and keeps it in his mouth
The metaphor of keeping something in the mouth suggests savoring or relishing sin, akin to how one might enjoy a tasty morsel. This imagery is used to describe the temporary pleasure derived from sin, which is ultimately fleeting and unsatisfying. In the cultural context of the ancient Near East, oral imagery often conveyed ideas of consumption and satisfaction, emphasizing the intimate and personal nature of sin. This can be paralleled with James 1:14-15, where desire, when conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when fully grown, brings forth death. The phrase underscores the deceptive nature of sin, which promises satisfaction but leads to spiritual decay.

Job 20:13 opens with a picture of the wicked man struggling to part with his sin. He “cannot bear” the thought of losing the pleasure it brings.

• Psalm 10:4 shows the same stubborn heart: “In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God”.

• Jeremiah 2:25 records Israel saying, “I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.” Like Zophar’s description here, they would rather endure thirst than give up the idol that thrills them.

• 1 John 2:15-16 reminds us that love for the world crowds out love for the Father. The wicked man’s affections are glued to what destroys him.

The second phrase highlights absolute unwillingness to repent.

• Proverbs 28:13 warns, “He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy”. The man in Job refuses that remedy.

• Isaiah 55:7 calls, “Let the wicked forsake his own way … and He will freely pardon”. God offers release, yet the sinner grips his wrongdoing tighter.

• Luke 18:23 pictures the rich ruler who “became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy”. He, too, could not let go of the treasure that tied up his heart.

Now we see deliberate retention. He guards the sin as a miser guards gold.

• Psalm 52:3-4 portrays one who “loves evil more than good”, choosing destructive words because they taste better to him.

• James 1:14-15 shows desire getting “pregnant,” giving birth to sin, which then matures into death—exactly the progression unfolding here.

• Romans 1:32 states that sinners not only do such things but “also approve of those who practice them”. Keeping sin means normalizing it.

The wicked man’s indulgence is compared to savoring food. He hides the morsel under his tongue, relishing it privately.

• Proverbs 5:3-4 warns that the adulteress’s lips “drip honey … but in the end she is bitter as wormwood”. Sweetness now, poison later.

• Psalm 34:8 invites us, “Taste and see that the LORD is good”. Sin counterfeits that invitation, offering a taste that turns to gall.

• Job 20:14-16 continues: “yet his food will sour in his stomach … God will remove the venom of vipers from him.” The hidden sweetness becomes internal ruin.

Job 20:13 pictures a sinner so enamored with evil that he hoards it like candy in his mouth, unwilling to spit it out even though it will soon poison him. Scripture everywhere affirms the same pattern: sin offers immediate pleasure, but those who cherish it instead of releasing it will find that sweetness turned to bitterness and judgment. God, in His mercy, still calls us to forsake such poison and taste the far better sweetness of Himself.

Parallel Commentaries ...