Proverbs 17:23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Proverbs 17:23

See here, 1. What an evil thing bribery is: He is a wicked man that will take a gift to engage him to give a false testimony, verdict, or judgment; when he does it he is ashamed of it, for he takes it, with all the secresy imaginable, out of the bosom where he knows it is laid ready for him; it is industriously concealed, and so slyly that, if h 1a08 e could, he would hide it from his own conscience. A gift is taken out of the bosom of a wicked man (so some read it); for he is a bad man that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Proverbs 17:23

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom ,.... Of another, of a rich man, who takes it out from thence, and offers it to him as a bribe. This he takes in the most secret manner, that it might not be seen by others; though the Arabic version renders it, "he that receives a gift in his own bosom commits iniquity"; it is true of both the giver and the receiver; the one gives out of his bosom, and the other takes if from thence, and puts it into his own, and both are wicked. And the words... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 17:23

A gift out of the bosom - Out of his purse; as in their bosoms, above their girdles, the Asiatics carry their purses. I have often observed this. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:6-25

Fatherhood and sonship Certainly, some of our very greatest mercies are those that come to us in our domestic relationships. I. THE JOY AND CROWN OF FATHERHOOD AND OF GRANDFATHERHOOD . Our Lord speaks of the mother forgetting her anguish "for joy that a man is born into the world" ( John 16:21 ). The joy of parentage is keen , and it is common; it may, indeed, be said to be universal. And it is pure and good; it elevates and enlarges the soul, taking thought... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:16-24

Use and neglect "There is everything in use," we say. And certainly a man's position at any time depends far less upon his bestowments and advantages than upon the use he has made of them. The wise man, in these verses, laments the fact that the price of wisdom should so often be in the hand of a man who fails to turn it to account ( Proverbs 17:16 ), and that the foolish man wastes his capacities by directing them to things at a distance instead of giving his attention to that which is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:21-25

(See homily on Proverbs 10:1 .)—C. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:21-28

Varied experiences of good and evil in life We may divide them into the sorrowful, the joyous, and the mixed experiences. I. SAD EXPERIENCES . The sorrow of thankless children . ( Proverbs 17:21 , Proverbs 17:25 .) To name it is enough for thereto who have known it. It has its analogue in Divine places. How pathetically does the Bible speak of the grief of God over the rebellious children he has nourished and brought up! and of Christ's lamentation as of a mother over... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Proverbs 17:23

A gift out of the bosom ; i.e. secretly from the fold of the garment, and not from the purse or bag wherein money was ostensibly carried. A corrupt judge "taketh," i.e. receives a bribe conveyed to him secretly ( Proverbs 21:14 ). To pervert the ways of judgment. The judges had no appointed salaries; hence the unprincipled among them were open to bribery. The strict injunctions of the Law, and the stern denunciations of the prophets, were alike ineffectual in checking corruption... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 17:23

Proverbs 17:23. A wicked man Whether judge or witness; taketh a gift out of the bosom In secret, as this phrase is expounded Proverbs 21:14, being privily conveyed from the bosom of the giver into his own bosom; to pervert the ways of judgment To give or procure an unjust sentence. Bishop Patrick’s paraphrase of the verse is, “No man would willingly be known to be so wicked as to be bribed to do injustice, but there are too many that will suffer themselves to be secretly corrupted by... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Proverbs 17:1-28

Friends and fools (17:1-28)A peaceful family life, no matter how simple, is a great blessing, but a son may miss out on his family inheritance through his own folly (17:1-2). God’s dealings with his people are always for a good purpose, to make them better than they were before (3). To listen to evil talk is as bad as to speak evil oneself; to take pleasure in another’s troubles is as bad as to cause those troubles (4-5).Other proverbs concern the appreciation that the old and the young should... read more

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