Chapter 23
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.
4Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
5Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
12Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
15My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
18For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.
20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
25Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
29Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
31Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
34Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
“Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”
Overview
This chapter contains practical warnings about self-control and discernment. Solomon warns against craving a ruler's delicacies, laboring to be rich, and eating with a stingy host. He commands his son to buy truth and not sell it, warns graphically against drunkenness — describing the drunkard's confusion, wounds, and compulsion to drink again — and urges his son to give his heart to wisdom so that his parents may rejoice.
Key Themes
The Peril of Pursuing Riches
Labour not to be rich, for riches make themselves wings and fly away like an eagle — wealth is unstable and pursuing it obsessively leads to exhaustion and loss.
Buy Truth and Sell It Not
Truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding are to be purchased at any cost and never sold — they are treasures that must be acquired and guarded with tenacity.
The Graphic Warning Against Drunkenness
The drunkard's experience is described vividly — hallucinations, wounds without cause, and the compulsion to drink again — as a powerful deterrent against excess.
Study Questions
Why does Solomon say 'labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom' (v. 4)? How does this challenge the assumption that prosperity equals God's favor?
What does it mean to 'buy the truth, and sell it not' (v. 23)? What does truth cost, and why would someone be tempted to sell it?
How does the vivid description of drunkenness in verses 29-35 serve as a more powerful warning than a simple prohibition?
Why does Solomon say 'my son, give me thine heart' (v. 26)? What is the connection between giving one's heart to wisdom and moral protection?
What does the warning about eating with a ruler (vv. 1-3) teach about discernment in relationships with powerful people?
Connection to Christ
Jesus is the truth that must be bought and never sold — Judas sold the Truth for thirty pieces of silver, the ultimate cautionary tale. Christ refused Satan's offer of the world's riches and instead embraced the poverty of the cross. At the Last Supper, He took the cup not of drunkenness but of the new covenant in His blood, offering true satisfaction to all who drink of it.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Proverbs 23. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?