UNROLL
A single small messenger running with a staff far down a pale road through dry hills at white noon, a thin plume of dust behind him.

Hezekiah’s collection

Proverbs 25

One right word at the right moment can do what nothing else can.

28 verses≈ 4 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

Tap any post to go deeper

Where we are

  1. 1–7The father's talksWhy the book exists, then a father to his son
  2. 8–9Wisdom callsHer house and Folly's
  3. 10–22:16Solomon's sayingsTwo lines at a time
  4. 22:17–24The sayings of the wiseThirty sayings, and a few more
  5. 25–29Hezekiah's collectionMore of Solomon, copied out laterChapter 25
  6. 30AgurNumbered sayings from a weary man
  7. 31LemuelA mother's words, and the noble wife

More Proverbs of Solomon

These are additional proverbs of Solomon, which were copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Sayings

Before you go to court

  1. Justice

    Slow to court

    Even what you have seen with your own eyes,

    do not bring hastily to court.

    Otherwise, what will you do in the end

    when your neighbor puts you to shame?

  2. Words

    Keep a confidence

    Argue your case with your neighbor

    without betraying another’s confidence,

    lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,

    and your infamy never go away.

Reflect

Take it home

Whose confidence are you holding? Is any argument worth spending it?

Three small fruits of worked gold resting in an open setting of fine silver wire on a dark wooden table in lamplight.

A word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

Great dark clouds and driving wind over a cracked dry field at the end of summer, dust blowing, no rain falling.

Like clouds and wind without rain

is the man who boasts of gifts never given.

Sayings

When words and friends go wrong

  1. Words

    Patience, a gentle tongue

    Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,

    and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

  2. Temptation

    Honey enough

    If you find honey, eat just what you need,

    lest you have too much and vomit it up.

  3. Friends

    Don’t wear out your welcome

    Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,

    lest he grow weary and hate you.

  4. Words

    Club, sword and arrow

    Like a club or sword or sharp arrow

    is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

  5. Friends

    A broken tooth

    Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint

    is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.

  6. Songs to a heavy heart

    Like one who removes a garment on a cold day

    or vinegar poured on a wound

    is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

a gentle tongue can break a bone

Question

Quick question

This chapter keeps setting one thing beside another.

Why do these sayings say “like” so often?

A round loaf and a stoppered clay water jar set down on the step of a closed plank door, sandal prints leading away in the dust.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head,

and the LORD will reward you.

0:11

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Sayings

Cold water and muddied springs

  1. Words

    North wind, angry looks

    As the north wind brings forth rain,

    so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.

  2. Family

    A corner of the roof

    Better to live on a corner of the roof

    than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

  3. Friends

    Good news from far away

    Like cold water to a weary soul

    is good news from a distant land.

  4. Justice

    A muddied spring

    Like a muddied spring or a polluted well

    is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

  5. Pride

    Too much honey

    It is not good to eat too much honey

    or to search out one’s own glory.

A small hill town seen from the road, a long gap in its stone wall, stones spilled down the slope, its plain gateway open and unwatched.

Like a city whose walls are broken down

is a man who does not control his temper.

Pray

A guarded temper

Ask for a guarded temper today, and for patience where you are quick. Name the person who tries you most. Pray that your words would heal and not wound.

You’ve experienced

Proverbs 25

0 of 31 chapters read

A verse to carry with you

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

or swipe left