Proverbs 17:1-10

Contrast the Upright and the Wicked

1 ¹Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully, And will share in the inheritance among brothers.

3 The ²refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But ³the LORD tests hearts.

4 An ⁴evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5 He who mocks the ⁵poor taunts his Maker; He who ⁶rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 ⁷Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the ⁸glory of sons is their fathers.

7 ⁹Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, Much * less are ¹⁰lying lips to a prince.

8 A ¹¹bribe is a charm * in the sight of its owner; Wherever * * he turns, he prospers.

9 He who ¹²conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter ¹³separates intimate friends.

10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding Than a hundred blows into a fool.

Proverbs 17:1-10 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.

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 15:17
• 2. Proverbs 27:21
• 3. 1 Chronicles 29:17; Psalms 26:2; Proverbs 15:11; Jeremiah 17:10; Malachi 3:3
• 4. Proverbs 14:15
• 5. Proverbs 14:31
• 6. Job 31:29; Proverbs 24:17; Obadiah 12
• 7. Genesis 48:11; Proverbs 13:22
• 8. Exodus 20:12; Malachi 1:6
• 9. Proverbs 24:7
• 10. Psalms 31:18; Proverbs 12:22
• 11. Proverbs 21:14; Isaiah 1:23; Amos 5:12
• 12. Proverbs 10:12; James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:8
• 13. Proverbs 16:28

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "sacrifices of strife"
• [b] Lit "falsehood"
• [c] Lit "A lip of abundance"
• [d] Lit "stone of favor"