Proverbs 23
OGCNOTICEABLE GROUPINGS IN CHAPTER 23
My son
My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad (Proverbs 23:15).
Hear thou, my son, and be wise (Proverbs 23:19).
My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways (Proverbs 23:26).
Parenthood
Withhold not correction from the child; For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol (Proverbs 23:13-14). Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old (Proverbs 23:22).
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him. Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice (Proverbs 23:24-25).
Wine
Be not among winebibbers…For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty (Proverbs 23:20-21).
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall be hold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, 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. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, And I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it again (Proverbs 23:29-35).
Eating
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee; And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food (Proverbs 23:1-3).
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties: For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words (Proverbs 23:6-8).
Deceit
Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food (Proverbs 23:3).
Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee (Proverbs 23:7).
Learning
Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge (Proverbs 23:12).
Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding (Proverbs 23:23).
Proverbs 23:1-12
CHAPTER 23 TEXT Proverbs 23:1-12
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler
Consider diligently him that is before thee;
And put a knife to thy throat,
If thou be a man given to appetite.
Be not desirous of his dainties;
Seeing they are deceitful food.
Weary not thyself to be rich;
Cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,
Neither desire thou his dainties:
For as he thinketh within himself, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,
And lose thy sweet words.
Speak not in the hearing of a fool;
For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Remove not the ancient landmark;
And enter not into the fields of the fatherless;
For their Redeemer is strong;
He will plead their cause against thee.
Apply thy heart unto instruction,
And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 23:1-12
Why consider the ruler (Proverbs 23:1)?
What does put a knife to thy throat mean (Proverbs 23:2)?
What makes a ruler’s food deceitful meat (Proverbs 23:3)?
Is getting rich really a wearisome road (Proverbs 23:4)?
What is meant in Proverbs 23:5 by that which is not?
What is meant in Proverbs 23:6 by an evil eye?
Restate the first clause in Proverbs 23:7 in your own words.
Can a person act nice to you when he really doesn-’t feel that way (Proverbs 23:7)?
What might be an illustration of Pro 23:8?
What statement of Jesus in Matthew 7 does Proverbs 23:9 seem to parallel?
Is there a connection the two clauses in Proverbs 23:10?
Who is the Redeemer of the fatherless (Proverbs 23:11)?
What is the difference between learning by instruction and learning by experience (Proverbs 23:12)?
PARAPHRASE OF 23:1-12
1-3.
When dining with a rich man, be on your guard and don-’t stuff yourself, though it all tastes so good; for he is trying to bribe you, and no good is going to come of his invitation.
4-5.
Don-’t worry yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!
6-8.
Don-’t become obligated to evil men; don-’t long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach and you will vomit it, and have to take back your words of appreciation for their kindness.
Don-’t waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise the wisest advice.
10, 11.
Don-’t steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; He Himself will accuse you.
Don-’t refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can.
COMMENTS ON 23:1-12
Proverbs 23:1. The usual one-verse saying of Proverbs gives way here to an eight-verse set of instructions. To be invited to dine with a ruler would be a great honor to a man of lowly birth, or to one of the middle class, to whom the manners of courts and palaces were practically unknown (Pulpit Commentary). Since the invitation was extended not out of kingly politeness but with an ulterior motive (Proverbs 23:7-8), our verses suggest that the guest should consider (look into) the one who invited him rather than just the delicious food before him.
Proverbs 23:2. In the presence of such a bountiful, delicious banquet, a man of appetite would be tempted to eat much more than he should. When away from home, one should act as if he had been away from home before. The ruler’s ulterior motives in inviting him might be better fulfilled if the man ate and drank beyond wisdom, for in that condition the host may be able to extract information from the guest that he would not otherwise be able to obtain (if this be his motive),
Proverbs 23:3. A further warning, Daniel 1:8 also refers to the king’s food as danties. They are deceitful food in that they have insincerely set before the man, and for him to eat to excess will somehow fulfill the ruler’s purpose rather than the best interests of the man eating.
Proverbs 23:4. By thus associating with a ruler, the guest may have thought that this was his first step toward the life of the rich, Or, having eaten of such pleasant food, the guest may have determined that he too will someday be rich. Here he is warned of the many weary years and hardships accompanying getting and being rich. So he is told to cease from his own wisdom which in the long run will not prove to be truly wise at all. Other warnings against aspiring to be rich: Matthew 6:19-20; John 6:27; 1 Timothy 6:7-10. Other warnings against following one’s own wisdom: Proverbs 3:5; Romans 12:16.
