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Proverbs Chapter 23

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry 35 Verses

What is Proverbs 23 about?

Practical wisdom for daily life, family, work, and worship, all rooted in the fear of the LORD. The complete chapter text below provides the immediate literary context for study.

Text — American Standard Version (1901)

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. For original Hebrew/Greek interlinear text, open in BibleWord.ai.
1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;
2And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.
3Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.
4Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.
5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:
7For as he thinketh within himself, 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 hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.
12Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13Withhold not correction from the child; [For] if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.
15My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:
16Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.
17Let not thy heart envy sinners; But [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:
18For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.
19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.
20Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will 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; [Yea], wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
25Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.
26My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.
27For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
28Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.
29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
30They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.
31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:
32At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.
33Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy 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 hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
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What do historical commentaries say about this chapter?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · on verse 1
“When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, etc.] Either a supreme ruler, a king, or a subordinate ruler, a nobleman, a judge, a civil magistrate, a person of honour, dignity, and authority; and to sit at table with such is sometimes allowed, and is always reckoned an honour; this particularly diligent and industrious persons are admitted to, who not only are brought to stand before kings and great persons, but to sit at table with them, and eat food with them. And now the wise man advises such how to behave themselves when this is the case: consider diligently what [is] before thee; or, “considering consider”f618:…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“(Pro. 23:1-35) Avoid the dangers of gluttony.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“What is before thee - Beware lest dainties tempt thee to excess. Or, “consider diligently who is before thee,” the character and temper of the ruler who invites thee. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · on verse 1
“Ruler - With a great man. Proverbs 23:2”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · on verse 1
“23:1-3 Saying 6: Many proverbs address young men in government service. A ruler’s rich fare might tempt a novice to overindulge through lack of self-control. But he will be vulnerable when sated.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · on verse 1
“Gen 43:32-34; Jde 1:12 Proverbs 23:2”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · on verse 1
“Pro 22:29, which speaks of a high position near the king, is appropriately followed by a hexastich referring to the slipperiness of the smooth ground of the king's court. 1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider well whom thou hast before thee. 2 And put thy knife to thy throat If thou art a man of good appetite. 3 Be not lustful after his dainties, Because it is deceitful food. The ל of ללחום is that of end: ad cibum capiendum, thus as one invited by him to his table; in prose the expression would be לאכל לחם; לחם, to eat, is poet., Pro 4:17; Pro 9:5. The fut. תּבין clothes the admonition in the form of…”
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