Proverbs · chapter 23 of 31
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Proverbs 23 continues the Words of the Wise with counsel on dining with a ruler, not wearing yourself out to get rich, disciplining a child, not envying sinners and listening to parents. It ends with a vivid portrait of the person given over to wine, with its woes, wounds and the craving to drink again.
Proverbs 23 is part of the Words of the Wise (22:17 to 24:22), a series of sayings in the form of a father's or teacher's counsel to his son. In this chapter the reader is often addressed directly with commands and warnings about the table, money, discipline, family advice and drink.
The chapter begins with a warning for whoever sits down to eat with a ruler: he should consider carefully what is before him and not be drawn in by the delicacies (vv. 1-3). Do not weary yourself to get rich, for wealth sprouts wings like an eagle and flies away (vv. 4-5). Do not eat with a stingy man, whose words of invitation are not sincere (vv. 6-8). Verses 10 and 11 again warn against moving the ancient landmark or invading the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong.
A second part speaks to the son with great warmth. Apply your heart to instruction (v. 12), do not withhold discipline from a child (vv. 13-14), and a father rejoices when his son speaks what is right (vv. 15-16). The son is not to envy sinners but to live in the fear of the Lord all day, for there is a future and his hope will not be cut off (vv. 17-18). He is to avoid drunkards and gluttons, who come to poverty (vv. 20-21).
Verses 22 to 25 ask the son to listen to his father and not despise his mother when she is old, to buy truth and wisdom and not sell them, and say the father of the righteous will rejoice. Verses 26 to 28 ask the son to give his heart to his father and avoid the forbidden woman. The chapter ends with a question: who has woe, who has sorrow, who has wounds without cause (v. 29)? The answer is those who linger long over wine (v. 30). Do not gaze at wine when it sparkles, for in the end it bites like a serpent (vv. 31-32); the drunkard sees strange things, feels as if he were lying in the midst of the sea, is struck but feels no pain and only thinks of seeking another drink (vv. 33-35).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Do not weary yourself to get rich, because riches disappear as if they had wings. It is a warning against setting the heart on money, which can vanish in an instant.
Do not envy sinners; live always in the fear of the Lord, for there is a future and your hope will not be cut off. Faith looks beyond the apparent success of the wicked and trusts the end God has prepared.
Buy truth and do not sell it, and the same with wisdom, instruction and understanding. Truth costs effort and time, but it should never be traded for advantage or comfort.
Do not look at wine when it is red and sparkles in the cup, for in the end it bites like a serpent. The warning is against wine's deceptive appeal, which promises pleasure but ends in harm.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: They sprout wings like an eagle and fly away. — Proverbs 23:5
Answer: Because their Redeemer is strong and will plead their cause. — Proverbs 23:10-11
Answer: Do not envy them, but live in the fear of the Lord, for there is a future and hope will not be cut off. — Proverbs 23:17-18
Answer: Truth, along with wisdom, instruction and understanding. — Proverbs 23:23
Answer: Our father who gave us life, and our mother. — Proverbs 23:22
Answer: A serpent that bites and an adder that stings. — Proverbs 23:32
Proverbs 23 speaks of desires that promise satisfaction: power, money and drink. In a small group you can ask what attracts us today with the sparkle of red wine, and what company helps us stay alert. People who struggle with alcohol need support, not condemnation, and the church can be a place of concrete help.
The counsel to buy the truth is very practical: spend time and money on studying the Bible and listening to those with more experience, instead of selling integrity for a passing advantage.
Proverbs 23 ends with the portrait of the one who cannot leave drink alone, a warning that chapter 24 widens with counsel on not envying the wicked, wisdom that builds the house and the importance of rising each time one falls.
The verse warns against sitting with a stingy man: though he says eat and drink, his heart is not with you. The translation of the phrase is difficult, and on its own it is sometimes used to say we are what we think. Read in context, the sense is that we should distrust hypocritical hospitality.
The passage is not a rule about every cup but a portrait of the consequences of drunkenness and dependence: pain, quarrels and slavery. Christians hold different convictions about total abstinence, but they agree that the Bible condemns drunkenness and calls for self-control.