Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
Set among warnings about the chase for wealth, this proverb turns to the dinner table of a man whose generosity is only on his lips. Where older translations speak of "an evil eye," the ESV renders it "a man who is stingy."
This warning does not stand alone. It comes straight after a caution about chasing money.
Verse 6 says not to eat the bread of one who has an evil eye. There seems to be a link between that counsel and verse 5, about setting the mind on what is not, in a covetous way... People want money far less often for its own sake than to enjoy the things of the world and of human life more easily. And the table forms no small part of these. But the point pressed here is this: beware of accepting hospitality from the insincere. Such a host begrudges the guest what he eats or drinks, while his lips urge him to eat freely of his store.
The phrase behind "stingy" describes the man himself.
The evil eye mentioned in verse 6 has nothing to do with the superstitious belief that some person with an evil eye can cast a spell to harm others. It means a dishonest, insincere person, one who is pharisaical. While he urges you to eat and drink and puts on a friendly front, in his heart he entertains other thoughts.
Scripture uses the expression elsewhere, and it keeps the same company.
In the Scriptures, the evil eye often keeps close company with covetousness, selfishness and envious jealousy. It disregards the sufferings of others if it gains something for itself. The Lord warned the people of Israel against having an evil eye towards a poor brother in need. They were not to withhold the help he was due (Deut. 15:7-9; Deut. 28:54-55). Men were told to avoid a stingy spirit and to cultivate the generous eye that gives freely to the needy (Prov. 22:9).
The next verse looks past the invitation to the host's thoughts. His words are real speech but not real welcome. One writer describes the effect on the guest in strong terms.
Among people who claim to be friends, can any discovery be more sickening than this: you were taken in by a welcome, and then found it was an empty show? Verse 8 puts it strongly. The bit you have eaten you will vomit up, and you will waste your sweet words. Those words were the thanks you expressed when you thought his invitations were as warm as they were kind. From ordinary life up to the most solemn acts of reverent faith and love, eating and drinking together counts as an act of hearts joined. So much the more painful when you find it wholly insincere.
The verse also warns against wanting the man's fine food. So what should the guest do?
If someone is a miser, he may invite you to eat with him, but he hopes you will not eat much (v. 6). Far better in this case to decline his invitation. How much better to eat with someone who has a generous spirit and is glad of our company!
The verse weighs the host by his heart. God applies the same test to us.
How wise God is to say, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23). Again, as a man "thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). It is not what I do, or what I say with my lips; what I really am is what my heart is, what my affections are occupied with... God must have reality.
The line quoted from Proverbs 23:7 above follows an older translation; the ESV words that verse differently.
- Root. The stingy host belongs with the covetous man of verse 5. People want money for the ease it buys, and the table is a large part of that.
- Eye. "Evil eye" is not superstition. It names a dishonest man who urges you to eat while thinking otherwise.
- Company. Scripture ties that same eye to selfishness and envy. It ignores another's need when there is gain in it. The generous eye does the opposite.
- Cost. Sharing a meal should join hearts. Find out the welcome was a show, and the food sickens you and your thanks are wasted.
- Test. The verse weighs a man by what he thinks, not by what he offers. God weighs our welcome the same way. So decline the empty invitation and seek the glad one.
For as he thinketh in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.