Job 20:12
in Job 20Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,
KJV
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
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This verse in Job 20
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
evil is sweet in his mouth
on Job 20:12-16
The central figure runs in one line: "evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue". The same food is sweet in the mouth at verse 12 and venom in the stomach at verse 14, one substance seen at two moments.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
He shows the reason why he is also punished for sins after death saying, "Since wickedness was sweet in his mouth, he hid it under his tongue." Here he uses the metaphor of a man eating sweet food who does not quickly swallow it, but …
Ver. 12. For when wickedness shall be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue. 13. 'Wickedness is sweet in the mouth' of the hypocrite, in that evil tastes sweet to him in the thought.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
); he indulges himself in all the gratifications of the carnal appetite, and takes an inordinate complacency in them, as yielding the most agreeable delights. That is the satisfaction which he hides under his tongue, and rolls there, as the most dainty delicate thing that can be.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
4 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, 5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; 7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
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).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth - This seems to refer to the secret sins mentioned above.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
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.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
be sweet So is the custom of a wicked man: if evil is sweet in his mouth and he does not see now the moment for it to take effect. though he hide it under his tongue until the time comes when it will prosper.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אִם־ | ʾim- | though | H518 → | 1069 times |
| תַּמְתִּ֣יק | tamtik | it is sweet | H4985 → | 6 times |
| בְּפִ֣יו | befiv | in mouth his | H6310 → | 498 times |
| רָעָ֑ה | raah | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| יַ֝כְחִידֶ֗נָּה | yakhchidenah | he hides it | H3582 → | 32 times |
| תַּ֣חַת | tachat | under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| לְשׁוֹנֽוֹ׃ | leshono | tongue his | H3956 → | 117 times |
אִם־though
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
תַּמְתִּ֣יקit is sweet
tamtikH4985 →6 times
בְּפִ֣יוin mouth his
befivH6310 →498 times
רָעָ֑הevil
raahH7451 →662 times
יַ֝כְחִידֶ֗נָּהhe hides it
yakhchidenahH3582 →32 times
תַּ֣חַתunder
tachatH8478 →505 times
לְשׁוֹנֽוֹ׃tongue his
leshonoH3956 →117 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ecclesiastes 11:9Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes,…
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
- 1 John 2:15–16
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,”
- Ecclesiastes 3:17
I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
- Lamentations 3:27
It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
Through
Genesis 3:6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave…
it leads to
- 1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- James 1:14–15
But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
- 1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression.
- 1 John 2:16
About Job
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XV; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.