This saying follows the pattern of verse 16 and means that love for others is more important than fine food.

“Better is a dinner of herbs where love is”: “A dinner of herbs” refers to a portion of herbs, or a ration of vegetables without meat. The sense of the expression is “a very slender meal” or “a meal consisting of very little food.” Contemporary English Version calls it “a simple meal.” Where people normally eat only vegetables, it is best to refer, for example, to “a meal of only one vegetable.” “Where love is” is literally “and love is there.” In many languages “love” must have a subject and an object, for example, “where people love each other.”

“Than a fatted ox and hatred with it”: “A fatted ox” parallels and contrasts with “a dinner” “of herbs”. “A fatted ox” is literally “a stalled ox,” that is, an ox that is kept in a stall and fed a great deal to make it become fat. “A fatted ox” represents a luxurious meal in contrast to the poor meal in the previous line. “Hatred” contrasts with “love”. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates the whole verse “It is worth more to eat greens with love than beef with hate.” Bible en français courant has “It is better to eat a plate of vegetables prepared with love than the most tasty meat served with hate.” See also Good News Translation.

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 .