23:31

This verse has the actual admonition or warning. It probably describes a typical situation in which a person has a glass of wine in front of him and has already tasted it.

31a Do not gaze at wine while it is red,

31b when it sparkles in the cup

31c and goes down smoothly.

The father advises the young man not to be enticed by the pleasing appearance (31a–b) and taste (31c).

There is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted clause) in 23:31b–c. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the command “Do not gaze at wine” from 23:31a. For example:

31b
⌊Do not gaze at wine⌋ when it sparkles in the cup,

31c
⌊Do not gaze at wine⌋ when it goes down smoothly!

23:31a

Do not gaze at wine: In Hebrew, this command is more literally “Do not look at wine.” It implies that the young man should not look or stare longingly at a glass of wine. He should not allow himself to be tempted to drink too much of it.

while it is red: This clause describes the attractive color of the wine. It does not imply that sometimes wine is a different color.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

Do not stare at the redness of the wine
-or-
Don’t let wine tempt you, even though it is rich red (Good News Translation)

Use a natural expression in your language to describe wine that has an enticing or pleasing color.

23:31b

when it sparkles in the cup: The Hebrew idiom that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sparkles is literally “shows its eye.” It probably refers to the way that the wine gleams or reflects in the sides of the cup or glass. Some other ways to translate this line are:

as it lends its color to the cup (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
How it shines inside the glass!

23:31c

and goes down smoothly: This line may refer to either the smooth taste of the wine or the way that it feels in the mouth or throat when a person drinks or swallows it. Some other ways to translate it are:

How smoothly it slips down the throat! (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
It goes down so easily (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 23:31a–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these lines. For example:

Don’t let the sparkle and smooth taste of wine deceive you. (New Living Translation (1996))

Notice that the New Living Translation (1996) has left the phrase “in the cup” implied. Another option is to put this phrase in 23:31a, where the command is first introduced. For example:

31a Do not gaze at the redness of the wine in the cup

31b or the way that it sparkles

31c and feels smooth in the throat

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