Proverbs 23.6-8
“Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.”
This passage in Proverbs warns us about a selfish and greedy man. The English translation describes him as “a man who is stingy,” but the Hebrew is much more graphic. It literally says he is “a man of an evil eye.” This term is a Hebrew phrase that refers to a man who is selfish and greedy.
Like the deceitful and manipulative person in Proverbs 23.1-3, the guy in this verse makes a promise of a delicious meal. “Delicacies” is the Hebrew word matam, and it means very tasty, delicious food. It indicates something like gourmet food or special tidbits and delicacies that were usually only served to the wealthy and influential person. This is not just a Big Mac at McDonalds. This would be an entire meal at an upscale restaurant.
This tasty and appealing meal is presented to catch our eye, but dull our senses. It appeals to our desires but seeks to bypass our discernment.
The warning in this passage is the same as verses 1-3: Do not desire these appealing delicacies. In both cases, though the food is tempting to your appetite, it should be resisted. The person offering the mean is not interested in your well-being or enjoyment. In fact, the delicacies he offers are really sham. If you eat the food, you will discover that it tastes horrible, and it will be vomited.
If you engage this man with conversation, you are wasting your time. He won’t listen because he doesn’t want to listen. He dangerously selfish, and his goal is to deceive and damage you. In fact, you shouldn’t even be at the table with people like this.
