Proverbs 20:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.

NIV: Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

NASB: Bread obtained by a lie is sweet to a person, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

CSB: Food gained by fraud is sweet to a person, but afterward his mouth is full of gravel.

NLT: Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth.

KJV: Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

NKJV: Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.

This verse sounds a warning against stealing. Like many sins, there is a temporary pleasure involved (Proverbs 9:17). But the consequences of that sin will come, eventually. Those results can be intensely bitter. Most people have, at some point, discovered something hard in a soft bite of food while chewing. The experience can be surprising and painful. Some have even broken a tooth biting down on a hard object. One can only imagine what it would be like to start chewing a sweet, soft piece of bread, only to have it suddenly turn into rocks. Yet this is what sin does: promising freedom and pleasure (Genesis 3:4–5) but leading to suffering and slavery (Genesis 3:16–19; Romans 6:17–18; James 1:13–18).

A related English proverb is the phrase "crime doesn't pay." Obviously, people commit many crimes because it's a way of making money. The point of the English expression, as well as Solomon's proverb, is that the eventual consequences greatly outweigh the short-term benefits.

Scripture records a drastic example of this, when Achan looked on what God had said was off-limits. Rather than following the command to destroy everything in Jericho, he took "a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels" (Joshua 7:21). After gaining what seemed so attractive, Achan hid the loot in his tent. However, his sin cost him his life. According to Johsua 7:22–25, messengers from Joshua ran to Achan's tent, retrieved the stolen items, and laid them down before the Lord. Then Joshua and the people of Israel took Achan, the illicit goods, and Achan's sons and daughters—all accomplices in the theft—to the Valley of Achor, where they put Achan and his family to death by stoning.

In this section of Solomon's wise sayings (Proverbs 10:1), he again discusses a wide range of subjects. These echo many of the common themes of the book of Proverbs. Solomon warns against foolishness (Proverbs 1:7), hastiness, angering authorities, and the consequences of sin and dishonesty. Several references condemn dishonest business dealings. Others note the value of diligence in making decisions.

This chapter of Proverbs belongs to the second division of the book that extends from Proverbs chapter 10 to chapter 22, in which there are nearly 400 wise sayings. Proverbs 20 continues the collection of Solomon's wise sayings. In this chapter Solomon focuses on numerous things which harm the unwise. Among them are laziness, wrong values, and bad decisions.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.