Proverbs 23:5. Riches are here spoken of as that which is not. They are uncertain (1 Timothy 6:17). They may be here today but gone tomorrow (through economic crashes, bad investments, etc.). Kings often had to empty their treasure houses to satisfy invading kings (1 Kings 18:15-16). Consider also Ecclesiastes 5:11; Ecclesiastes 5:15-16.
Proverbs 23:6. An evil eye here had to do with a covetous eye. Compare Deuteronomy 15:9 for a similar use of it. Since this is a repetition of the warning in Proverbs 23:3, the ruler’s ulterior motive was his own personal gain to result from the man’s being his guest.
Proverbs 23:7. He would be invited to eat and drink, but it was not out of sheer hospitality. This is the deceitfulness mentioned in Proverbs 23:3. This saying is warning us against this type of person. Romans 12:9 (Let love be without hypocrisy) warns us not to be this type of person ourselves. Our verse also shows it isn-’t what we say or do but the heart that determines the real person.
Proverbs 23:8. The dainties were sweet and tasted good, but later he would be able to see through it all, and then he would vomit them up, so to speak. In other words, it was sweeter going down than coming up. Wisdom always says to look to the end of a matter, to the outcome, before one participates, invests, etc.
Proverbs 23:9. Some people show they are fools by despising words of wisdom. We are obligated to share our understanding with those who do not understand, but when we find one who will not listen, will not learn, will not appreciate, but will only laugh at and make fun of that which we say, it is time to turn away and go to someone who will listen (Acts 13:46; Acts 18:5-6). Jesus said, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine (Matthew 7:6). Pulpit Commentary: It is a mere casting of pearls before swine to speak to such a man of high aims, righteous motives, self-sacrifice.
Proverbs 23:10. A landmark was usually a stone or a pillar of stones placed to mark out the boundary of one’s land. This verse contains a prohibition against altering those. Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17; and Proverbs 22:28 contain similar prohibitions. By moving (or removing) the landmark one could be claiming and using land that rightfully belonged to one’s neighbor. This verse contains a special warning if the land taken belonged to the fatherless.
Proverbs 23:11. God will look out for the right of the orphaned, and He will not be easy on one who has taken land away from such. Proverbs 22:23 says, Jehovah will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil thee.
Proverbs 23:12. It is not merely hearing instruction but applying one’s heart to what is being said that really adds learning and knowledge to one. The Bible does not favor a person going his way and finding out everything for himself; it emphasizes instruction and urges each one to learn all he can from the instruction of others.
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 23:1-12
Why should one not eat too much when dining with a ruler (Proverbs 23:1-3)?
Where else in the Bible is king’s food referred to as dainties (Proverbs 23:3)?
Tell of the weariness of the rich (Proverbs 23:4).
Cite another warning from the Bible about aspiring to be rich (Proverbs 23:4).
Why are riches spoken of as that which is not (Proverbs 23:5)?
Proverbs 23:6 parallels what previous verse in this chapter?
How does Proverbs 23:7 explain an expression in Proverbs 23:3?
What was the end of those sweet morsels (Proverbs 23:8)?
What statement of Jesus teaches the same thing as Proverbs 23:9?
What did a landmark often consist of (Proverbs 23:10)?
Whom will one encounter who would take financial advantage of the orphaned (Proverbs 23:11)?
What two things are to be applied in getting knowledge (Proverbs 23:12)?
Proverbs 23:13-23
TEXT Proverbs 23:13-23
Withhold not correction from the child;
For if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod,
And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.
My son, if thy heart be wise,
My hear will be glad, even mine.
.
Yea, my heart will rejoice
When thy lips speak right things.
Let not thy heart envy sinners;
But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:
For surely there is a reward;
And thy hope shall not be cut off.
Hear thou, my son, arid be wise,
And guide thy heart in the way.
Be not among winebibbers,
Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty;
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,
And despise not thy mother when she is old.
Buy the truth, and sell it not;
Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 23:13-23
Does Proverbs 23:13 sound like most people whip their children too hard or too easy?
What is meant by Sheol in Proverbs 23:14?
How does Proverbs 10:1 word the same truth as found in Proverbs 23:15?
Is the opposite of Pro 23:16 just as true (that parents-’ hearts weep when their children speak perverse things)?
Do the wicked want us to envy them (Proverbs 23:17)?
Will a godly person in time have more than a sinner has now (Proverbs 23:18)?
