1 An unfriendly man pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt also comes, and with shame comes disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook.
5 To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
6 A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings.
7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8 The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.
9 One who is slack in his work is brother to him who is a master of destruction.
10 Yahweh’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.
Free Grace note
Two towers: one real, one imagined Verses 10 and 11 are meant to be read together, and the pairing is the point. "Yahweh's name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe." Then immediately: "The rich man's wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination." Both people feel secure. Only one of them actually is. In the ancient world a tower was where villagers ran when raiders came; it was refuge you fled to, not comfort you decorated. God's name here means his revealed character, who he has shown himself to be in covenant faithfulness. Those who know that character run toward him in trouble, as Psalm 9:10 says, those who know your name put their trust in you. Wealth, by contrast, builds its wall only in the imagination. Money genuinely solves some problems, which is why the illusion is so convincing, but it cannot hold when the real assault comes. The proverb invites a quiet audit: when trouble hits, where do your feet actually run first?
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination.
12 Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honor is humility.
13 He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.
14 A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?
15 The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16 A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.
17 He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.
18 The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart.
19 A brother offended is more difficult than a fortified city; and disputes are like the bars of a castle.
20 A man’s stomach is filled with the fruit of his mouth. With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of Yahweh.
23 The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.
24 A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Free Grace note
Many companions, few friends "A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." This closing proverb sums up much of the chapter's teaching on words and relationships. The Hebrew contrasts two kinds of connection: the crowd of casual companions, easy to gather when times are good, and the rare covenant friend whose loyalty outlasts crisis. A wide social circle can actually ruin a person, whether by shallow counsel, by fair-weather desertion, or by the strife the chapter has been describing since verse 1, where the unfriendly man isolates himself and defies sound judgment. Scripture gives us pictures of the closer-than-a-brother friend: Jonathan, who loved David as his own soul and defended him at real cost, and Ruth, who clung to Naomi when leaving would have been easier. Wisdom here is practical: invest deeply in a few loyal friendships rather than broadly in many thin ones, and be that kind of friend yourself. Verse 19 warns how costly a broken bond is; this verse shows how precious a kept one can be.
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