Proverbs 25

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Proverbs 25, compiled by King Hezekiah's men, offers diverse wisdom on governance, social conduct, and personal character. It highlights the contrast between God's glory in concealing and a king's honor in searching, while also emphasizing the importance of humility and discretion in interactions. The chapter provides counsel on the power of words, the treatment of enemies, and the necessity of self-control.

Proverbs Copied by Hezekiah's Men: God's Glory and the King's Duty 1–5

These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:

Take away the wickedfrombefore the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness.

Wisdom for the Royal Court 6–7

Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men:

For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen.

Handling Disputes Wisely 8–10

Go not forth hastily to strive, Lestthou know notwhat to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame.

Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, And disclose not the secret of another;

Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away.

The Value of Timely Words 11–15

A word fitly spoken Islikeapples of gold in network of silver.

Asan ear-ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So isa wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So isa faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters.

As clouds and wind without rain, So ishe that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely.

By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

Moderation and Neighborly Boundaries 16–20

Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbor’s house, Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee.

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Islikea broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon soda, So is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart.

Treating Your Adversary 21–22

If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

For thou wilt heap coals of fire upon his head, And Jehovah will reward thee.

Conduct and Consequence 23–28

The north wind bringeth forth rain; So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house.

Ascold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country.

Asa troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, So isa righteous man that giveth way before the wicked.

It is not good to eat much honey; Sofor mento search out their own glory is grievous.

He whose spirit is without restraint Islikea city that is broken down and without walls.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Proverbs 25

Verse 1

which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out — 'Also' joins this collection to 'The proverbs of Solomon' at 10:1; Solomon 'spake three thousand proverbs' (1 Kgs 4:32). Athaq, 'copied out', is to move something from one place to another, the verb of Abram who 'removed from thence unto a mountain' (Gen 12:8).

Verse 2

the glory of God to conceal a thing — 'Glory' and 'honour' are one word, kabod, weight, used of God and of kings. 'Conceal' is sathar, to hide; 'search out' is chaqar, to penetrate. 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God' (Deut 29:29), and Paul ends on the same note: 'how unsearchable are his judgments' (Rom 11:33).

Verse 3

the heart of kings is unsearchable — 'Unsearchable' is cheqer, 'searching', from the verb chaqar of v.2. It is the word used of God: 'his greatness is unsearchable' (Ps 145:3) and 'there is no searching of his understanding' (Isa 40:28). 'The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD' (Prov 21:1).

Verse 5

his throne shall be established — 'Take away' is hagah, the verb of 'Take away the dross from the silver' in v.4, so the wicked are removed from the king's presence as dross from silver. 'Established' is kun, as in 'the throne is established by righteousness' (16:12). 'A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes' (20:8).

Verse 6

Put not forth thyself — Hadar is to honour or glorify, the verb of 'nor honour the person of the mighty' (Lev 19:15). Here the man honours himself in the king's presence and claims the place of 'great men' (gedolim). 'Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth' (Prov 27:2).

Verse 7

Come up hither — The Gospel gives the lesson at a wedding: 'go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher' (Luke 14:10), and 'whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased' (Luke 14:11). Nadib, 'prince', is a noble or generous man; 'put lower' is shaphel, to sink.

Verse 8

Go not forth hastily to strive — 'Strive' is riv, which names a lawsuit as well as a quarrel, as in 'plead their cause' (22:23). 'End' is achariyt, the word of 14:12 and 23:32. 'The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with' (17:14); Christ says, 'Agree with thine adversary quickly' (Matt 5:25).

Verse 9

Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself — 'Debate' and 'cause' share the root riv, as in v.8. The matter is kept between the two: 'go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone' (Matt 18:15). 'Discover' is galah, to uncover, and 'secret' is sod, a confidence: the same two words as 'A talebearer revealeth secrets' (11:13).

Verse 11

A word fitly spoken — 'Apples' is tappuach, a fragrant fruit. 'Pictures' is maskiyth, carved or figured work, as in 'destroy all their pictures' (Num 33:52), so the apples sit in silver work. The word is spoken at the right time: 'a word spoken in due season, how good is it!' (15:23); 'a word in season to him that is weary' (Isa 50:4).

Verse 12

a wise reprover upon an obedient ear — 'Reprover' is yakach, to correct, the verb of 'reprove one that hath understanding' (19:25). 'Obedient' is shama, to hear. 'The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise' (15:31). 'Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil' (Ps 141:5).