How many times in this chapter does it say, My son (Proverbs 23:19)?
Why is this said so many times (Proverbs 23:19)?
What is the wrong of winebibbing and gluttony (Proverbs 23:20; Proverbs 23:20)?
What is the relation of drowsiness to such habits (Proverbs 23:21)?
What two crimes can one commit against parents (Proverbs 23:22)?
What do buy and sell mean in Proverbs 23:23?
PARAPHRASE OF 23:13-23
13, 14.
Don-’t fail to correct your children; discipline won-’t hurt them! They won-’t die if you use a stick on them! Punishment will keep them out of hell.
15, 16.
My son, how I will rejoice if you become a man of common sense. Yes, my heart will thrill to your thoughtful, wise words.
17, 18.
Don-’t envy evil men but continue to reverence the Lord all the time, for surely you have a wonderful future ahead of you. There is hope for you yet!
19, 21.
O my son, be wise and stay in God’s paths; don-’t carouse with drunkards and gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty. And remember that too much sleep clothes a man with rags.
Listen to your father’s advice and don-’t despise an old mother’s experience.
Get the facts at any price, and hold on tightly to all the good sense you can.
COMMENTS ON 23:13-23
Proverbs 23:13. Every child needs correction at times. He or she will not be correct in life without correction. At times this correction will have to be administered with the rod (whippings), and the language of our verse indicates that sometimes such must be administered with great severity.
Proverbs 23:14. Sheol of the Old Testament was parallel with Hades of the New. When one dies, his spirit goes to Sheol (Hades). Instead of causing a child to die through physical chastisements (Proverbs 23:13), such punishments will actually keep a child from a premature death through God’s wrath or through a child’s own foolishness or other ways.
Proverbs 23:15. Other passages showing that good children bring joy to parents: Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 23:24-25; Proverbs 29:3. There is a play on words here: If THY HEART be wise, MY HEART will be glad, Oh, how parents wait for and look for evidences of their children’s good qualities! Surely if children thought of this, how happy they could actually make their parents!. And how we can make our heavenly Father pleased by our wisely doing His will!
Proverbs 23:16. The wise heart of Pro 23:15 will reflect itself in lips that speak right things. How much good judgment is reflected by wise words, excellent speech, etc.!
Proverbs 23:17. To envy sinners is not to be fearing Jehovah properly. Other passages that warn against envying sinners: Psalms 37:1; Proverbs 3:31; Proverbs 24:1; Proverbs 24:19. Yet people at times do envy sinners (Psalms 73:3-7). But if one truly fears Jehovah, he will have no temptation to envy His enemies (sinners) upon whom God’s wrath will ultimately fall.
Proverbs 23:18. Yes, a godly person’s reward is coming, and how great it will be! Such’s hope will be fulfilled and not cut off: 1 Peter 1:3-5; Psalms 37:37. Pulpit Commentary: The writer has a firm belief in the moral government of God and in a future life which shall rectify all anomalies. If the poor man of Luke 16 were tempted to envy the rich man, it would have been a mistake because he himself ended up so much better off (Luke 16:25).
Proverbs 23:19. Again the father appeals for the son to be wise. Remember, it is a wise son that makes a glad father (Proverbs 10:1). Proverbs 4:23 speaks of the necessity one keeping his heart with all diligence. We note here that one is not to let his heart wander wheresoever society, trends, fads, or friends may lead it, but one is responsible to guide his heart in the way it should go. Failure to do this has been a great weakness of mankind.
Proverbs 23:20. The Bible sounds many warnings against taking up with wine and drunkenness: Isaiah 5:22; Matthew 24:48-51; Luke 21:34; Romans 13:13; Ephesians 5:18. But gluttony is also noted here as wrong. Jesus-’ enemies tried to down Him by calling him-’ a gluttonous man (Matthew 11:19). In affluent times many are guilty of both winebibbing and gluttony.
Proverbs 23:21. It costs money to eat like a glutton and drink like a drunkard. Many a man has devoured and destroyed a small fortune in this way. He is also brought to poverty by not showing up for work or by not being able to hold his job. The drowsiness has to do with his sleeping off his drunkenness. What a perversion of life!
Proverbs 23:22. We are to listen to the wisdom and instruction of our fathers (Proverbs 1:8; Ephesians 6:1). How many sorrows and mistakes young men can avoid by hearkening to their fathers! Prodigals and know-it-alls don-’t listen; in time they will see that they should have listened. Concerning despising one’s mother when she is old, Pulpit Commentary says, When old age with its consequent infirmities comes upon thy mother, despise her not, but rather thank God for giving her long life, and profit by her love and long experience.
