Dishonest gain tastes sweet at first but ends as gravel in the mouth, a small persistent misery the wise count beforehand.
A vivid mouth-image follows in Proverbs 20:17: Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel (v. 17). Solomon admits the real pleasure of dishonest gain and then names what comes next.
Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet at the moment of tasting. Solomon does not pretend dishonest gain has no appeal. There is a real sweetness on the tongue when the gain is fresh.
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Crunching grit on teeth is a small, persistent, inescapable misery. The image captures the long aftermath of dishonest gain. The gain grinds, slowly, in places that do not heal. The wise man counts the gravel before he counts the sweetness.
Proverbs 20:17
17 Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
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Proverbs 20:17 meaning
A vivid mouth-image follows in Proverbs 20:17: Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel (v. 17). Solomon admits the real pleasure of dishonest gain and then names what comes next.
Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet at the moment of tasting. Solomon does not pretend dishonest gain has no appeal. There is a real sweetness on the tongue when the gain is fresh.
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. Crunching grit on teeth is a small, persistent, inescapable misery. The image captures the long aftermath of dishonest gain. The gain grinds, slowly, in places that do not heal. The wise man counts the gravel before he counts the sweetness.