for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
Parallel translations
- KJV For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
- BSB for he is keeping track, inwardly counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
- NKJV For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
- NASB For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.
- NLT They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it.
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
A grudging host's friendly words mask a heart that is not really with you.
Overview
This exposes the hypocrisy of the stingy host: his outward invitation contradicts his inward calculation of cost. The proverb teaches that a person's true self lies in his inner thoughts, not just his words. It anticipates Christ's teaching that the heart, not mere appearances, defines a person (Matt. 15:18-19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 12:2Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.
- Ps 55:21His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
- Judg 16:15She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”
- Matt 9:3–4Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes.”
- Luke 11:37–54Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in, and sat at the table.
- Luke 7:39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”
- Dan 11:27As for both these kings, their hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
- Prov 19:22That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar.
- 2 Sam 13:26–28Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 23:7 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.