Proverbs 23:6-8

6-8. An evil eye Is evil of eye: a metaphor denoting a malignant disposition or design an envious, avaricious, or evil-designing mind.

Deuteronomy 15:7-9; Matthew 20:15. The word שׁער . ( sha’har,) thinketh, has given the critics some trouble, but it is probable that our Authorized Version gives the right sense. A man’s character is determined by the state of his mind, and not merely by the words he utters. An evil design may be concealed under a mask of pleasant words. Proverbs 23:8 represents, by a strong metaphor, the disgust that will be produced in the mind of the guest at the discovery that all the courtesies of the host were deceitful, and covered a malignant or selfish design.

Sweet words Meaning, perhaps, those addressed to the guest at the feast. Stuart expresses the sentiment well: “Beware of flattering and deceitful men, who show you special civilities only to mislead you and to put you off your guard. Their courtesies will be loathed when their design is known.” For the opposite of an “evil eye,” compare Proverbs 22:9.