Proverbs 23:23. Truth, spoken of in this verse as wisdom, and instruction, and understanding, is something to obtain at all costs and something not to part with regardless of what earthly or momentary gains one may get by doing so. Pulpit Commentary: Consider truth as a thing of the highest value, and spare no pains, cost, or sacrifice to obtain it, and, when gotten, keep it safe; do not barter it for earthly profit or the pleasures of sense; do not be reasoned out of it, or laughed out of it…do not part with it for any consideration.
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 23:13-23
What great message to parents is carried in Proverbs 23:13?
How many proper whippings keep a child from Sheol (Proverbs 23:14)?
What play on words is found in Proverbs 23:15?
What is the relationship between Proverbs 23:15-16?
Why should a godly person not envy a sinner (Proverbs 23:17)?
What is the relationship between Proverbs 23:17-18?
What is wrong with letting one’s mind wander wheresoever it will go (Proverbs 23:19)?
What two sins of the body are forbidden in Proverbs 23:20?
Why is a drunkard and glutton brought to poverty (Proverbs 23:21)?
How can a young man avoid both sorrows and mistakes (Proverbs 23:22)?
Why would a person despise a mother when she is old (Proverbs 23:22)?
How do we buy truth? How do we sell it (Proverbs 23:23)?
Proverbs 23:24-35
TEXT Proverbs 23:24-35
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
Let thy father and thy mother be glad,
And let her that bare thee rejoice.
My son, give me thy heart;
And let thine eyes delight in my ways.
For a harlot is a deep ditch;
And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber,
And increaseth the treacherous among men.
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions?
Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
They that tarry long at the wine;
They that go to seek out mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,
When it sparkleth in the cup,
When it goeth down smoothly:
At the last it biteth like a serpent,
And stingeth like an adder.
Thine eyes shall behold strange things,
And thy heart shall utter perverse things.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,
Or as he that lieth upon the top of the mast.
They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 23:24-35
Did God feel this way concerning Jesus (Proverbs 23:24)?
Is one’s parents-’ happiness another motivation for doing right (Proverbs 23:25)?
How would a son give his heart to his father (Proverbs 23:26)?
Is Proverbs 23:27 what the father was getting at in his previous statements?
What does the harlot rob from a person (Proverbs 23:27)?
Show how that each of the six things in Proverbs 23:29 befall a drinker?
Comment on tarrying long (Proverbs 23:30).
Is there any significance to red here (Proverbs 23:31)?
Can sinners stay the outcome of sin (Proverbs 23:32)?
Comment upon imaginative things seen by the drunkard (Proverbs 23:33).
What is meant by Proverbs 23:34?
What is the pathetic truth of Pro 23:35‘S last statement?
PARAPHRASE OF 23:24-35
24, 25.
The father of a godly man has cause for joywhat pleasure a wise son is! So give your parents joy!
26-28.
O my son, trust my advicestay away from prostitutes. For a prostitute is a deep and narrow grave. Like a robber, she waits for her victims as one after another become unfaithful to their wives.
29, 30.
Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures.
Don-’t let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you.
For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder.
You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremens, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you no end when sober.
You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, slinging to a swaying mast.
And afterwards you will say, I didn-’t even know it when they beat me up…Let’s go and have another drink!
COMMENTS ON 23:24-35
Proverbs 23:24. Again the subject of parental joy comes up (see Proverbs 23:15; Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 15:20). Jesus brought joy to His Father (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5), and so have good children down through the centuries. Notice how that righteousness and wisdom bring joy and rejoicing just as unrighteousness and foolishness bring sorrow.
Proverbs 23:25. Proverbs 23:24 spoke of the joy of the father of a good child; this verse speaks of the joy of both the father and the mother. Much of a mother’s time and life is wrapped up in her children, and she is ever ready to rejoice over every success and attainment of her children.
Proverbs 23:26. Since Proverbs 23:27 begins with the explanatory word for, this verse is introducing what that and later verses develop; namely, a solemn warning against the wicked, harlot woman (a subject to which earlier sections devoted much material: Proverbs 5:1-23; Proverbs 6:20-35; Proverbs 7:1-27). Notice, too, that the passages in Chapter s 5, 6, 7 are always introduced with a similar getting of the son’s attention before beginning the actual material. This was to impress the son with what the father was saying.
