Mishle 23

1 3 When thou sittest to dine with a moshel (ruler), consider diligently what is before thee,

2 And put a sakin (knife) to thy throat, if thou be a ba’al nefesh (man given to gluttony).

3 Be not desirous of his delicacies, for they are lechem kezavim (deceitful food).

4 Overwork not to get rich; cease from thine own binah (understanding).

5 Wilt thou let thine eynayim fly after that which is not? For such [wealth] certainly sprouts kenafayim (wings); they fly away as a nesher (eagle) toward Shomayim.

6 Eat thou not the lechem of him that hath a rah ayin (evil eye, i.e., a miser), neither desire thou his delicacies;

7 For as he reckoneth in his nefesh, so is he. Eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his lev is not with thee.

8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy pleasant devarim.

9 Speak not in the oznayim of a kesil (fool), for he will despise the seichel of thy words.

10 Remove not the gevul olam (ancient landmark); and enter not into the sadot of the yetomim (fatherless ones, orphans),

11 For their Go’el is chazak (strong); He shall plead their cause against thee.

12 Apply thine lev unto musar, and thine oznayim to the words of da’as.

13 Withhold not musar (correction) from the na’ar (child), for if thou spank him with the shevet, he shall not die.

14 Thou shalt spank him with the shevet, and shalt save his nefesh from Sheol.

15 Beni (my son), if thine lev be chacham, my own lev shall have simchah.

16 Indeed, my inmost being shall rejoice, when thy sfatayim (lips) speak meisharim (upright things).

17 Let not thine lev envy chatta’im, but be thou in the Yirat Hashem kol hayom.

18 For surely there is an acharit (latter end, future), and thine tikvah shall not be cut off.

19 Hear thou, beni (my son), and be chacham, and guide thine lev straight on the derech.

20 Be not among yayin gluttons; among gluttonous eaters of basar,

21 For the drunkard and the zolel (glutton) shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe with rags.

22 Pay heed unto avicha that fathered thee, and despise not immecha when she is old.

23 Buy emes, and sell it not; also chochmah, and musar, and binah (understanding).

24 Avi tzaddik (the father of a righteous one) shall greatly rejoice, and he that fathereth a chacham shall have simchah in him.

25 Avicha and immecha shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.

26 Beni (my son), give me thine lev, and let thine eynayim delight in my drakhim.

27 For a zonah is a deep pit, and a nokhriyah (strange woman, foreign woman, seductress, unfaithful wife) is a narrow well.

28 She also lieth in wait like a road bandit, and increaseth the bogedim (unfaithful) among adam (mankind).

29 Who hath oy (woe)? Who hath sorrow? Who hath strifes? Who hath complaint? Who hath needless wounds? Who hath bloodshot eynayim?

30 They that tarry long at the yayin, they that turn in to sample mixed wine.

31 Stare not thou into the yayin when it is red, when it sparkles in the kos (cup), when it goeth down smoothly.

32 At the acharit (latter end, future) it biteth like a nachash, and stingeth with venomous poisons like a viper.

33 Thine eynayim shall behold zarot (strange women), and thine lev shall utter perverse things.

34 Indeed, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the lev yam (heart of the sea), or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; they have beaten me, and I felt it not. Mosai (when) shall I awake? I will seek yet another drink.

Mishle 23 Commentary

Chapter 23

Verses 1-3 God's restraints of the appetite only say, Do thyself no ( proverbs 23:4-5 ) this world are not happiness and a portion for a soul; those that hold them ever so fast, cannot hold them always, cannot hold them long. ( 6-8 ) . Do not make thyself burdensome to any, especially those not sincere. When we are called by God to his feast, and to let our souls delight themselves, Isa. 25:6 Isa. 55:2 |, we may safely partake of the Bread of life. Verse 9 . It is our duty to take all fit occasions to speak of Divine things; but if what a wise man says will not be heard, let him hold his ( proverbs 23:10-11 ) protection. He is their Redeemer, who will take their part; and he is mighty, almighty.

Verses 12-16 Here is a parent instructing his child to give his mind to the Scriptures. Here is a parent correcting his child: accompanied with prayer, and blessed of God, it may prove a means of preventing his destruction. Here is a parent encouraging his child, telling him what would be for his good. And what a comfort it would be, if herein he answered his ( proverbs 23:17-18 ) disappointed; the end of his trials, and of the sinner's prosperity, is at hand.

Verses 19-28 The gracious Saviour who purchased pardon and peace for his people, with all the affection of a tender parent, counsels us to hear and be wise, and is ready to guide our hearts in his way. Here we have an earnest call to young people, to attend to the advice of their godly parents. If the heart be guided, the steps will be guided. Buy the truth, and sell it not; be willing to part with any thing for it. Do not part with it for pleasures, honours, riches, or any thing in this world. The heart is what the great God requires. We must not think to divide the heart between God and the world; he will have all or none. Look to the rule of God's word, the conduct of his providence, and the good examples of his people. Particular cautions are given against sins most destructive to wisdom and grace in the soul. It is really a shame to make a god of the belly. Drunkenness stupifies men, and then all goes to ruin. Licentiousness takes away the heart that should be given to God. Take heed of any approaches toward this sin, it is very hard to retreat from it. It bewitches men to their ruin.

Verses 29-35 Solomon warns against drunkenness. Those that would be kept from sin, must keep from all the beginnings of it, and fear coming within reach of its allurements. Foresee the punishment, what it will at last end in, if repentance prevent not. It makes men quarrel. Drunkards wilfully make woe and sorrow for themselves. It makes men impure and insolent. The tongue grows unruly; the heart utters things contrary to reason, religion, and common civility. It stupifies and besots men. They are in danger of death, of damnation; as much exposed as if they slept upon the top of a mast, yet feel secure. They fear no peril when the terrors of the Lord are before them; they feel no pain when the judgments of God are actually upon them. So lost is a drunkard to virtue and honour, so wretchedly is his conscience seared, that he is not ashamed to say, I will seek it again. With good reason we were bid to stop before the beginning. Who that has common sense would contract a habit, or sell himself to a sin, which tends to such guilt and misery, and exposes a man every day to the danger of dying insensible, and awaking in hell? Wisdom seems in these chapters to take up the discourse as at the beginning of the book. They must be considered as the words of Christ to the sinner.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 11

This chapter relates the false steps Solomon took, notwithstanding all his wisdom, in marrying strange wives, and worshipping other gods, 1Ki 11:1-8 upon which the Lord threatens him to rend the kingdom in his son's time, 1Ki 11:9-13 and he raised up adversaries against him, Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam, 1Ki 11:14-26 of which last an account is given, and of his being assured by Ahijah the prophet of his having ten of the tribes of Israel given to him; which Solomon having notice of sought to slay him, 1Ki 11:27-40 and the chapter is concluded with an account of Solomon's death and burial, 1Ki 11:41-43.