Proverbs 23:31

31 Behold thou not [the] wine (Look thou not upon the wine), when it sparkleth, when the colour thereof shineth in a glass cup. It entereth sweetly,

Proverbs 23:31 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 23:31

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red
Or, "because it is red" ^F18; or shows itself red. Which was the only wine used in the land of Canaan, or, however, the most esteemed of, and that most of art which had the best colour; when it had a good, bright, red colour, or sparkled, and looked bright and beautiful, so the word signifies; and then it should not be looked upon: not that it is unlawful to look upon the colour of wine, and thereby judge of its goodness; but it should not be looked upon with a greedy eye, so as vehemently to desire it, which will lead to an intemperate use of it; just as looking upon a woman, so as to lust after her, is forbidden, ( Matthew 5:28 ) ; when it giveth his colour in the cup:
or, its eye in the cup ^F19; such a bright, brisk, and beautiful colour, as is like a bright and sparkling eye. Here is a various reading; it is written in the text, "in the purse" ^F20; it is read in the margin, "in the cup"; and Jarchi's note takes in both,

``he that drinks wine sets his eye on the cup; and the vintner sets his on his purse;''

[when] it moveth itself aright;
sparkles in the glass, or goes down the throat pleasantly; or rather looks well to the eye, and appears right and good, and promises a great deal of satisfaction and delight.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 (yk) "quia", some in Mercerus, Gejerus.
F19 (wnye) "oculum suum", Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis.
F20 (oykb) "in crumena, vel marsupio", Mercerus.

Proverbs 23:31 In-Context

29 To whom is woe? to whose father is woe? to whom be chidings? (to whom be arguments?) to whom be ditches? to whom be wounds without cause? to whom is putting out of eyes?

30 Whether not to them, that dwell in wine, and study to drink [up] all of (the) cups? (Whether not to those, who live in wine, and endeavour to drink up every last drop from the cup?)

31 Behold thou not [the] wine (Look thou not upon the wine), when it sparkleth, when the colour thereof shineth in a glass cup. It entereth sweetly,

32 but at the last it shall bite as an adder, and as a cockatrice it shall shed abroad venoms. (but in the end, it shall bite like a serpent, and it shall sting, with its venom, like a cockatrice.)

33 Thine eyes shall see strange, (or unknown,) women, and thy heart shall speak wayward things.