Proverbs23

Proverbs 23 offers counsel on self-control and wisdom in various life situations. It warns against gluttony, the pursuit of fleeting riches, and the dangers of associating with insincere individuals and fools. The chapter emphasizes the importance of parental discipline, honoring one's parents, and diligently seeking truth and understanding, while strongly cautioning against the destructive paths of drunkenness and immorality.
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Prudence When Dining with Rulers

1
When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is set before you, ​
2
and put a knife to your throat if you possess a great appetite. ​
3
Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. ​

The Folly of Chasing Riches

4
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. ​
5
When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky. ​

Avoid the Stingy, Malicious Host

6
Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies; ​
7
for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. ​
8
You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words. ​

Wisdom for Different Audiences

9
Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words. ​

Respect Boundaries and the Poor

10
Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, ​
11
for their Redeemer is strong; He will take up their case against you. ​

Commitment to Instruction

12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. ​
13
Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die. ​
14
Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol. ​
15
My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.
16
My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

Do Not Envy Sinners

17
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD. ​
18
For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. ​

Avoid Drunkenness and Gluttony

19
Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.
20
Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat. ​
21
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags. ​
22
Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. ​
23
Invest in truth and never sell it— in wisdom and instruction and understanding. ​
24
The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.
25
May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!

The Danger of Sexual Immorality

26
My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways. ​
27
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well. ​
28
Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.

The Catalogue of Drunken Misery

29
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who has bloodshot eyes? ​
30
Those who linger over wine, who go to taste mixed drinks. ​
31
Do not gaze at wine while it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. ​
32
In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. ​
33
Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will utter perversities. ​
34
You will be like one sleeping on the high seas or lying on the top of a mast: ​
35
“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?” ​

Study Notes for Proverbs 23

Verse 1

This section addresses the social etiquette required when interacting with powerful figures, emphasizing self-control to avoid appearing overly greedy or presumptuous.

Verse 2

To 'put a knife to thy throat' is a hyperbolic metaphor emphasizing extreme discipline against gluttony, suggesting that failing to control one's appetite is self-destructive.

Verse 3

The 'deceitful meat' refers not only to the food itself but also to the hidden obligations or expectations that may come with accepting lavish hospitality from a ruler.

Verse 4

The instruction to 'cease from thine own wisdom' means stopping the exhausting, self-reliant schemes often used in the obsessive pursuit of wealth, which is ultimately futile.

Verse 5

Riches are personified as having wings, illustrating their volatility and impermanence; they vanish quickly like an eagle flying away.

Verse 6

The 'evil eye' (Hebrew: *ayin ra’ah*) denotes a stingy, envious, or malicious disposition, where the host resents the cost of the meal even while offering it.

Verse 7

This verse explains that a person's true character is revealed by their inner thoughts, not their polite words. The host’s forced hospitality is insincere because his heart is focused on the cost.

Verse 8

The negative consequence is the regret and shame of having accepted tainted generosity, leading to the loss of one's own good reputation ('sweet words').

Verse 9

The fool lacks the capacity or desire to appreciate wisdom; attempting to teach him is wasteful and likely to result in contempt for the teacher.

Verse 10

Removing the 'old landmark' (boundary stone) was a serious offense, often targeting the properties of vulnerable people like the fatherless, violating ancient property laws.

Verse 11

The 'redeemer' (*go’el*) is God himself, who acts as the mighty kinsman-redeemer for the oppressed (the fatherless), ensuring justice against those who exploit them.

Verse 12

This verse urges the student to actively engage both his heart and his ears in the process of learning wisdom and knowledge.

Verse 13

The rod symbolizes disciplinary correction, emphasizing that timely parental discipline is essential for the child’s moral formation.

Verse 14

The theological claim is that parental discipline saves the child from a destructive path of folly that leads to ruin or death ('hell,' *Sheol*).

Verse 17

Envy of sinners focuses on their apparent temporary prosperity, distracting the believer from the eternal security and blessing found in fearing the Lord.

Verse 18

The 'end' refers to the ultimate outcome or destiny, assuring the righteous that their hope and expectation in God will be realized, unlike the fleeting success of the wicked.

Verse 20

Winebibbers and gluttons are paired because both represent a destructive lack of self-control and an indulgence in bodily appetites that leads to moral and financial ruin.

Verse 21

This verse provides the practical economic consequence of riotous living: poverty and destitution resulting from wasted time and resources.

Verse 22

Honoring parents is a foundational pillar of wisdom literature, linking respect for those who gave life and instruction directly to the path of righteousness.

Verse 23

'Buy the truth, and sell it not' emphasizes that wisdom is costly—requiring effort and sacrifice to acquire—and must never be carelessly abandoned or traded for temporary gain.

Verse 26

The father pleads for the son's complete devotion ('give me thine heart'), recognizing that moral integrity begins internally before translating into external behavior.

Verse 27

The imagery of the deep ditch and narrow pit emphasizes the inescapable danger of the harlot; she traps and consumes those who fall into her snare.

Verse 29

This section uses a series of rhetorical questions to vividly detail the self-inflicted misery (wounds, sorrow, blurred vision) characteristic of chronic alcohol abuse.

Verse 30

The problem lies in habitual excess—those who 'tarry long' and seek out highly intoxicating, 'mixed wine' (wine blended with spices or drugs to increase potency).

Verse 31

The warning is against the initial attraction of wine—its color and smooth appearance—which hides its destructive nature.

Verse 32

This powerful metaphor compares the eventual outcome of wine consumption to the sudden, deadly strike of a venomous snake (serpent/adder).

Verse 33

Intoxication lowers moral barriers, leading to uncontrolled lust ('behold strange women') and senseless, abusive speech ('utter perverse things').

Verse 34

Being 'in the midst of the sea' or 'on the top of a mast' illustrates the drunkard's complete loss of control, equilibrium, and awareness of danger.

Verse 35

The chapter ends with the tragic cycle of addiction: the drunkard suffers violence and injury but, due to his stupor, immediately desires to return to the drink upon waking.

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