Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Proverbs 18:16
"Gift" is not necessarily a "bribe." The Hebrew word here (mattan, cf. Proverbs 15:27; Proverbs 21:14) is not the same as the one translated "bribe" in Proverbs 17:8; Proverbs 17:12 (sohad). It can be an innocent courtesy. It means what a person gives to someone else (cf. Genesis 43:11). Waltke wrote that mattan describes a gift given for selfish reasons to gain an advantage over others, except in Proverbs 19:6. [Note: Ibid., p. 81.] Therefore it seems legitimate to apply it to one’s personal... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Proverbs 18:1-24
3. Friendship and folly ch. 18 read more