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Proverbs 17

Proverbs 17 weighs speech, relationships, and public justice under YHWH, who tests hearts and rejects corrupt judgments.

A household with little food and peace is set beside a feast spoiled by strife. These wisdom sayings address a learner through contrasts between wise conduct and folly, moving through family life, friendship, speech, and justice. Parents grieve over foolish children; friends remain through adversity; bribes corrupt judgment. YHWH tests hearts and condemns verdicts that reverse right and wrong. The closing sayings turn to restraint in speech and an even temper.

family conflictwork conflictinjustice and anger
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1Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.
2A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who causes shame, and shall have a part in the inheritance among the brothers.
3The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts.
4An evildoer heeds wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
5Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
6Children’s children are the crown of old men; the glory of children is their parents.
7Excellent speech isn’t fitting for a fool, much less do lying lips fit a prince.
8A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.
9He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.
10A rebuke enters deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred lashes into a fool.
11An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
12Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.
13Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
14The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.
15He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
16Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, since he has no understanding?
17A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
18A man void of understanding strikes hands, and becomes collateral in the presence of his neighbor.
19He who loves disobedience loves strife. One who builds a high gate seeks destruction.
20One who has a perverse heart doesn’t find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.
21He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.
22A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.
24Wisdom is before the face of one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
25A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.
26Also to punish the righteous is not good, nor to flog officials for their integrity.
27He who spares his words has knowledge. He who is even tempered is a man of understanding.
28Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is counted wise. When he shuts his lips, he is thought to be discerning.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Proverbs 17:3The image of refining metals places the heart under YHWH’s scrutiny, beyond what outward conduct alone can show.
Proverbs 17:27Restrained speech and an even temper bring the chapter’s concern with wisdom into the habits of conversation.
Proverbs 17:15YHWH condemns both acquitting the wicked and condemning the righteous, grounding justice in his own judgment.
Where this chapter reaches

James and Ecclesiastes share this chapter’s concern with restrained speech and the damage caused by foolish words. Psalm shares its language of God testing hearts, while Isaiah shares its condemnation of judgments that favor the wicked and deny justice to the righteous.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does the contrast between a dry morsel and a troubled feast challenge your picture of a good home?

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Where could sparing your words help, and where would justice require you to speak?

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Questions people ask about Proverbs 17

Does Proverbs 17:8 approve of bribery?

Verse 8 describes a bribe from the giver’s perspective: it seems like a precious stone that opens doors. That observation carries no command to offer one. Verse 23 identifies the person receiving a secret bribe as wicked and names its effect: the corruption of justice.

What does covering an offense mean in Proverbs 17:9?

Covering an offense is contrasted with repeating a matter that separates close friends. The focus is refusing to keep circulating a wrong in ways that destroy love. The verse does not authorize hiding abuse or shielding wrongdoing from justice; verse 15 condemns declaring the wicked righteous.

What does Proverbs 17:22 mean by a cheerful heart being good medicine?

The proverb uses bodily images to describe the effects of gladness and a crushed spirit. Cheerfulness can support a person’s well-being, while distress can wear a person down. As a wisdom saying, it offers a general observation, without promising that a cheerful outlook cures disease or replaces medical care.

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What the Bible says about anger →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).