Proverbs 25:17

17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, otherwise the neighbor will become weary of you and hate you.

Proverbs 25:17 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 25:17

Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house
Not but that it is commendable to be neighbourly and friendly, or for one neighbour to visit another; but then it should not be very frequent; a man should not be always or often at his neighbour's house. So the words may be rendered, "make thy foot precious" or "rare at thy neighbour's house" F13; be seldom there; lest he be weary of thee, and [so] hate thee;
or, "lest he be sated with thee" F14; filled with thy company to a loathing of it, as the stomach with eating too much honey, and so his friendship be turned into hatred.


FOOTNOTES:

F13 (rqx) "rarum fac", Montanus, Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis, Cocceius; Heb. "praetiosum fac", Piscator.
F14 (Kebvy Np) "ne forte satictur tui", Schultens; so Montanus; "saturatus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Proverbs 25:17 In-Context

15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break bones.
16 If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, or else, having too much, you will vomit it.
17 Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, otherwise the neighbor will become weary of you and hate you.
18 Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.
19 Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.