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
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ,.... He is not the man his mouth speaks or declares him to be, but what his heart thinks; which is discovered by his looks and actions, and by which he is to be judged of, and not by his words; eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee ; he bids you eat and drink, but he does not desire you should, at least but very sparingly; it is only a mere compliment, not a hearty welcome. read more
The morsel which thou hast eaten, shalt thou vomit up ,.... It shall turn in thy stomach, thou shall not be able to keep it, when thou understandest thou art not welcome; or thou wilt wish thou hadst never eaten a bit, or that thou couldest vomit up what thou hast; so disagreeable is the thought of being unwelcome, or when this appears to be the case; and lose thy sweet words ; expressed in thankfulness to the master of the feast, in praise of his food, in pleasantry with him, and the... 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
The morsel which thou hast eaten - On reflection thou wilt even blame thyself for having accepted his invitation. 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
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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