Proverbs 23

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:28

Increaseth the transgressors among men - More iniquity springs from this one source of evil, than from any other cause in the whole system of sin. Women and strong drink cause many millions to transgress. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:29

Who hath wo? - I believe Solomon refers here to the natural effects of drunkenness. And perhaps אוי oi , which we translate wo, and אבוי aboi , which we translate sorrow, are mere natural sounds or vociferations that take place among drunken men, either from illness, or the nauseating effects of too much liquor. As to contentions among such, babblings on a variety of subjects, which they neither understand nor are fit to discuss; wounds, got by falling out about nothing; and red... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:31

Look not thou upon the wine - Let neither the color, the odour, the sparkling, etc., of the wine, when poured out, induce thee to drink of it. However good and pure it may be, it will to thee be a snare, because thou art addicted to it, and hast no self-command. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:33

Thine eyes shall behold strange women - Evil concupiscence is inseparable from drunkenness. Mr. Herbert shows these effects well: - He that is drunken may his mother kill, Big with his sister: he hath lost the reins; Is outlawed by himself. All kinds of ill Did, with his liquor, slide into his veins. The drunkard forfeits man; and doth divest All worldly right, save what he hath by beast. Herbert's Poems - The Church Porch. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:34

Lieth down in the midst of the sea - He is utterly regardless of life; which is expressed very forcibly by one in a state of intoxication ascending the shrouds, clasping the mast-head, and there falling asleep; whence, in a few moments, he must either fall down upon the deck and be dashed to pieces, or fall into the sea and be drowned. Reader, if thou be a man given to this appetite, put a knife to thy throat. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:35

They have stricken me - Though beat and abused, full of pain, and exhibiting a frightful figure; yet so drunk was he, as to be insensible who had struck him: still, after all this abuse and disgrace, he purposes to embrace the next opportunity of repeating his excesses! Sin makes a man contemptible in life, miserable in death, and wretched to all eternity. Is it not strange, then, that men should Love it? read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler. This, of course, would be a great honour to a man of lowly birth, or to one of the middle class, to whom the manners of courts and palaces were practically unknown. Consider diligently what is before thee. So the Vulgate, Qua apposita sunt ante faciem tuam ; and the Septuagint, τὰ παρατιθέμενά σοι . Take heed lest the unusual dainties on the table tempt thee to excess, which may lead not only to unseemly behaviour, but also to unruly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1-3

A hexastich closely connected with the last verse of the preceding chapter, as if the warning was addressed to the man of skill whom his talents had made the guest of kings. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1-3

Sycophancy and independence The reader is here warned against the danger of depending too much on the favour of great people. Possibly that favour is only offered as a bribe, and the unwary recipient of it may be no better than a dupe, who has unconsciously sold himself. At the best it tends to destroy the spirit of independence. I. HE WHO DEPENDS ON THE FAVOUR OF A GREAT MAN PUTS HIMSELF IN HIS POWER . In proportion to the power to help is the power to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1-3

The temptation of the table It is probable that Solomon had in view those who did not often sit down to a "good dinner," and who, when they were invited to a feast by some one who was able to spread his table with delicacies, found themselves subjected to a strong temptation to unusual indulgence. Dr. Kitto tells us that, in the East, men would (and now will) eat an almost incredible amount of food when a rare opportunity offered itself. From the moral and the religious standpoint this... read more

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:28

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:29

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:31

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:33

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:34

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 23:35

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1-3

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1-3

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 23:1-3

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