Proverbs 25:16 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 25:16

Here, 1. We are allowed a sober and moderate use of the delights of sense: Hast thou found honey? It is not forbidden fruit to thee, as it was to Jonathan; thou mayest eat of it with thanksgiving to God, who, having created things grateful to our senses, has given us leave to make use of them. Eat as much as is sufficient, and no more. Enough is as good as a feast. 2. We are cautioned to take heed of excess. We must use all pleasures as we do honey, with a check upon our appetite, lest we take... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 25:16

Hast thou found honey ?.... Of which there was great plenty in Judea; and was to be found in fields and woods, 1 Samuel 14:25 ; eat so much as is sufficient for thee ; to satisfy appetite, without overcharging the stomach; what may be conducive to health, and no more; lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it ; that is, overfilled; filled to a loathing of it, so as to cause a casting of it up this is not merely to be understood in a literal sense; something more is intended, as... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 25:16

Hast thou found honey? - Make a moderate use of all thy enjoyments. "Let thy moderation be known unto all, and appear in all things." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16

Hast thou found honey? Honey would be found in crevices of rocks, in hollow trees ( 1 Samuel 14:27 ), or in more unlikely situations ( 14:8 ), and was extensively used as an article of food. All travellers in Palestine note the great abundance of bees therein, and how well it answers to its description as "a land flowing with milk and honey." Eat so much as is sufficient for thee. The agreeable sweetness of honey might lead the finder to eat too much of it. Against such excess the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16-20

Excesses and errors I. WARNING AGAINST SATIETY . ( Proverbs 25:16 , Proverbs 25:17 .) The stories of Samson and of Jonathan may be read in illustration of the saying ( 14:8 , 14:9 ; 1 Samuel 14:26 ). Proverbs 25:27 points the warning against incurring the pain of satiety, "Honey, too, hath satiety," says Pindar— "A surfeit of the sweetest things, The deepest loathing to the stomach brings." 1. We should beware of a too frequent repetition of even innocent... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16-27

The wisdom of moderation We can only eat a small quantity of honey; it we go beyond the limit we find out our mistake. Of this, as of all very sweet things, the words of the great dramatist are true, that "a little more than enough is by much too much." This is particularly applicable to that to which it is here referred. I. SELF - PRAISE . We may go a little way in that direction, but not far. If we transgress the narrow bounds allowed, we shall soon find that we have done... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 25:16

Proverbs 25:16. Hast thou found honey? Which, in those parts, was often found in woods or fields. By honey, he understands not only all delicious meats, but all present and worldly delights, which we are here taught to use with moderation: for as honey, moderately taken, strengthens the body and prolongs life, but, if taken to excess, disturbs the stomach, and turns the pleasure into pain; so it is with earthly satisfactions and pursuits. Moderately used they are refreshing and useful;... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 25:1-28

25:1-29:27 MORE PROVERBS OF SOLOMONRelations with others (25:1-28)God has no obligation to explain to anyone the reasons for his actions. A king, however, has a duty to his people to investigate the causes of events that affect them, though he need not reveal to them his deepest thoughts (25:1-3). Some advisers to the king may be ungodly or treacherous, and should be removed if the king is to rule righteously (4-5). It is better to wait to be invited to a higher rank than to be boastfully... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 25:16

"Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor's house, Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee."We might entitle these verses as, "Too much of a good thing is more than enough"! Even eating too much honey can lead to the body's rejection of it; and too much intimate association with friends can break up the friendship. All of us have known people who were what was called "too thick" with their... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 25:16

Proverbs 25:16. Hast thou found honey?— See the 27th verse which may be rendered, "As it is not good or sweet to eat much honey; so neither to hunt for glory is glory to those who hunt after it." The meaning of the verse is this, "Moderation is good in all things, especially in those which are most pleasing to us: as honey, moderately taken, strengthens the body and prolongs life but too much of it disturbs the stomach, and turns the pleasure into pain." Horace has a sentence much to the same... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 25:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 25:16

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 25:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16-20

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 25:16-27

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 25:16

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 25:1-28

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 25:16

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 25:16

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