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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 17

Proverbs 17: a dry morsel with quietness, the Lord who tries the hearts, and the fool who holds his peace

General context

Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of sacrifices with strife. A wise servant shall rule over a son that causes shame and share the inheritance among the brethren. The fining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tries the hearts. Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. Children's children are the crown of old men. Excellent speech does not become a fool, much less lying lips a prince. A gift is as a precious stone to him that has it. He that covers a transgression seeks love, but he that repeats a matter separates very friends. A reproof enters more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool. Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man rather than a fool in his folly. The beginning of strife is as when one lets out water, so contention should be left off before it is meddled with. He that justifies the wicked and he that condemns the just are both abomination to the Lord. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. A man void of understanding strikes hands and becomes surety. He that begets a fool does it to his sorrow. A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. A wicked man takes a gift out of the bosom to pervert judgment. A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her that bare him. He that has knowledge spares his words, and even a fool who holds his peace is counted wise.

Cited passages: Proverbs 17:1, Proverbs 17:2, Proverbs 17:3, Proverbs 17:4, Proverbs 17:5, Proverbs 17:6, Proverbs 17:7, Proverbs 17:8, Proverbs 17:9, Proverbs 17:10, Proverbs 17:12, Proverbs 17:13, Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 17:15, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 17:18, Proverbs 17:19, Proverbs 17:21, Proverbs 17:22, Proverbs 17:23, Proverbs 17:24, Proverbs 17:25, Proverbs 17:26, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 17:28

Proverbs 17 (KJV)

1Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

2A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

3The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.

4A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

5Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

6Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

7Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

8A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.

9He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

10A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.

11An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

12Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

13Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

14The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

15He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord.

16Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

17A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

18A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

19He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.

20He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

21He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

22A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

23A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

24Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

25A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

26Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.

27He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.

28Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

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Historical context

No heading; the chapter continues the collection of 10:1 and names no one. The Lord is named in verses 3 and 15, as the one who tries hearts and abominates false judgments, and verse 5 speaks of "his Maker", as 14:31 did. The "sacrifices" of verse 1 are named as food filling a house, without any rite; the saying weighs them against a dry morsel. Two sayings about gifts stand in the same chapter without being reconciled: verse 8 says a gift prospers wherever it turns, and verse 23 says a wicked man takes a gift from the bosom to pervert judgment. Suretyship in verse 18 is the danger that 6:1 and 11:15 also named. The "hundred stripes" of verse 10 and the "cruel messenger" of verse 11 are stated without any law, sentence or sender being identified. Verse 26, that it is not good "to strike princes for equity", is a bare statement whose situation the text does not supply. The foolish son appears twice, in verses 21 and 25, with the mother named only as "her that bare him". No event is reported; the bear robbed of her whelps in verse 12 is a comparison, not a story.

Cited passages: Proverbs 17:3, Proverbs 17:15, Proverbs 17:5, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 17:1, Proverbs 17:8, Proverbs 17:23, Proverbs 17:18, Proverbs 11:15, Proverbs 17:11, Proverbs 17:26, Proverbs 17:25, Proverbs 17:12

Literary context

The antithetic "but" pair is now a minority form. The chapter opens with "Better is" and uses "rather than" (verse 12), "much less" (verse 7), comparisons ("as a precious stone", "as when one letteth out water"), a rhetorical question (verse 16) and many single-line observations. The fool is the chapter's most frequent figure, in verses 7, 10, 12, 16, 21, 24, 25 and 28, and the chapter closes on him: even a fool who holds his peace is counted wise, after verse 27 has praised the man who spares his words. Strife runs from the first verse to verse 14, where it is water let out, and to verse 19. Family sayings recur, the wise servant and shameful son (verse 2), grandchildren as a crown (verse 6), and the fool as a grief to his father and mother (verses 21 and 25). Two gift sayings (verses 8 and 23) and two on speech received (verse 4, false lips heeded; verse 10, reproof received) let the reader compare how the same thing works in different hands. Verse 3 sets refining metal against the Lord trying hearts, and verse 22 sets the merry heart against the broken spirit in the body's terms, medicine and dried bones. Quietness opens the chapter and silence closes it.

Cited passages: Proverbs 17:1, Proverbs 17:12, Proverbs 17:7, Proverbs 17:8, Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 17:16, Proverbs 17:28, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 17:19, Proverbs 17:2, Proverbs 17:6, Proverbs 17:21, Proverbs 17:4, Proverbs 17:10, Proverbs 17:3, Proverbs 17:22

Key moments

  1. A dry morsel (Proverbs 17:1). A dry morsel with quietness is ranked above a house of sacrifices with strife.
  2. The Lord trieth the hearts (Proverbs 17:3). Silver and gold are refined by fire, but the Lord tries hearts.
  3. Covering a transgression (Proverbs 17:9). Covering a transgression seeks love; repeating a matter separates friends.
  4. Letting out water (Proverbs 17:14). The beginning of strife is compared to water let out, so contention should be left off early.
  5. A friend at all times (Proverbs 17:17). A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.
  6. A merry heart (Proverbs 17:22). A merry heart works like medicine while a broken spirit dries the bones.
  7. A fool holding his peace (Proverbs 17:28). Even a fool who holds his peace is counted wise.

For reflection

Verse 9 says that he who covers a transgression seeks love, and verse 15 says that he who justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. On the chapter's own terms, where does covering a wrong turn into justifying it?