Proverbs 20:17
BSB · Public Domain (CC0)“Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man, but later his mouth is full of gravel.”
A short, plain-language explanation of Proverbs 20:17 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.
“Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man, but later his mouth is full of gravel.”
Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)“Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.”
King James Version · Public Domain“Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.”
American Standard Version · Public Domain“Sweet to a man <FI>is<Fi> the bread of falsehood, And afterwards is his mouth filled <FI>with<Fi> gravel.”
Young's Literal Translation · Public DomainOther passages that echo Proverbs 20:17 — 9 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Genesis 3:6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
- Job 20:12Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
- Job 20:14yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him.
- Proverbs 4:17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
- Proverbs 9:17“Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is tasty!”
- Ecclesiastes 11:9Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
- Lamentations 3:15He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
- Lamentations 3:16He has ground my teeth with gravel and trampled me in the dust.
- Hebrews 11:25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin.
Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).