Proverbs 23:6
in Proverbs 23Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:
KJV
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
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This verse in Proverbs 23
Commentary
6 notes on this verseWise, therefore, was he who forbids us even to dine in company with an envious man, and in mentioning this companionship at table, he implies a reference to all other social contacts as well. Just as we are careful to keep material which is easily inflammable as far away as possible from fire, so we must refrain insofar as we can from contracting friendships in circles of which envious persons are members. By so doing, we place ourselves beyond the range of their shafts. We can be caught in the toils of envy only by establishing intimacy with it.
This site's exposition
Do not eat the bread
on Proverbs 23:6-8
The "evil eye" of the King James is the stingy host, whose invitation is a performance. He says eat and drink, but "his heart is not with you." The guest who trusts the show will vomit up what he ate and waste the pleasant words he spoke in thanks.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Do not eat with an envious man, etc. Do not speak of Scriptures with a heretic, because he envies human salvation, preferring to deceive rather than correct; for just as a soothsayer and dream interpreter considers things he does not know, so a heretic presumes …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
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, Pro 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 Pro 23:3.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
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.”
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
A different danger from that of Pro 23:1. The hazard here is the hospitality of the purse-proud rich, avaricious or grudging even in his banquets. Evil eye - Not with the later associations of a mysterious power for mischief, but simply, as in the margin ref. and in Mat 20:15.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּלְחַ֗ם | tilcham | you eat | H3898 → | 177 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לֶ֭חֶם | lechem | [the] food of | H3899 → | 298 times |
| רַ֣ע | ra' | a [person] evil of | H7451 → | 662 times |
| עָ֑יִן | ʾayin | eye | H5869 → | 887 times |
| וְאַל־ | veal- | and may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּ֝תְאָ֗יו | titav | you crave | H183 → | 26 times |
| לְמַטְעַמֹּתָֽיו׃ | lematamotav | for dainties his | H4303 → |
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּלְחַ֗םyou eat
tilchamH3898 →177 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
לֶ֭חֶם[the] food of
lechemH3899 →298 times
רַ֣עa [person] evil of
ra'H7451 →662 times
עָ֑יִןeye
ʾayinH5869 →887 times
וְאַל־and may not
veal-H408 →724 times
תִּ֝תְאָ֗יוyou crave
titavH183 →26 times
לְמַטְעַמֹּתָֽיו׃for dainties his
lematamotavH4303 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 141:4Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.
it leads to
- Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
- Psalms 119:36
Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Isaiah 63:17
Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
- 2 Corinthians 6:17
“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”
- Matthew 6:13
Through
Matthew 20:15Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
it leads to
- Romans 9:15–24
For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
- Deuteronomy 15:9
Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He…
- Romans 9:15–24
Through
Deuteronomy 15:9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 24:15
You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of…
- Deuteronomy 24:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Basil of Caesarea, HOMILY CONCERNING ENVY; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).