תַּ֣חַת לְשׁוֹנֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 20:12
- Job 15:16How much less [pure and clean is] the one who is repulsive and corrupt, Man, who drinks unrighteousness and injustice like water!
- Genesis 3:6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
- Proverbs 9:17“Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
- Proverbs 20:17Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair].
- Ecclesiastes 11:9Rejoice, young man, in your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant in the days of your young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desires of your eyes, but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.
- Psalms 10:7His mouth is full of curses and deceit (fraud) and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness [injustice and sin].
- Psalms 109:17He also loved cursing, and it came [back] to him; He did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
Commentaries on Job 20:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Though 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…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Though 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealth of it, also is wickedness, and man sets his heart upon these…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. be--"taste sweet." Sin's fascination is like poison sweet to the taste, but at last deadly to the vital organs (Pr 20:17; Job 9:17, 18). hide ... tongue--seek to prolong the enjoyment by keeping the sweet morsel long in the mouth (so Job 20:13).Read the comment
Topics related to Job 20:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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