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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 18

Proverbs 18: the name of the Lord a strong tower, the fool's mouth, and a friend closer than a brother

General context

Through desire a man who has separated himself seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom. A fool has no delight in understanding except that his heart may discover itself. The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook. It is not good to accept the person of the wicked and overthrow the righteous in judgment. A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for strokes; a fool's mouth is his destruction and his lips the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer are as wounds. The slothful in his work is brother to a great waster. The name of the Lord is a strong tower into which the righteous runs and is safe; the rich man's wealth is his strong city and a high wall in his own conceit. Before destruction the heart is haughty, and before honour is humility. Answering a matter before hearing it is folly and shame. The spirit of a man sustains his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear? A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. He that is first in his own cause seems just, until his neighbour comes and searches him. The lot ends contentions. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. A man's belly is satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; death and life are in the power of the tongue. Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour of the Lord. The poor uses intreaties but the rich answers roughly. A man with friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Cited passages: Proverbs 18:1, Proverbs 18:2, Proverbs 18:3, Proverbs 18:4, Proverbs 18:5, Proverbs 18:6, Proverbs 18:7, Proverbs 18:8, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 18:11, Proverbs 18:12, Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 18:14, Proverbs 18:15, Proverbs 18:16, Proverbs 18:17, Proverbs 18:18, Proverbs 18:19, Proverbs 18:20, Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 18:22, Proverbs 18:23, Proverbs 18:24

Proverbs 18 (KJV)

1Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

2A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

3When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.

4The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

5It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

6A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.

7A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

8The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

9He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

10The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

11The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.

12Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.

13He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

14The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

15The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

16A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

17He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

18The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.

19A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

20A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

21Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

22Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.

23The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.

24A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

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Historical context

No heading and no names; the chapter continues the collection of 10:1. The Lord is named in verse 10, where "The name of the Lord" is the strong tower, and in verse 22, where finding a wife obtains his favour. Verse 11 repeats the first half of 10:15, "The rich man’s wealth is his strong city", and adds "in his own conceit", and the text places it directly after the strong tower of verse 10 without comment. Verse 12 ends with "before honour is humility", the same words that close 15:33. Verses 5 and 17 assume disputes brought to judgment, a person accepted or a cause searched, but no court, judge or law is described, and the lot of verse 18 is said to settle contentions without the chapter saying how it was cast. Verse 16 states that a gift brings a man before great men, as an observation, with no judgment attached. The first verse is compressed, a man "having separated himself" who "intermeddleth with all wisdom", and the chapter does not say whether this describes a good or a bad pursuit. The wife of verse 22 and the friend of verse 24 are types, not persons.

Cited passages: Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 18:22, Proverbs 18:11, Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 18:12, Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 18:5, Proverbs 18:17, Proverbs 18:18, Proverbs 18:16, Proverbs 18:1, Proverbs 18:24

Literary context

Antithetic "but" pairs are rare here (verses 14, 17 and 23); most verses are single observations or two lines that build on each other. Water opens the imagery in verse 4, deep waters and a flowing brook, and wounds that go down into the belly follow in verse 8. Verses 10 and 11 are the chapter's sharpest pairing: a strong tower and a strong city, the righteous who "is safe" and the rich man whose wall stands "in his own conceit". The fool's mouth is described twice in a row (verses 6 and 7), each line moving from lips to mouth, and the mouth returns in verses 13, 20 and 21, where the tongue holds death and life. The word "brother" appears three times, for the slothful man's kinship with a waster (verse 9), the offended brother harder to win than a city (verse 19), and the friend closer than a brother in the last verse. Disputes form a cluster: accepting persons (verse 5), the first speaker who seems just (verse 17), the lot that parts the mighty (verse 18), contentions like bars of a castle (verse 19). Verse 12 balances two clauses that both begin "Before". Verse 14 ends in a question with no answer given.

Cited passages: Proverbs 18:14, Proverbs 18:23, Proverbs 18:4, Proverbs 18:8, Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 18:11, Proverbs 18:6, Proverbs 18:7, Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 18:19, Proverbs 18:24, Proverbs 18:17, Proverbs 18:12

Key moments

  1. Deep waters (Proverbs 18:4). A man's words are compared to deep waters and wisdom to a flowing brook.
  2. The fool's mouth (Proverbs 18:7). A fool's mouth is his destruction and his lips the snare of his soul.
  3. A strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). The name of the Lord is a strong tower into which the righteous runs and is safe.
  4. Answering before hearing (Proverbs 18:13). Answering a matter before hearing it is called folly and shame.
  5. First in his own cause (Proverbs 18:17). The first to plead seems just until his neighbour comes and searches him.
  6. Death and life in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Death and life are said to be in the power of the tongue.
  7. Closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). The chapter closes with a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

For reflection

Verse 10 calls the name of the Lord a strong tower where the righteous is safe, and verse 11 calls the rich man's wealth a strong city and a high wall in his own conceit. What is the reader meant to notice by finding the two walls side by side?