Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 23:3

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful meat.

3. Maurer quotes in illustration of these verses (1 3):

“Keep thee from the man that hath power to kill,

And thou shalt have no suspicion of the fear of death:

And if thou come unto him, commit no fault,

Lest he take away thy life:

Know surely that thou goest about in the midst of snares,

And walkest upon the battlements of a city.” Sir 9:13 .

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Dainties … deceitful meat – Such as savory meat, venison Gen 27:4, offered not from genuine hospitality, but with some by-ends.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Either because they do not yield thee that satisfaction which thou didst expect from them, but rather load thee with ill humours, and the seeds of divers diseases; or because they are not provided for thee with sincerity and good will, but with some evil design upon thee, either to discover and betray thee, or to enslave thee. See Poole “Pro 23:6,7“.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

3. are deceitful meatthoughwell tasted, injurious.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Be not desirous of his dainties,…. His savoury food, which is very grateful to the taste, his rich provisions and royal dainties; do not lust after them, as the word s signifies, in an immoderate way, as the Israelites lusted after the fleshpots in Egypt: these may be lawfully desired, but not sinfully lusted after; and in feeding on them nature may be satisfied, and not the sensual lusts gratified in such a manner they crave, which would be criminal;

for they [are] deceitful meat; or, “bread of lies” t: through the pleasant and agreeable taste of them, they lead on to luxury and excess before a man is aware, and so deceive him; they promise him a great deal of pleasure, but, being too much indulged to, they produce sickness and nauseousness. Some think they are called so, from the intention and issue of them; being designed to draw out secrets, which men are very apt to divulge, when they have ate and drank freely. Some apply this to false doctrines, which are framed sometimes in a very plausible manner, and deceive the simple; are bread of lies, lies in hypocrisy, and are very pernicious; such words eat, as do a canker, instead of yielding solid nourishment.

s “ne concupiscas”, Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Schultens; “ne coucupiscito”, Piscator. t “panis mendaciorum”, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis; “cibus mendaciorum”, Piscator, Schultens.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(3) Deceitful meat.Not offered out of friendship and love to thee; for an unguarded word spoken in the insecurity of the festive hour might bring ruin to thee.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

v. 3. Be not desirous of his dainties, craving the finest food on the table; for they are deceitful meat, literally, “bread of deception,” it is a deceptive meal, the object of the powerful person not being to dispense free hospitality, but to make use of his guest in some manner.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Pro 23:3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful meat.

Ver. 3. Be not desirous of his dainties. ] It is a shame for a saint to be a slave to his palate. Isaac loved venison too, too well; the disciples are cautioned by Christ, Luk 21:34 who well enough knew where they were weakest.

For they are deceitful meat. ] There is a hook under that bait; it may prove as dangerous as Jonathan’s honey, of which he had no sooner tasted but his head was forfeited. There is a deceitfulness in sin, Heb 3:13 a lie in vanity, Jon 2:8 transit voluptas, manet dolor – dolor est etiam ipsa voluptas.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)