20:17

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

17a Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,

17b but later his mouth is full of gravel.

This proverb contrasts initial enjoyment with eventual dissatisfaction or harm. When a person gets something in a dishonest way, it gives him pleasure at first. But in the end, he experiences bad results.

There are three figures of speech in this proverb. In each figure, a specific thing or quality represents a more general category. The three figures of speech are:

(a) food

(b) tastes sweet

(c) a mouth full of gravel

See the General Comment on 20:17a–b after the note on 20:17b for ways to translate these figures of speech.

20:17a

Food gained by fraud: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “bread of deceit,” as in the King James Version. In this phrase, “bread” represents any food. The word Food also represents a more general category. It represents the material possessions, profits, or livelihood that a person gets dishonestly or wrongfully. He obtains them by lying, stealing, or cheating others in some way.

is sweet to a man: The specific phrase is sweet to a man represents the enjoyment or pleasure that a person gets from the things he has gained. It is implied from 20:17b that this pleasure is temporary.

20:17b

but later his mouth is full of gravel: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” It is as if the food that at first tasted delicious turned into gravel in his mouth. To have a mouth that is full of gravel is a figure of speech. It represents an experience that is unpleasant and probably harmful.

gravel: This word refers to small stones, often mixed with sand or dirt.

General Comment on 20:17a–b

Some other ways to translate the figures of speech in these two lines are:

• Keep the synecdoche or use a simile. Use terms that refer specifically to bread/food, a pleasant taste, and gravel/sand in the mouth. For example:

17a Bread got by fraud may taste good, 17b but afterwards it turns to grit in the mouth. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
17a Stolen food may taste sweet at first, 17b but later it will feel like a mouth full of gravel. (New Century Version)

• Use a simile. For example:

17a What you get by dishonesty you may enjoy like the finest food, 17b but sooner or later it will be like a mouthful of sand. (Good News Translation)

• Translate the meaning without using figures of speech. For example:

17a At first, the things that a person has gained by cheating others may give him pleasure. 17b But eventually, the pleasure will be replaced by regret and trouble.

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