S1E13 - A Proverb on GREED - "Ọ̀kánjúwà-á bu òkèlè, ojù ẹ̀-ẹ́ lami"

Omoluabi Podcast

ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ PODCAST | EPISODE 013

PROVERB CONSIDERED: "Ọ̀kánjúwà-á bu òkèlè, ojù ẹ̀-ẹ́ lami."

INTERPRETATION: "A greedy person takes a morsel of food, and tears gush from his eyes." The idea is that greed will cause someone to go for a morsel of food that is evidently too big for him/her to swallow without pain or effort.

MEANING: Greed can lead to tremendous pain. If anyone bites more than he/she can chew and chooses to force himself/herself to swallow rather than spit out the excess, such a person has set himself/herself up for the pains their greed will attract.

BIBLICAL APPLICATION: The Bible is full of warnings against greed and covetousness right from Eve's desire for the forbidden fruit onwards to many other examples. A notable example in the bible would be David's affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). David had multiple opportunities to have stopped himself from going further and further into sin with Bathsheba, but rather than admit that he had bitten more than he can chew, he kept forcing that morsel down his throat by going to any length to cover his sin (even to the point of murdering Bathsheba's husband, Uriah!).

The admonition of the proverb is to remind us that rather than allow greed's cousin (pride) to lead us into avoidable pain when we've bitten more than we can chew, we should simply admit that we have indeed bitten more than we can chew and simply get rid of the excess.