Proverbs 25:17

17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he grow weary 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.

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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 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

16 If you find honey, eat just what you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up.

17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he grow weary and hate you.

18 Like a club or sword or sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

19 Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.