There is a contrast between the two lines of this saying, making the point that pleasure or gain obtained by fraud or deceit cannot be enjoyed for long.

“Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man”: Some versions take “Bread” as standing for food in general (see verse 13 above). But in this saying it may also be a figure of speech for a person’s livelihood, so “Bread gained by deceit” (literally “bread of falsehood”) is “making his living dishonestly” (Scott) or “what you get by dishonesty” (Good News Translation). “Is sweet” may be translated as “tastes good” (Revised English Bible) or “may taste delicious” (Contemporary English Version). If “Bread” has not been rendered as “food,” the sense of “sweet” may be expressed as “a man may delight in. . .” or “you may enjoy. . ..”

“But afterward his mouth will be full of gravel”: This is in contrast to “is sweet” in the first line. “Gravel” is a mass of small pieces of rock and earth; some versions render it as “sand” or “grit.” “Mouth . . . full of gravel” is a figurative way of saying “tastes terrible.” To give the sense of the change of taste it is possible say something like “it turns to grit” (Revised English Bible) or “ends up with a mouth full of gravel” (New International Version). Some translations express this as a simile: “it becomes really bad, like having a mouth full of sand.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .