Translation commentary on Proverbs 20:17

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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 20:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 20:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Stolen foods are sweet,
    but not for long, it will feel like sand in the mouth.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Dishonestly acquired property
    seems at first like tasty food,
    but very quickly it will turn into
    a mouthful of sand.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Food taken from cheating at first the taste is delicious, but later the taste is now like-sand.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Food that is gotten by cheating/fraud is as-if delicious, but at its end it is as-if gravel/sand in the mouth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “People may think that food that they acquire by doing what is dishonest will taste very good,
    but later they will not enjoy what they have done any more than they would enjoy eating gravel/sand.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 20:17

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.

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.