Verse 13

the cold of snow in the time of harvest — 'Refresheth' is shuv, to bring back, the verb of 'He restoreth my soul' (Ps 23:3), and the nephesh, soul, is the same in both. 'Faithful' is from aman, to be firm, the root also behind 'a faithful ambassador is health' (13:17). The 'masters' (adon) are those who sent him.

Verse 14

Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift — 'Boasteth' is halal, to praise, the verb of 'Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth' (27:2). 'False' is sheqer, as in 'false witness' (19:5). The man is like 'clouds they are without water, carried about of winds' (Jude 12); 'rain' is geshem, the word of v.23.

Verse 15

By long forbearing — Literally 'by length of anger' (orek aph), a form of the 'slow to wrath' of 14:29. The ruler (qatsin) is 'persuaded', and 'A soft answer turneth away wrath' (15:1). The 'soft tongue breaketh the bone' (gerem), the hardest part yielding to the gentlest. 'The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it' (16:14).

Verse 16

eat so much as is sufficient for thee — Honey is good: 'My son, eat thou honey, because it is good' (24:13). 'Sufficient' is day, enough. 'Vomit' is qo, the verb of 23:8, where the guest also 'shalt thou vomit up' what he ate. The excess spoils what was good; v.27 gives the same warning.

Verse 17

lest he be weary of thee — 'Withdraw' is yaqar, to be heavy or costly, so the foot is made scarce. 'Be weary' is sava, the verb of 'be filled' in v.16, so the neighbour has had his fill of the visitor, and 'hate' is sane, as in 'The poor is hated even of his own neighbour' (14:20).

Verse 18

a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow — Mephits, 'maul', is found only here: a club that smashes, with the sword that cuts and the arrow that pierces. The false witness uses all three against 'his neighbour', whom the commandment protects (Ex 20:16). 'Whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword' (Ps 57:4).

Verse 19

Confidence in an unfaithful man — 'Confidence' is mibtach, the word of 'strong confidence' in the fear of the LORD (14:26) and of 'thy trust may be in the LORD' (22:19). 'Unfaithful' is bagad, treacherous, as in 'My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook' (Job 6:15). The staff that fails is 'this broken reed' (Isa 36:6).

Verse 20

singeth songs to an heavy heart — 'Heavy' is ra, bad or evil, set against the 'songs' (shir). A garment taken away in the cold and vinegar poured on nitre each undo what the other person needs. 'Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep' (Rom 12:15); 'A time to weep, and a time to laugh' (Eccl 3:4).

Verse 21

If thine enemy be hungry — 'Enemy' is literally 'one who hates thee', the phrase of Ex 23:5, 'the ass of him that hateth thee', where the law commands help. Paul quotes this and the next verse (Rom 12:20). Elisha did it: 'set bread and water before them' (2 Kgs 6:22), and 'the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel' (2 Kgs 6:23).

Verse 22

heap coals of fire upon his head — Gechel is a coal, and chatah is to take up fire, as in 'a sherd to take fire from the hearth' (Isa 30:14). Paul closes the quotation with 'Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good' (Rom 12:21). 'The LORD shall reward thee' is shalam, to repay, the verb of 'I will recompense evil' (20:22), where the answer is to 'wait on the LORD'.

Verse 23

an angry countenance a backbiting tongue — 'Angry' is zaam, to be indignant, as in 'God is angry with the wicked every day' (Ps 7:11). 'Backbiting' is literally a 'hidden' tongue (cether, secrecy). 'Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth' (26:20).

Verse 24

a brawling woman and in a wide house — This repeats 21:9. 'Brawling' is madon, contention, as in 'contention shall go out' (22:10), and 'wide' is cheber, company, so literally a house of company. 'A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike' (27:15). The roof was a place to be: a 'battlement for thy roof' (Deut 22:8).

Verse 26

a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring — 'Falling down' is mot, to slip or be shaken, the verb of 'shall never be moved' (Ps 15:5) and 'shall never be removed' (10:30). 'Troubled' is raphas, to foul by trampling: 'foul the residue with your feet' (Ezek 34:18). 'Spring' (maqor) is the word of 'the fountain of living waters' (Jer 2:13).

Verse 27

not good to eat much honey — The first line repeats v.16, against 'eat thou honey, because it is good' (24:13). 'Search' (cheqer) and 'glory' (kabod) are the words of vv.2–3: the glory of God is to conceal, and a man's search for his own glory 'is not glory'. 'How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another?' (John 5:44).

Verse 28

no rule over his own spirit — Maatsar, rule or restraint, is found only here. The man is the reverse of 'he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city' (16:32). 'Broken down' (parats) is the verb of 'the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down' (Neh 1:3), and a city 'without walls' (chomah) had no protection.