New International Version
Proverbs 25:16
16If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.
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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
- 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 one who boasts of gifts never given. 15Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit. 17Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house— too much of you, and they will hate you. 18Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.
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 24:13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
- Judges 14:8Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey.
- 1 Samuel 14:25The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground.
- Isaiah 7:15He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,
- Proverbs 26:27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
- Proverbs 23:8You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.
- Luke 21:34“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
- Ephesians 5:18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, 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
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