Proverbs 25:17

17 And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome; show up at all hours and he'll soon get fed up.

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.

---

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 Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses. A Person Without Self-Control

16 When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down; eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick;

17 And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome; show up at all hours and he'll soon get fed up.

18 Anyone who tells lies against the neighbors in court or on the street is a loose cannon.

19 Trusting a double-crosser when you're in trouble is like biting down on an abscessed tooth.