Pro 23:8 | KingComments | STEP | It is a mistake to accept hospitality from a stingy person ( ). With every bite you take, you see him looking angry. The literal translation of “a selfish man”, is “angry eye” – see the contrast with “he who is generous” ( ), which is someone with an “abundant eye”; see the notes on Proverbs 22:9. This miser is ill-mannered and inhospitable. You should have no desire to eat with him of “his delicacies”, no matter how much your mouth waters when you see such an abundance of the most delicious food before you. There is really nothing appetizing about a meal with such a person. The man you are eating with is not as he pretends to be ( ). As you sit eating, he is calculating what he has lost in terms of what you devour. It causes a hole in his wealth. He does make the invitation to “eat and drink”, but he doesn’t do it wholeheartedly, he doesn’t mean it, he is stingy. He does it grudgingly. Inwardly, with his heart, he is not connected to you, even though a meal expresses fellowship. He pays more attention to how much you eat – and thus what it costs him – than whether you enjoy it. As the meal progresses, the host’s face contracts, making the food taste increasingly bad to you ( ). Finally, his lack of sincerity will make you lose your appetite to the point that you vomit up what you have already eaten. And oh, how you will regret your compliments. You have expressed your appreciation for the invitation and praised your host for his good taste, but it is all wasted tribute. The man turns out to be a miser who just sat and watched you grumbling over each bite you took.

‏ Proverbs 23:8

Hypocritical Hospitality

It is a mistake to accept hospitality from a stingy person (Pro 23:6). With every bite you take, you see him looking angry. The literal translation of “a selfish man”, is “angry eye” – see the contrast with “he who is generous” (Pro 22:9), which is someone with an “abundant eye”; see the notes on Proverbs 22:9. This miser is ill-mannered and inhospitable. You should have no desire to eat with him of “his delicacies”, no matter how much your mouth waters when you see such an abundance of the most delicious food before you. There is really nothing appetizing about a meal with such a person.

The man you are eating with is not as he pretends to be (Pro 23:7). As you sit eating, he is calculating what he has lost in terms of what you devour. It causes a hole in his wealth. He does make the invitation to “eat and drink”, but he doesn’t do it wholeheartedly, he doesn’t mean it, he is stingy. He does it grudgingly. Inwardly, with his heart, he is not connected to you, even though a meal expresses fellowship. He pays more attention to how much you eat – and thus what it costs him – than whether you enjoy it.

As the meal progresses, the host’s face contracts, making the food taste increasingly bad to you (Pro 23:8). Finally, his lack of sincerity will make you lose your appetite to the point that you vomit up what you have already eaten. And oh, how you will regret your compliments. You have expressed your appreciation for the invitation and praised your host for his good taste, but it is all wasted tribute. The man turns out to be a miser who just sat and watched you grumbling over each bite you took.