23:32
This verse has two similes with similar meanings:
32a In the end it bites like a snake
32b and stings like a viper.
These similes describe the eventual effect of wine on a person who drinks too much.
This verse gives a reason for the warning in 23:31. The reason is that wine harms a person who gets drunk. This reason may be introduced in at least three ways:
• The reason connects back to the command “Do not gaze…” at the beginning of 23:31a. It explains why the young man should not gaze at wine. The New Living Translation (2004) uses the word “for” to make this connection explicit. It has:
Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is,…how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites…
• The reason contrasts with the tempting appearance and taste of wine. The Revised English Bible uses the word “but” to make this contrast explicit. It has:
Do not gulp down the wine, the strong red wine,…It may flow smoothly, but in the end it will bite…
• The reason is left implied in Hebrew and in the Berean Standard Bible. It is introduced without an explicit conjunction. For example:
Don’t stare at the wine when it is red,…when it goes down smoothly. Later it bites… (New Century Version)
You may use any of these options. The option you choose will depend on the way you have connected the parts of 23:31.
23:32a–b
In the end: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “its end” or “its afterward.” It refers to the final or eventual effect of the wine. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
Later (God’s Word)
-or-
Afterward (NET Bible)
-or-
The next morning (Good News Translation)
it bites like a snake and stings like a viper: In these similes, wine is compared to a poisonous snake that bites a person. Here are some ways that they are similar:
(a) Both are poisonous. They can harm and even kill a person.
(b) Their effects can be hidden and unexpected.
bites…stings: Both these words refer here to the action of a poisonous snake. The second word may refer to the way that a poisonous snake “strikes” its victim and “injects” poison through its fangs. Another way to translate these words is:
bites…strikes (God’s Word)
snake…viper: In Hebrew, the first word is a general word for snake. Some versions translate the second word as viper or “adder” (English Standard Version). Scholars do not know what species of poisonous snake it refers to. If possible, use a term in your language that can refer to any poisonous snake.
General Comment on 23:32a–b
In some languages, it may be redundant to keep the parallel terms. If that is true in your language, you may:
• Combine and/or reorder the parallel terms. For example:
Later it bites like a snake with poison in its fangs. (New Century Version)
-or-
The next morning you will feel as if you had been bitten by a poisonous snake. (Good News Translation)
• Use a simile for one term. For the other term, use an expression in your language that refers to the painful effects of drunkenness. For example:
When you wake up, you will have a terrible hangover. You will feel like a snake has bitten you.
• Use a different kind of poisonous creature for one of the terms. For example:
But the result is painful. It is as if a snake has bitten you. It is as if a scorpion/centipede has stung you.
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