Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man, but later his mouth is full of gravel.
Parallel translations
- WEB Fraudulent food is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth is filled with gravel.
- KJV Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
- NKJV Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
- NASB Bread obtained by a lie is sweet to a person, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
- NLT Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Food gained by fraud tastes sweet but turns to gravel in the mouth. It matters because ill-gotten gain brings bitter consequences.
Overview
Dishonest gain offers momentary pleasure but ends in ruin and regret — the 'gravel' picturing painful, unsatisfying aftermath. Sin promises sweetness yet delivers bitterness (Proverbs 9:17-18; Hebrews 11:25). The proverb urges integrity, since lasting satisfaction comes only through righteous, God-given provision.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Eccl 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.
- Prov 9:17–18“Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is tasty!”
- Lam 3:15–16He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
- Job 20:12–20Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
- Heb 11:25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin.
- Gen 3:6–7When 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.
- Prov 4:17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 20:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.