Original Word: מָתָק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: mathaq
Pronunciation: maw-thak'
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-thawk')
KJV: feed sweetly
Word Origin: [from H4985 (מָתַק - sweet)]

1. a delicious morsel, a delicacy
2. (generally) food

From mathaq; a dainty, i.e. (generally) food -- feed sweetly.

see HEBREW mathaq

מָתָק (māṭāq) conveys the idea of “sweetness” or “pleasantness,” whether in taste, experience, or perception. Though the noun appears only once in the Hebrew canon, its semantic field is woven through Scripture in both literal and metaphorical strands. The single usage in Job becomes a hinge on which larger biblical themes of sweetness, decay, and moral reversal turn.

Context in Job 24:20

Job 24:20 states, “The womb forgets him; the worm feasts on him; he is remembered no more, and wickedness is broken like a tree.” The term māṭāq underlies the verb “feasts,” portraying the corpse as a “sweet thing” to the worm. The passage unflinchingly depicts the destiny of the unrepentant: what was once satisfying to the sinner becomes satisfaction for decay. In Job’s argument this irony underscores divine justice that may appear delayed but never fails.

Contrast with other biblical sweetness

1. God’s provision: Exodus 15:25 records bitter water made sweet, revealing the LORD as healer and provider.
2. God’s Word: “They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb” (Psalm 19:10).
3. Wisdom: “Eat honey, my son, for it is good… so know that wisdom is sweet to your soul” (Proverbs 24:13-14).
4. Sin’s deceit: “Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth… yet his food turns sour” (Job 20:12-14).

Job 24:20 reverses the sweetness motif. Instead of honey, the wicked become the delicacy of worms. What once “tasted sweet” (Job 20:12) is exposed as fleeting; the final sweetness belongs to corruption.

Theological implications

1. Retributive justice: Scripture consistently teaches that unrighteous pleasure is temporary (Proverbs 14:12; Hebrews 11:25). Job 24:20 reinforces this by portraying the wicked as objects of consumption rather than consumers of delight.
2. Mortality’s sobriety: The image anticipates Isaiah 66:24 and Mark 9:48, where “their worm does not die,” linking temporal decay with eternal consequence.
3. Moral inversion: God overturns sinful values. What the sinner deemed sweet becomes bitterness (Jeremiah 2:19) while what the righteous esteem—God’s statutes—remains sweet forever (Psalm 119:103).

Historical perspective

Ancient Near Eastern funerary texts occasionally describe maggots or worms as “licking” the corpse, a grim but accepted reality. Job’s usage would resonate with an audience familiar with tombs cut into rock where decomposition was observable. By labeling the corpse “sweet,” the author wields everyday experience to make a moral warning unmistakable.

Related scriptural imagery

• Worm imagery: Isaiah 14:11; Acts 12:23.
• Bitterness turning sweet: Ruth 1:20-21 contrasted with Ruth 4:14-15.
• Sweet aroma of sacrifice: Leviticus 1:9; 2 Corinthians 2:15, highlighting that true sweetness before God comes through atonement, not self-indulgence.

Application for ministry

1. Preaching and teaching: Use Job 24:20 to expose sin’s deceptive flavor, comparing it with the enduring sweetness of Christ’s salvation (Ephesians 5:2).
2. Counseling: When believers struggle with enticing but destructive habits, draw the contrast between fleeting pleasure and lasting delight in obedience (Psalm 34:8).
3. Funeral ministry: The verse offers sober realism about death while pointing to the hope of resurrection life where corruption puts on incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Practical reflection

Scripture invites believers to perform a “taste test” of life’s offerings: “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). Job 24:20 warns that if one finds sweetness anywhere other than in the LORD, that sweetness will end in rot. The wise therefore pursue the sweetness that endures—Christ Himself, “the Living Bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51).