Proverbs 25

Hezekiah's Collection

1 These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied.

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.

3 As the heaven is high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated.

4 Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced^[a] for a silversmith.

5 Remove the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

6 Don't brag about yourself before the king, and don't stand in the place of the great;

7 for it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here!" than to demote you in plain view of a noble.^[b] ^[c]

8 Don't take a matter to court hastily. Otherwise, what will you do afterwards if your opponent^[d] humiliates you?

9 Make your case with your opponent^[e] without revealing another's secret;

10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you, and you'll never live it down.^[f] ^[g]

11 A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray.^[h] ^[i]

12 A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold.

13 To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters.^[j]

14 The man who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain.

15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.^[k]

16 If you find honey, eat only what you need; otherwise, you'll get sick from it and vomit.^[l]

17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house; otherwise, he'll get sick of you and hate you.

18 A man giving false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

19 Trusting an unreliable person in a time of trouble is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.

20 Singing songs to a troubled heart is like taking off clothing on a cold day, or like [pouring] vinegar on soda.^[m]

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

22 for you will heap coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.^[n]

23 The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

24 Better to live on the corner of a roof than in a house shared with a nagging wife.^[o]

25 Good news from a distant land is like cold water to a parched throat.^[p] ^[q]

26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked is like a muddied spring or a polluted well.

27 It is not good to eat too much honey,^[r] or to seek glory after glory.

28 A man who does not control his temper^[s] is like a city whose wall is broken down.

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Proverbs 25 Commentary

Chapter 25

Verses 1-3 God needs not search into any thing; nothing can be hid from him. But it is the honour of rulers to search out matters, ( proverbs 25:4-5 ) to suppress vice, and reform his people, is the best way to ( proverbs 25:6-7 ) self-denial. He who has seen the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus, will feel his own unworthiness. ( 8-10 ) . To be hasty in beginning strife, will bring into difficulties. War must at length end, and might better be prevented. It is so in private ( proverbs 25:11-12 ) word of counsel, or reproof, rightly spoken, is especially beautiful, as fine fruit becomes still more beautiful in silver baskets. Verse 13 . See what ought to be the aim of him that is trusted with any business; to be faithful. A faithful minister, Christ's messenger, should be thus acceptable to us. Verse 14 . He who pretends to have received or given that which he never had, is like the morning cloud, that disappoints those who look for rain. Verse 15 . Be patient to bear a present hurt. Be mild to speak without passion; for persuasive language is the most effectual to prevail over the hardened mind. Verse 16 . God has given us leave to use grateful things, but we are cautioned against excess. Verse 17 . We cannot be upon good terms with our neighbours, without discretion as well as sincerity. How much better a Friend is God than any other friend! The oftener we come to him, the more welcome. Verse 18 . A false testimony is dangerous in every thing. Verse 19 . Confidence in an unfaithful man is painful and vexatious; when we put any stress on him, he not only fails, but makes us feel for it. Verse 20 . We take a wrong course if we think to relieve those in sorrow by endeavoring to make them merry. (proverbs 25:21-22 ) The precept to love even our enemies is an Old Testament commandment. Our Saviour has shown his own great example in loving us when we were enemies. Verse 23 . Slanders would not be so readily spoken, if they were not readily heard. Sin, if it receives any check, becomes cowardly. Verse 24 . It is better to be alone, than to be joined to one who is a hinderance to the comfort of life. Verse 25 . Heaven is a country afar off; how refreshing is good news from thence, in the everlasting gospel, which signifies glad tidings, and in the witness of the Spirit with our spirits that we are God's children! Verse 26 . When the righteous are led into sin, it is as hurtful as if the public fountains were poisoned. Verse 27 . We must be, through grace, dead to the pleasures of sense, and also to the praises of men. Verse 28 . The man who has no command over his anger, is easily robbed of peace. Let us give up ourselves to the Lord, and pray him to put his Spirit within us, and cause us to walk in his statutes.