Proverbs 25:27

It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.
– Proverbs 25:27

The wording of this proverb is difficult and the surprising second line has led to wide speculations. Previous proverbs have highlighted the benefits of honey and the necessity of moderation (Proverbs 24:13; 25:16). Overindulging in honey ruins it. The very quality that makes it desirable and pleasurable, its sweetness, is the same quality that makes it nauseating when gorged on. The second line of this proverb connects to the first in that way. Men searching their own glory ruins the very thing they are seeking.

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