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Proverbs 23:1-2
New English Translation
Proverbs 23:1-2
New English Translation
23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
consider carefully[a] what[b] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat[c]
if you possess a large appetite.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense of instruction with the infinitive absolute to emphasize the careful discernment required on such occasions. Cf. NIV “note well”; NLT “pay attention.”
- Proverbs 23:1 tn Or “who,” referring to the ruler (so ASV, NAB, TEV).
- Proverbs 23:2 sn The expression “put a knife to your throat” is an idiom that means “curb your appetite” or “control yourself” (cf. TEV). The instruction was from a time when people dealt with all-powerful tyrants. To enter the presence of such a person and indulge one’s appetites would be to take a very high risk.
- Proverbs 23:2 tn Heb “an owner of appetite.” The idiom בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ (baʿal nefesh) refers to someone who possesses a large appetite (cf. NAB “a ravenous appetite”). A person with a big appetite is in danger of taking liberties when invited to court.
Proverbs 23:1-2
International Standard Version
Proverbs 23:1-2
International Standard Version
Things to Avoid in Life
23 Whenever you sit down to dine with a ruler,
carefully think about what is before you.
2 Put a knife to your own throat,
if you have a big appetite.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:2 Lit. a master of an appetite
New English Translation (NET)
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International Standard Version (ISV)
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