Proverbs 23:2
And put a knife to thy throat, if it be so that thou have thy soul in thy own power.
Open Proverbs 23:2 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et statue cultrum in gutture tuo : si tamen habes in potestate animam tuam.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐπίβαλλε τὴν χεῖρά σου, εἰδὼς ὅτι τοιαῦτά σε δεῖ παρασκευάσαι. εἰ δὲ ἀπληστότερος εἶ,
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ שַׂכִּ֣ין בְּלֹעֶ֑ךָ אִם בַּ֖עַל נֶ֣פֶשׁ אָֽתָּה
Haydock's commentary
Throat. Restrain intemperance and talkativeness, Ecclesiasticus xxxi. 12. Septuagint, "stretch forth thy hand, knowing that thou must prepare the like; but if thou be more insatiable, (3.) desire not his meats, for he has them of a deceitful life." They cannot afford real happiness, (Haydock) and to vie with the rich would only reduce them to poverty, Ecclesiasticus xiii. 2. St. Augustine (tr. xlvii. in Joan.) explains this text of the blessed Eucharist, observing, that we must give our life for our brethren, as Christ did for us. Before communion, we must slay the old man, and subdue our passions. (Calmet)
Power. Protestants, "if thou be a man given to appetite." The situation of a courtier is very critical. (Haydock)
Those who eat with the kings of Persia, were nicely observed by an eunuch, lest they should cast their eyes on any of his concubines. (Lucian. de Merced.)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X, Chapter I. Abbot Moses' introduction on the grace of discretion
And so when we had enjoyed our morning sleep, when to our delight the dawn of light again shone upon us, and we had begun to ask once more for his promised talk, the blessed Moses thus began: As I see you inflamed with such an eager desire, that I do not believe that that very short interval of quiet which I wanted to subtract from our spiritual conference and devote to bodily rest, has been of any use for the repose of your bodies, on me too a greater anxiety presses when I take note of your zeal. …