Proverbs 17:17-27

17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.^[a]

18 One without sense enters an agreement^[b] and puts up security for his friend.^[c]

19 One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury.^[d]

20 One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.^[e]

21 A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy.^[f]

22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.^[g]

23 A wicked man secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice.^[h]

24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool's eyes roam to the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.^[i]

26 It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person, or to beat a noble for his honesty.^{[j] [k]}

27 The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head^[l] is a man of understanding.

Proverbs 17:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 7

This chapter gives an account of some buildings of Solomon for himself, 1Ki 7:1-12; and of other things for the use of the temple; of two pillars of brass, 1Ki 7:13-22; of the molten sea, 1Ki 7:23-26; and of ten bases, and ten layers on them, 1Ki 7:27-39; with other utensils and ornaments, 1Ki 7:40-51.

Footnotes

• [a] Pr 18:24; 27:10
• [b] Lit sense shakes hands
• [c] Pr 6:1-5; 11:15; 22:26
• [d] Pr 13:10; 16:18; 29:22
• [e] Jr 23:36
• [f] Pr 10:1; 17:25; 23:24-25
• [g] Pr 14:30; 15:13; 18:14
• [h] Pr 18:5; Dt 16:19; Ps 15:5
• [i] Pr 10:1; 17:21; 19:13
• [j] Or noble unfairly
• [k] Pr 17:15; 18:5; 24:23-24
• [l] Lit spirit