Proverbs 18:1-24
1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
3 When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.
4 The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
5 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
6 A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
7 A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
8 The words of a talebearera are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.b
11 The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.
12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
13 He that answerethc a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
16 A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
18 The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.
19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
23 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:1. MT yields no satisfactory sense. The LXX reads The man who wishes to separate from his friends seeks pretexts, but is always liable to reproach. Frankenberg renders the alienated friend seeks an occasion (emending the word for - desire-'), seeks by all means to stir up strife.
Proverbs 18:4. RV translates correctly, but the sense is strange. Read, perhaps, The words of the wise are deep waters, a flowing brook, a fountain of life, but this is conjecture rather than emendation.
Proverbs 18:5. cf. Proverbs 17:26, which may have originally followed this verse.
Proverbs 18:6. A group on rash and slanderous speech.
Proverbs 18:8. Repeated in Proverbs 26:22. dainty morsels (AV wounds) has occasioned much difficulty. The RV translation rests on an Arabic form meaning to swallow eagerly. The sense refers to the pleasure with which slanderers-' gossip is received.
Proverbs 18:10 expresses a point of view not common in Pr., but frequent in Pss. (cf. Isaiah 26:8), the attitude of the pious toward the character of God as represented by His Name. There is no suggestion here of the magical value subsequently attached by the Jews to the ineffable Name.
Proverbs 18:11. cf. Proverbs 10:15.
Proverbs 18:16. Three reflections on the ways of litigation the value of a bribe, the necessity of hearing both sides, and the use of the lot to decide doubtful cases.
Proverbs 18:19. MT is unintelligible (note italics in RV). No satisfactory emendation has been proposed.
Proverbs 18:20 f. Two aphorisms on the nemesis which overtakes rash speech. Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost.
Proverbs 18:22. cf. the expansion of the idea in Sir_26:1-3.
Proverbs 18:23. cf. Sir_13:3.
Proverbs 18:24. Lit. a man of friends is to be broken, and there is a lover that cleaveth closer than a brother. There is no satisfactory parallelism; the rendering is also very doubtful. With a slight change 24a reads, There are friends whose object is society, implying a contrast between social acquaintances and the friendship tested by adversity. LXX omits.