Proverbs 27:8-18

8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place.

9 Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man's friend [that cometh] of hearty counsel.

10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that reproacheth me.

12 A prudent man seeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [But] the simple pass on, [and] suffer for it.

13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge [that is surety] for a foreign woman.

14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him.

15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike:

16 He that would restrain her restraineth the wind; And his right hand encountereth oil.

17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

18 Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that regardeth his master shall be honored.

Proverbs 27:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 14

This chapter relates the sickness of Jeroboam's son, the application of his wife, at his instance, to the prophet Ahijah, in the child's favour, 1Ki 14:1-6, the prophecy of the prophet concerning the ruin of Jeroboam's house, and the death of the child, which came to pass, 1Ki 14:7-18, an account of the years of Jeroboam's reign, and also of Rehoboam's, 1Ki 14:19-21, and of the evil things done and suffered by the latter in his kingdom, and the calamities that came upon him for it, 1Ki 14:22-28 and the conclusion of his reign, 1Ki 14:29-31.