English Standard Version
Proverbs 25:16
16If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
Proverbs 25:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
- New International Version (NIV)If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!
Context of Proverbs 25:16
14Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. 15With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. 17Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you. 18A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.
Read all of Proverbs 25Proverbs 25:16 word by word
דְּבַ֣שׁ מָ֭צָאתָ אֱכֹ֣ל דַּיֶּ֑ךָּ פֶּן־תִּ֝שְׂבָּעֶ֗נּוּ וַהֲקֵֽאתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 25:16
- Proverbs 24:13My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
- Judges 14:8After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey.
- 1 Samuel 14:25Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground.
- Isaiah 7:15He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
- Proverbs 26:27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
- Proverbs 23:8You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.
- Luke 21:34"But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
- Ephesians 5:18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Commentaries on Proverbs 25:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Hast thou found honey? - Make a moderate use of all thy enjoyments. "Let thy moderation be known unto all, and appear in all things."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Hast thou found honey? - Compare Judges 14:8; 1 Samuel 14:27. The precept extends to the pleasure of which honey is the symbol.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16Verse 16 God has given us leave to use grateful things, but we are cautioned against excess.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-17Honey is tasty and healthy in moderation (Proverbs 24:13–14), but too much can cause vomiting. This idea applies to other life areas. For example, visiting your neighbors is good, but do not visit too often.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1716-17. A comparison, as a surfeit of honey produces physical disgust, so your company, however agreeable in moderation, may, if excessive, lead your friend to hate you.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 25:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries