20:12 “If 1 evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue, 2
21:33 The clods of the torrent valley 3 are sweet to him;
behind him everybody follows in procession,
and before him goes a countless throng.
1 tn The conjunction אִם (’im) introduces clauses that are conditional or concessive. With the imperfect verb in the protasis it indicates what is possible in the present or future. See GKC 496 §159.q).
2 sn The wicked person holds on to evil as long as he can, savoring the taste or the pleasure of it.
3 tn The clods are those that are used to make a mound over the body. And, for a burial in the valley, see Deut 34:6. The verse here sees him as participating in his funeral and enjoying it. Nothing seems to go wrong with the wicked.