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If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
Proverbs 25:21-22
A strange, ancient practice used as a metaphor occurs in Proverbs 25:22 and in Romans 12:20. The metaphor is based on an apparent practice of a guilty party being forced to carry a container of burning coals on his head. Some scholars think the practice was common in Egypt; the intent seems to be to motivate a guilty party to repent of his actions. The writer of Proverbs and the apostle Paul both cite the practice (as a metaphor) when encouraging charitable actions toward one’s enemy. In other words, charitable actions toward an enemy may motivate him to repent of his evil deeds.
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