Chapter Summary

Proverbs 23 contains some of Solomon's most urgent practical warnings. The chapter opens with a lesson about dining with the powerful: be careful what you eat and do not be seduced by delicacies, because they may be a trap.

Verse 7 is one of the most quoted in discussions of psychology and behavior: as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. What we believe about ourselves, God, and the world shapes everything we do.

The chapter ends with one of the most vivid descriptions of alcoholism in ancient literature. The drunk does not feel the beating. He does not know when he stumbled. And when he wakes, his first thought is to drink again. It is a portrait of addiction that feels startlingly modern.

All 35 Verses
Click any verse to reflect on its meaning
Related Bible Story
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11 to 24 · New Testament

The Prodigal Son

What happens when a son ignores every warning in Proverbs 23
Connection to Proverbs 23

The prodigal son ignored virtually every warning in Proverbs 23. He did not listen to his father (verse 22), chased wealth that disappeared (verse 5), and spent his days with wine and wild companions (verses 20 to 21). Verse 26 says give me your heart, my son. The father never stopped watching for the return of that heart.