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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23: eating with a ruler, riches that fly away, the rod, and who hath woe from wine

General context

The speaker continues his address. When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider what is before you and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite; his dainties are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich; riches make themselves wings and fly away like an eagle. Eat not the bread of him that has an evil eye, for as he thinks in his heart so is he; he says eat and drink, but his heart is not with you. Remove not the old landmark and enter not the fields of the fatherless, for their redeemer is mighty. Withhold not correction from the child; if you beat him with the rod he shall not die. Then, "My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine." Let not your heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the Lord all day. Be not among winebibbers and riotous eaters, for the drunkard and the glutton come to poverty. Hearken to your father and despise not your mother when she is old; buy the truth and sell it not; the father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice. "My son, give me thine heart." A whore is a deep ditch and a strange woman a narrow pit. Who has woe, sorrow, contentions, babbling, wounds without cause, redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine. Look not on the wine when it is red; at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. Your eyes shall behold strange women, and you will be as one lying in the midst of the sea or on the top of a mast. The chapter ends with the drinker's own words: they have stricken me and I was not sick; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Cited passages: Proverbs 23:1, Proverbs 23:2, Proverbs 23:3, Proverbs 23:4, Proverbs 23:5, Proverbs 23:6, Proverbs 23:7, Proverbs 23:8, Proverbs 23:9, Proverbs 23:10, Proverbs 23:11, Proverbs 23:13, Proverbs 23:14, Proverbs 23:15, Proverbs 23:17, Proverbs 23:18, Proverbs 23:19, Proverbs 23:20, Proverbs 23:21, Proverbs 23:22, Proverbs 23:23, Proverbs 23:24, Proverbs 23:25, Proverbs 23:26, Proverbs 23:27, Proverbs 23:28, Proverbs 23:29, Proverbs 23:30, Proverbs 23:31, Proverbs 23:32, Proverbs 23:33, Proverbs 23:34, Proverbs 23:35

Proverbs 23 (KJV)

1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

4Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

8The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

9Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

10Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

12Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

15My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

16Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

18For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

23Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

24The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

25Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

28She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

34Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

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Historical context

The chapter belongs to the section that began at 22:17 with "the words of the wise"; there is no new heading. The speaker is unnamed and speaks in the first person, "my heart shall rejoice, even mine", and the address "My son" returns at verses 15, 19 and 26, as in chapters 1 to 7. The ruler of verse 1 and the man with an evil eye in verse 6 are types; no meal or host is identified. "Their redeemer" in verse 11 is said of the fatherless and is called mighty, without further identification in the chapter. Verses 13 and 14 state that beating a child with the rod will not kill him and will deliver his soul from hell; the text says this plainly and gives no age, limit or case, and the reader should note it as the text's claim. The Lord is named once, in verse 17. The final speech, verse 35, is placed in the hearer's own future mouth, "shalt thou say", as 5:12 placed regret in his mouth; it is not a report of an actual drinker. "Strange women" appear in verses 27 and 33, in the second case as what the drinker's eyes will see. "Mixed wine" in verse 30 is not explained. The "end" promised in verse 18 is not described beyond "thine expectation shall not be cut off", words nearly repeated at 24:14.

Cited passages: Proverbs 22:17, Proverbs 23:15, Proverbs 23:19, Proverbs 23:26, Proverbs 23:1, Proverbs 23:11, Proverbs 23:14, Proverbs 23:17, Proverbs 23:35, Proverbs 5:12, Proverbs 23:33, Proverbs 23:30, Proverbs 23:18, Proverbs 24:14

Literary context

The chapter is a chain of short units, each a command followed by its reason: "Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat", "Labour not to be rich" and then the riches with wings, "Eat thou not" and then the host whose heart is not with you, "Remove not" and then the mighty redeemer, "Withhold not correction" and then the rod that does not kill. Eating and drinking hold the chapter together, from the ruler's table (verses 1 to 3) and the evil eye's bread (verses 6 to 8) to the winebibbers (verses 20 and 21) and the long wine passage (verses 29 to 35). Between them the speaker's own feeling enters: his heart and reins rejoicing if the son is wise, then the father and mother who will be glad. The wine passage is built on a chain of six questions, "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow?", answered by one line, then a description of wine by sight (red, its colour in the cup, moving itself), by its bite (serpent, adder), and by the drinker's sensations (the midst of the sea, the top of a mast, blows not felt). The last line gives the drinker his own voice, "I will seek it yet again", and the chapter ends without comment. The deep ditch and narrow pit of verse 27 repeat the deep pit of 22:14.

Cited passages: Proverbs 23:3, Proverbs 23:5, Proverbs 23:7, Proverbs 23:11, Proverbs 23:13, Proverbs 23:1, Proverbs 23:20, Proverbs 23:16, Proverbs 23:25, Proverbs 23:29, Proverbs 23:31, Proverbs 23:32, Proverbs 23:34, Proverbs 23:35, Proverbs 23:27, Proverbs 22:14

Key moments

  1. A knife to thy throat (Proverbs 23:2). Eating with a ruler, the man given to appetite is told to put a knife to his throat.
  2. Riches make wings (Proverbs 23:5). Riches are said to make themselves wings and fly away like an eagle.
  3. Withhold not correction (Proverbs 23:13). The child is not to be spared correction, and the rod is said not to kill him.
  4. My heart shall rejoice (Proverbs 23:15). The speaker says his own heart will rejoice if the son's heart is wise.
  5. Buy the truth (Proverbs 23:23). The hearer is told to buy truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding and not sell them.
  6. Who hath woe? (Proverbs 23:29). A chain of questions asks who has woe, sorrow, contentions and redness of eyes.
  7. I will seek it yet again (Proverbs 23:35). The drinker says he was struck and felt nothing and will seek the wine again.

For reflection

The chapter ends with the drinker saying, "when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again." Why does the warning give its last word to the person it warns about, and what does that leave unresolved for the one reading it?