Proverbs 26:17-27

17 Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.

18 Like a madman who throws ¹firebrands, arrows, and death

19 is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking! ”

20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no ²whisperer, ³quarreling ceases.

21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is ⁴a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

22 ⁵The words of ⁶a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

23 ⁷Like the ⁸glaze^[a] covering an earthen vessel are fervent lips with an evil heart.

24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart;

25 ⁹when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are ¹⁰seven abominations in his heart;

26 though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

27 ¹¹Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.

Proverbs 26:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 13

In this chapter is an account of a man of God being sent to exclaim against Jeroboam's altar, and threaten its destruction, of which he gave a sign, which was accomplished, and with it the withering of the king's hand, which was healed upon the prophet's prayer for him, 1Ki 13:1-7, who would have entertained him at his house, but he refused the offer, and departed, 1Ki 13:8-10, but an old prophet in Bethel hearing of him, rode after him, and fetched him back to eat bread with him, through a lie he told him, 1Ki 13:11-19 upon which the word came to the old prophet, threatening the man of God with death for disobeying his command, and which was accordingly executed by a lion that met him in the way, and slew him, 1Ki 13:20-24, of which the old prophet being informed, went and took up his carcass, and buried it in his own sepulchre, where he charged his sons to bury him also when dead, believing that all the man of God had said would be fulfilled, 1Ki 13:25-30 and the chapter is closed with observing the continuance of Jeroboam in his idolatry, 1Ki 13:33,34.

Cross References

• 1. 26:18 [Isa. 50:11]
• 2. 26:20 ch. 16:28
• 3. 26:20 ch. 22:10
• 4. 26:21 See ch. 15:18
• 5. 26:22 ch. 18:8
• 6. 26:22 [See ver. 20 above]
• 7. 26:23 [Matt. 23:27; Luke 11:39]
• 8. 26:23 See ch. 25:4
• 9. 26:25 See Ps. 28:3
• 10. 26:25 [ver. 16]
• 11. 26:27 [ch. 28:10]; See Ps. 7:15

Footnotes

• [a] 26:23 By revocalization; Hebrew 'silver of dross'