Wisdom · Chapter 23 of 31

Proverbs 23

A father pleads for his son's heart amid many appetites. He warns against craving a ruler's dainties, wearing oneself out to be rich, and envying sinners, and he defends the fatherless whose Redeemer is mighty. He urges buying the truth and never selling it, honoring parents, and refusing the ditch of immorality. The chapter ends with a vivid warning against the misery of drunkenness.

What happens in Proverbs 23

The instruction addresses a son directly, teaching restraint at a ruler's table and warning that riches sprout wings and fly away. It cautions against eating the bread of a stingy host whose heart is not in his welcome. The father forbids moving the old landmark or seizing the fields of the fatherless, because their Redeemer is mighty and will plead their case. He commands correction of children, warns against envying sinners, and points to a sure end and an expectation that will not be cut off.

Then comes the tender appeal: my son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. Warnings against the immoral woman follow, described as a deep pit. The chapter closes with a memorable portrait of the drunkard, listing woe, sorrow, and wounds without cause, urging the son not to gaze at the wine when it sparkles, for at the last it bites like a serpent and enslaves.

Proverbs 23 in context

This chapter continues the Sayings of the Wise, a section of extended parental instruction rather than isolated proverbs. It reflects a mentor guiding a young man toward maturity through the dangers of privilege, greed, envy, and indulgence.

The reference to the mighty Redeemer of the fatherless draws on Israel's law protecting the vulnerable, where a kinsman-redeemer defended those who could not defend themselves.

Main themes of Proverbs 23

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.

Verses to carry from Proverbs 23

“For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.”Proverbs 23:11

“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”Proverbs 23:23

“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”Proverbs 23:26

Reflection

Hear the invitation to give your heart, not just your outward conduct. Where have you offered God your behavior while withholding your affection. Name one truth worth buying at any cost this week, and one appetite whose glittering sparkle you must stop gazing at before it bites like a serpent.

A prayer from Proverbs 23