Proverbs 4:17
For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 4:17
For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
It’s easy to read this verse as just saying wicked people get their food from bad deeds. But the original Hebrew suggests something deeper: the "bread of wickedness" is food obtained by means of wickedness, and the "wine of violence" is wine procured through violent acts. Their sustenance itself is tainted, revealing how deeply their actions permeate their entire existence.
This verse explains why the wicked are so restless (as mentioned in the preceding verse); their very sustenance comes from sin. They don't just occasionally do wrong things; their entire livelihood is built on injustice and harmful deeds, making wickedness and violence as essential to them as bread and wine are to normal life.
What does it mean for wickedness and violence to be like 'bread' and 'wine'?
The verse paints a vivid picture of how deeply ingrained sin becomes for the wicked. It's not just something they do, but something they consume, something that sustains them.
Sustained by Sin
This imagery shows how the wicked are so accustomed to and dependent on their sinful lifestyle that it becomes as essential to them as basic nourishment.
Where does this 'bread' and 'wine' actually come from?
The crucial insight here is that the "bread of wickedness" and "wine of violence" are not inherent qualities of wickedness or violence themselves, but rather describe how they are obtained.
Earned Through Wrongdoing
Understand the original words
lechem resha'im · Hebrew Noun
In this metaphorical sense, it refers to the daily sustenance or lifestyle supported by sinful activity. It suggests that wickedness has become a habitual, essential part of the person's existence.
chamas · Hebrew Noun
A term representing injustice, oppression, or brutal physical injury. It describes actions that violently disregard the well-being of others and stand in direct opposition to God's standard of justice.
This passage speaks of drinking iniquity like water, highlighting how deeply ingrained wickedness can become, much like the 'bread and wine' of Proverbs 4:17.
Psalm 127:2The phrase 'bread of sorrows' parallels 'bread of wickedness,' showing how ill-gotten or unblessed provisions bring distress instead of true sustenance.
Matthew 6:33Jesus' instruction to seek first God's kingdom contrasts with the wicked who seek their sustenance through wickedness, revealing different priorities for life's 'bread'.
1 Corinthians 10:31This verse calls believers to do all for God's glory, standing in direct opposition to the proverb's depiction of those whose entire lives and sustenance are based on wickedness.
1 John 2:16John describes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which are the very appetites satisfied by the 'bread of wickedness and wine of violence'.
clarkeProverbs 4:17: "For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence."
For they eat the bread of wickedness - By privately stealing. And drink the wine of violence - By highway robbery.
pulpitProverbs 4:17: "For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence."
Verse 17. - For (ki, equivalent to the Greek γὰρ) is here explanatory. It serves not so much to introduce another independent statement, as one which accounts for the statement made in the preceding verse, that the wicked sleep not unless they have done mischief, i.e. it states the reason why they are so conditioned. There is no comparison expressed in the original, as the rendering adopted by Schultens and o…
It’s easy to read this verse as just saying wicked people get their food from bad deeds. But the original Hebrew suggests something deeper: the "bread of wickedness" is food obtained by means of wickedness, and the "wine of violence" is wine procured through violent acts. Their sustenance itself is tainted, revealing how deeply their actions permeate their entire existence.
This verse explains why the wicked are so restless (as mentioned in the preceding verse); their very sustenance comes from sin. They don't just occasionally do wrong things; their entire livelihood is built on injustice and harmful deeds, making wickedness and violence as essential to them as bread and wine are to normal life.
This verse explains why the wicked are so restless (as mentioned in the preceding verse); their very sustenance comes from sin. They don't just occasionally do wrong things; their entire livelihood is built on injustice and harmful deeds, making wickedness and violence as essential to them as bread and wine are to normal life.
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This highlights that their sustenance isn't innocent; it's directly tied to the unjust methods they employ to get ahead in life.
"For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence." — It’s easy to read this verse as just saying wicked people get their food from bad deeds. But the original Hebrew suggests something deeper: the "bread of wickedness" is food obtained by means of wi…