Proverbs 23:27. She is given a double description, both of which resemble: a deep ditch and a narrow pit. She represents a danger to avoid. Proverbs 22:14 similarly says, The mouth of a strange woman is a deep pit; He that is abhorred of Jehovah shall fall therein. Since there is nothing to gain by falling into a deep ditch and a narrow pit, Proverbs 6:32 rightfully says, He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding. Look at the dangers brought on by one’s disregarding this warning: Proverbs 5:11; Proverbs 6:32-34; Proverbs 7:22-23; Proverbs 7:26-27.
Proverbs 23:28. She is out working her trade (Proverbs 7:12). Like a robber she does not lose an opportunity (Proverbs 7:13-21). One such person increaseth the sinners upon earth, here called the treacherous among men. Men who thus become unfaithful to wives might well be described as treacherous! Malachi shows that men who turn from the wives of their youth deal treacherously with them (Malachi 2:10; Malachi 2:14-16.
Proverbs 23:29. Six questions are raised that are answered in the next verse. From the consequences of drinking, the ancients suffered the same woes and sorrows as do moderns who imbibe. The drinker has woe in the physical problems brought on, in his social relations, in his finances, in his slavery to his habit, and in the punishment that awaits him (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21). The drinker has sorrow upon sorrow as does his family as a result of his drinking as do others whom he injures while intoxicated. The drinker knows contentions, for many fights take place at taverns. The drinker knows complaining, for he often complains of the way people treat him. The drinker has wounds without cause, for if he stayed sober, he would not get into the trouble he does. The drinker has redness of eyes, an outward commentary on the abuse that his body is inwardly suffering. Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 5:22 also uses woe in warning against strong drink: Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them!…Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink. So does Habakkuk 2:15: Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink.
Proverbs 23:30. The six questions raised in Proverbs 23:29 are quickly and bluntly answered here: those who drink intoxicants. Time and its meaning seem to mean nothing to a drunkard, for he will spend hours drinking with others until they are drunken, and then he will sleep it off and seem not to care that he should be at his job instead of in bed. The expression seek out shows that drinkers go forth to get their booze; it is something they must obtain because of the habit they have developed and the appetite they have for booze.
Proverbs 23:31. On red, Pulpit Commentary says, The wine of Palestine was chiefly red. Drinkers like the color; they like the sparkle in the glass; they like the taste. On going down smoothly, Pulpit Commentary: The wine pleases the palate, and passes over it without roughness or harshness. This verse is a commandment to keep away from wine to avoid even the temptation to drink, for to avoid drinking wine the verse says, Don-’t even look upon it. The only way to keep out of any bad habit is to stay as far from it as one can while depending upon God to help him.
Proverbs 23:32. No thinking person would ever start drinking if he considered the end of it. The booze companies don-’t tell him how it will end. The fellows who offer him his first drink and will laugh at him if he doesn-’t take it aren-’t thinking of drink’s bitter end. But godly people are known for seeing what something produces, where it leads, and where it ends before they do it. Indeed wine biteth like a serpent, and it stingeth like an adder; yet the habit is far from dying out. Pulpit Commentary: Wine is like the subtle poison of a serpent, which affects the whole body, and produces the most fatal consequences. Septuagint: At the last he stretches himself like one stricken by a serpent, and the venom is diffused through him as by a horned snake.
Proverbs 23:33. A drunkard cannot trust his eyesight. Ever hear of a drunkard seeing two bridges before him and wondering which to drive over? And, oh, the foolish, the coarse, the vulgar, the wicked things that men say when drunkthings that embarrass polite society, that make youngsters laugh but angels weep!
Proverbs 23:34. As a drunkard’s whole system pitches and tosses and finally results in vomiting. His reeling, staggering, and uncertainty are referred to in Isaiah 28:7-8: These reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink…All tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Imagine trying to sleep on top of a ship’s mast! Such is comparable to a drunkard’s physical feelings.
Proverbs 23:35. Pulpit Commentary: The drunken man has been beaten…but the blows did not pain him; his condition has rendered him insensible to pain. He has some vague idea that he has suffered certain rough treatment at the hands of his companions, but it has made no impression on him. He will not be able to remember what happened to him while he was drunk. When shall I awake? refers to the prolonged sleep that his drunkenness has brought on. And yet in spite of all the woes and the sorrows and other bitter consequences that such a life has brought to him, you can be sure of this: when he does wake up, he won-’t have any more sense than to go out and seek it again (Isaiah 56:12). What a tragedy!