Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,
Parallel translations
- WEB though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;
- KJV Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
- BSB though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,
- NKJV Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth,
- NLT They savored it, holding it long in their mouths.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wicked man savors his sin, refusing to let it go and keeping it in his mouth. He clings to evil because he loves it.
Overview
Zophar continues the image: the wicked man lingers over his sin, unwilling to release the pleasure he holds dear. The picture exposes the heart's attachment to evil, hoarding it like a treasured taste. It illustrates the deceitfulness of sin, which entices us to cling to what will ultimately destroy us, and the need for a Savior to break its grip.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 5:29–30If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
- Num 11:18–20“Say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you will eat.
- Rom 8:13For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
- Mark 9:43–49If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 20:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.