Proverbs 23:7
New International Version
for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

New Living Translation
They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.

English Standard Version
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Berean Standard Bible
for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

King James Bible
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

New King James Version
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

New American Standard Bible
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

NASB 1995
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

NASB 1977
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

Legacy Standard Bible
For as he calculates in his soul, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

Amplified Bible
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior—one who manipulates]. He says to you, “Eat and drink,” Yet his heart is not with you [but it is begrudging the cost].

Christian Standard Bible
for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
for it’s like someone calculating inwardly.” Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

American Standard Version
For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

Contemporary English Version
People like that take note of how much you eat. They say, "Take all you want!" But they don't mean it.

English Revised Version
For as he reckoneth within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
As he calculates the cost to himself, this is what he does: He tells you, "Eat and drink," but he doesn't really mean it.

Good News Translation
"Come on and have some more," he says, but he doesn't mean it. What he thinks is what he really is.

International Standard Version
for as he thinks within himself, so he is. "Eat and drink!" he'll say to you, but his heart won't be with you.

Majority Standard Bible
for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. ?Eat and drink,? he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

NET Bible
for he is like someone calculating the cost in his mind. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you;

New Heart English Bible
for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. "Eat and drink." he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Webster's Bible Translation
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

World English Bible
for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For as he has thought in his soul, so he [is]. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, "" And his heart [is] not with you.

Young's Literal Translation
For as he hath thought in his soul, so is he, 'Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart is not with thee.

Smith's Literal Translation
Like him estimating evil in his soul, so is he: Eat and drink, he will say to thee; and his heart not with thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Because like a soothsayer, and diviner, he thinketh that which he knoweth not. Eat and drink, will he say to thee: and his mind is not with thee.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For, like a seer and an interpreter of dreams, he presumes what he does not know. “Eat and drink,” he will say to you; and his mind is not with you.

New American Bible
For like something stuck in the throat is that food. “Eat and drink,” they say to you, but their hearts are not with you;

New Revised Standard Version
for like a hair in the throat, so are they. “Eat and drink!” they say to you; but they do not mean it.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For he is like him that swallows pitch; in like manner you will eat and drink with him, but his heart is not with you.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For just as a man swallows a bristle hair, so you eat and drink with him and his mind is not with you.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For as one that hath reckoned within himself, so is he: 'Eat and drink', saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
so he eats and drinks as if any one should swallow a hair, and do not bring him in to thyself, nor eat thy morsel with him:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
True Riches
6Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies; 7for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8You will vomit up what little you have eaten and waste your pleasant words.…

Cross References
Matthew 12:34-35
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. / The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

James 1:8
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 4:8
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Colossians 3:2
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Matthew 15:18-19
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. / For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

Romans 8:5-6
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. / The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,

Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? / I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. / See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Genesis 6:5
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”


Treasury of Scripture

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, said he to you; but his heart is not with you.

as

Proverbs 19:22
The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.

Matthew 9:3,4
And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth…

Luke 7:39
Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

eat

Judges 16:15
And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.

2 Samuel 13:26-28
Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? …

Psalm 12:2
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

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Proverbs 23
1. Consider carefully what is before you














For as he thinks
The Hebrew word for "thinks" here is "שָׁעַר" (sha'ar), which can also mean to calculate or estimate. This suggests a deep, reflective process, not just fleeting thoughts. In the ancient Near Eastern context, thought was considered a powerful force that shaped one's reality. The idea is that our inner contemplations and meditations have a profound impact on who we become. This aligns with the biblical principle that transformation begins in the mind, as seen in Romans 12:2, where believers are urged to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

in his heart
The Hebrew term "לֵב" (lev) is used for "heart," which in biblical times was considered the center of not only emotions but also intellect and will. The heart was seen as the core of one's being, the seat of decision-making and moral character. This phrase emphasizes that our true identity and actions stem from our innermost thoughts and desires. The heart, in biblical anthropology, is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23), and thus, what resides in the heart ultimately defines a person.

so is he
This phrase underscores the principle that our identity and actions are a direct reflection of our inner thoughts and beliefs. The Hebrew construction here implies a definitive state of being; it is not merely a potential outcome but a present reality. This reflects the biblical teaching that our inner life shapes our external reality. Jesus echoes this truth in Matthew 12:34, where He states that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The verse serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of guarding and cultivating our thoughts, as they are the blueprint for our lives.

(7) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.--He is not really friendly and hospitable, as his words would imply, but he grudges every morsel thou takest, calculating its cost.

Verse 7. - For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. The verb here used is שָׁעַר (shaar), "to estimate, ....to calculate," and the clause is best rendered, For as one that calculates with himself, so is he. The meaning is that this stingy host watches every morsel which his guest eats, and grudges what he appears to offer so liberally. In the Authorized Version the word "heart" occurs twice in this verse, but the Hebrew words are different. The first is nephesh, "breath," equivalent to "mind;" the second is leb, "heart." The Vulgate paraphrases the clause, Quoniam in similitudinem arioli et conjectoris, aestimat quod ignorat, "For like a soothsayer or diviner he conjectures that of which he is ignorant." Eat and drink, saith he to thee. He professes to make you welcome, and with seeming cordiality invites you to partake of the food upon his table. But his heart is not with thee. He is not glad to see you enjoy yourself, and his pressing invitation is empty verbiage with no heart in it. The Septuagint, pointing differently, translates, "For as if one should swallow a hair, so he eats and drinks." The Greek translators take the gnome to apply to one who invites an envious man to his table, and finds him eating his food as if it disgusted him. They go on, "Bring him not in to thee, nor eat thy morsel with him; for (ver. 8) he will vomit it up, and outrage thy fair words." In agreement with the gnome above, we find in the Talmud, "My son, eat not the bread of the covetous, nor sit thou at his table. The bread of the covetous is only pain and anguish; the bread of the generous man is a source of health and joy."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
for
כִּ֤י ׀ (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he is keeping track,
שָׁעַ֥ר (šā·‘ar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8176: To act as gatekeeper, to estimate

inwardly
בְּנַפְשׁ֗וֹ (bə·nap̄·šōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

[counting the cost].
כֶּ֫ן־ (ken-)
Adverb
Strong's 3651: So -- thus

“Eat
אֱכֹ֣ל (’ĕ·ḵōl)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

and drink,”
וּ֭שְׁתֵה (ū·šə·ṯêh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

he says to you,
יֹ֣אמַר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

but his heart
וְ֝לִבּ֗וֹ (wə·lib·bōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

is not
בַּל־ (bal-)
Adverb
Strong's 1077: A failure, nothing, not at all, lest

with you.
עִמָּֽךְ׃ (‘im·māḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks about the cost (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 23:6
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