Era 6 · The First KingsProverbs
Proverbs 17: A Friend Loveth at All Times
Quiet bread, refining fire, bribes, a bear robbed of her cubs, and a merry heart
"Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife" (17:1). A house "full of sacrifices" is full of feast meat from offerings, but full of quarrels.
"The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts" (17:3).
"He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD" (17:15). "A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment" (17:23).
"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (17:17). "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones" (17:22).
Refining silver
Silver was refined by cupellation: the ore was melted with lead in a crucible ("fining pot") and the lead oxidized away, leaving purer silver. Refining installations and litharge (lead oxide) slag are known from Levantine sites. The prophets use the same image for God testing his people (Isaiah 48:10; Malachi 3:3); Proverbs repeats 17:3a in 27:21.
Gifts and bribes
Proverbs observes that a gift opens doors (17:8; 18:16; 21:14) and condemns the bribe that perverts justice (17:23; 15:27). The Hebrew shochad covers both. The difference lies in the purpose and the setting: a gift to gain a hearing versus payment to twist a verdict (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19). Some sayings simply describe how the world works; others judge it. Telling which is which is the skill Proverbs teaches.
| Verse | The saying | Form | What to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:1 | Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith | Comparative | Peace over a feast; "sacrifices" = sacrificial meals |
| 17:2 | A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame | Synthetic | Merit can override birth; a servant inheriting with the sons (compare Abraham's Eliezer, Genesis 15:2–3) |
| 17:3 | The fining pot is for silver… but the LORD trieth the hearts | Antithetic | Refining imagery; repeated in 27:21a |
| 17:4 | A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips | Synonymous | Liars listen to liars |
| 17:5 | Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker | Synonymous | As 14:31; gloating over disaster is punished |
| 17:6 | Children's children are the crown of old men | Synonymous | Grandchildren and parents as mutual honour |
| 17:7 | Excellent speech becometh not a fool | A fortiori | Nabal (fool) is also the name of Abigail's husband (1 Samuel 25:25) |
| 17:8 | A gift is as a precious stone | Synthetic | An observation of how bribes work, in the eyes of the giver |
| 17:9 | He that covereth a transgression seeketh love | Antithetic | Forgiving rather than repeating; compare 10:12 |
| 17:10 | A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool | Comparison | Words reach the wise; blows do not reach the fool |
| 17:11 | An evil man seeketh only rebellion | Synthetic | A "cruel messenger": royal punishment, or a messenger of death |
| 17:12 | Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man | Comparative | The Syrian brown bear lived in the Levant until the 20th century; compare 2 Samuel 17:8; Hosea 13:8 |
| 17:13 | Whoso rewardeth evil for good | Synthetic | Evil stays in his house; compare David (2 Samuel 12:10) |
| 17:14 | The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water | Synthetic | A breached dam: stop a quarrel early |
| 17:15 | He that justifieth the wicked… both are abomination | Synthetic | Perverting justice either way; Isaiah 5:23 |
| 17:16 | Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom? | Rhetorical question | Paying tuition is useless without "heart" (sense) |
| 17:17 | A friend loveth at all times | Synonymous or antithetic | A brother is "born for adversity": friend and brother both stand by in trouble, or a true friend at all times while a brother appears only in trouble |
| 17:18 | A man void of understanding striketh hands | Synonymous | Suretyship again; compare 6:1–5 |
| 17:19 | He loveth transgression that loveth strife | Synonymous | "Exalteth his gate": a showy entrance, or a loud mouth |
| 17:20 | He that hath a froward heart findeth no good | Synonymous | Crooked heart and tongue |
| 17:21 | He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow | Synonymous | Parental grief |
| 17:22 | A merry heart doeth good like a medicine | Antithetic | Gehah, "healing" (a rare word); emotional health and the body, not a medical prescription |
| 17:23 | A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom | Synthetic | Bribes hidden in the fold of the garment |
| 17:24 | Wisdom is before him that hath understanding | Antithetic | The fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth |
| 17:25 | A foolish son is a grief to his father | Synonymous | Both parents grieved, as in 10:1 |
| 17:26 | Also to punish the just is not good | Synonymous | Unjust fines and flogging of the upright |
| 17:27 | He that hath knowledge spareth his words | Synonymous | "A cool spirit" (qar ruach): calm temper |
| 17:28 | Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise | Synonymous | Ironic: silence can pass for wisdom |
17:17 friend and brother
Two readings: synonymous (a friend loves always, and is like a brother born to share adversity) or contrasting (a friend loves at all times, but a brother is only there in a crisis, by obligation of kinship). 18:24 ("a friend that sticketh closer than a brother") supports the second; family loyalty in a crisis (the go'el, redeemer) supports the first. Both readings are taught in commentary.
17:22 and medicine
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine (gehah)" observes the link between mood and health that ancient and modern people have both noticed. It is not a claim that cheerfulness cures disease, and it does not blame the sick for being sad. Compare 15:13; 18:14.
Justice in court (17:15, 23, 26)
Proverbs repeatedly condemns perverting judgment (17:15; 18:5; 24:23–25). In Israel, local elders judged at the gate and officials served the king; Deuteronomy 16:18–20 commands "Justice, and only justice" and forbids bribes. Ancient Near Eastern rulers from Hammurabi on claimed to protect the weak in their courts. The repeated sayings show that bribery was a live problem.
What the evidence shows
- Proverbs 17:17 can be read as synonymous or as contrasting friend and brother.
- Bears lived in the Levant in biblical times.
- Proverbs 17:22 teaches that cheerfulness cures illness. An observation about mood and health.
Continue the journey
Connected elsewhere in ScriptureThe Festivals and the CourtsDeuteronomy 16:18–20: Justice, and no bribes.More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- Paul's paradox: God "justifieth the ungodly," language that 17:15 calls an abomination for human judges.
- Justice, and no bribes.
- "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
- "A friend that sticketh closer than a brother."