Job 20:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Verse 13. He will maintain it and will not push it away but will hold it close within him, as stated in Job 20:13. For the wickedness that he cherishes, he will cling to, not casting it aside by embracing repentance. Thus, it is further emphasized that he will not abandon it. If he truly intended to abandon it, he would not keep that wickedness but would actively seek to eradicate it from his heart. Instead, he clings to it within, as it remains a secret in his thoughts, never expressed in words. The passage continues:

Job's words have provoked Sophar, and he feels compelled to respond without delay. As he did initially, Sophar affirms that wrongdoing inevitably leads to destruction, and that no matter how immense the sinner's joy may seem, it dissipates like a fleeting vision. The temporary pleasures that adorn the lives of the wicked, such as wealth, will ultimately become a source of anguish for them. For their sins and the injustices they inflict on the needy, calamity will inevitably strike them. This fate is both unavoidable and severe.