Proverbs 23:3

23:3 Do not crave that ruler’s ¹  delicacies,

for ²  that food is deceptive. ³ 

Psalms 141:4

141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, ⁴ 

or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly. ⁵ 

I will not eat their delicacies. ⁶ 

Daniel 1:8-10

1:8 But Daniel made up his mind ⁷  that he would not defile ⁸  himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. ⁹  He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. 1:9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. ¹⁰  1:10 But he ¹¹  responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided ¹²  your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? ¹³  If that happened, ¹⁴  you would endanger my life ¹⁵  with the king!”

[23:3]  ¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:3]  ² sn The final line gives the causal clause: The impressive feast is not what it appears to be; the king is not doing you a favor, but rather wants something from you or is observing you (K&D 17:104); cf. TEV “he may be trying to trick you.”

[23:3]  ³ sn Verses 1-3 form the sixth saying about being cautious before rulers (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 23, 23:13-18). One should not get too familiar with rulers, for they always have ulterior motives. The Mishnah cites Gamaliel as warning that a ruler only draws someone into his court for his purpose, but in their day of trouble he will not be there to help them (m. Abot 2:3).

[141:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”

[141:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”

[141:4]  ⁶ sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.

[1:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “placed on his heart.”

[1:8]  ⁸ tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”

[1:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”

[1:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Then God granted Daniel loyal love and compassion before the overseer of the court officials.” The expression “loyal love and compassion” is a hendiadys; the two words combine to express one idea.

[1:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “The overseer of the court officials.” The subject has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:10]  ¹² tn Heb “assigned.” See v. 5.

[1:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “Why should he see your faces thin from the young men who are according to your age?” The term translated “thin” occurs only here and in Gen 40:6, where it appears to refer to a dejected facial expression. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “be weak.” See HALOT 277 s.v. II זעף.

[1:10]  ¹⁴ tn The words “if that happened” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “my head.” Presumably this is an implicit reference to capital punishment (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although this is not entirely clear.