Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye ,.... A sordid covetous man, that grudges every bit that is eaten, in opposition to a man of a good eye, or a bountiful one, that is liberal and generous, Proverbs 22:9 ; if he invites to a meal, do not accept of it, sit not down at his table to eat with him: neither desire thou his dainty meats ; or savoury food, so as to lust after it; See Gill on Proverbs 23:3 . read more
Of him that hath an evil eye - Never eat with a covetous or stingy man; if he entertains you at his own expense, he grudges every morsel you put in your mouth. This is well marked by the wise man in the next verse: "Eat and drink, saith he: but his heart is not with thee." read more
Hints and warnings on conduct I. PERILS OF COURTLY LIFE . ( Proverbs 23:1-3 .) The Arab proverb says, "He who sups with the sultan burns his lips," and, "With kings one sits at the table for honour's sake, not for that of appetite." Horace says that kings are said to press dainties and wine upon those whom they desire to scrutinize and test, as to whether they be worthy of friendship. The caution is therefore one dictated by prudence. And in general it may be thus understood:... read more
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye; the envious and jealous man, in contrast to the "good of eye" ( Proverbs 22:9 ). Vulgate, Ne comedas cum heroine invido. Septuagint, ἀνδρὶ βασκάνῳ , the man who has the evil eye that fascinates, which, however, is a later idea; here the notion is rather of a grudging, sordid temper, that cannot bear the sight of others' happiness or prosperity (comp. Deuteronomy 15:9 ; Matthew 20:15 ). Ecclesiasticus 16:8, πονηρὸς ... read more
Another maxim, here a heptastich, concerning temperance. read more
The graces of giving, receiving, and refusing The text treats of a hospitality which does not deserve the name, and of our duty when we are invited to accept a glint that is grudged. It thus opens the whole subject of giving and receiving. There are three graces here. I. THE GRACE OF GIVING . This is one which is readily recognized as heaven born. 1 . God commends it to us. He says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you" ( Luke 6:38 ); "Give to him that asketh thee" ( ... read more
Proverbs 23:6-8. Eat not thou the bread of him that hath an evil eye Of an envious or covetous man, who secretly grudges thee the meat which is set before thee. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he Thou must not judge of him by his words, for in them he professes kindness, (as it follows,) but by the constant temper of his mind, which he hath fully discovered to all that know him by the course of his life. Eat and drink, saith he, but his heart is not with thee He hath no sincere... read more
Social-climbers and others (23:1-35)Those who seek status like to mix with the upper classes and try to copy their habits. But because of their ignorance of how to eat fine foods, they make fools of themselves and so spoil their chances of progressing up the social ladder. The food they desire becomes the means of their downfall (23:1-3). The desire for wealth can lead to disappointment (4-5), and the efforts to win the favour of others may win only their disfavour. This may particularly be the... read more
8"Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties: For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words."This rendition is an excellent comment on this passage: "Don't eat at the table of a stingy man or be greedy for the fine food he serves. Come on and have some more, he says, but he doesn't mean it. What he thinks is what he really is. You will vomit... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 23:6-8
Those that are voluptuous and given to appetite (Prov. 23:2) are glad to be where there is good cheer stirring, and those that are covetous and saving, that they may spare at home, will be glad to get a dinner at another man's table; and therefore both are here advised not to be forward to accept of every man's invitation, but especially not to thrust themselves in uninvited. Observe, 1. There are those that pretend to bid their friends welcome that are not hearty and sincere in it. They have... read more