John Gill Commentary Proverbs 23:2

"And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite." — Proverbs 23:2 (ASV)

And put a knife to your throat
Refrain from too much talk at the table; give not too loose to your tongue, but bridle it, considering in whose presence you are; do not use too much freedom, either with the ruler or fellow guests; which, when persons have ate and drank well, they are too apt to do, and sometimes say things offensive to one or the other; it is good for a man to be upon his guard; see (Ecclesiastes 5:2) .

Or restrain your appetite; deny yourself of some things agreeable, that would lead you to what might be hurtful, at least if indulged to excess: put as it were a knife unto your appetite, and mortify it; which is the same as cutting off a right hand, or plucking out a right eye (Matthew 5:29Matthew 5:30) .

Or while you are at such a table, at such a sumptuous entertainment, consider yourself as in danger, as if you had a knife at your throat; and should you be too free with the food or liquor, it would be as it were cutting your own throat;

if you are a man given to appetite ; there is then the more danger; and therefore such a person should be doubly on his guard, since he is in the way of temptation to that he is naturally inclined to.

Or, "if you are master of appetite" ^F18 : so the Targum,``if you are master of your soul;'' if you have power over it, and the command of it, and can restrain it with ease; to which agrees the Vulgate Latin version: but the former sense is more agreeable to the Hebrew idiom.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (vpn leb) "dominus animae", Vatablus, Mercerus, Michaelis.