Proverbs 17:4 KJV

The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann - Proverbs 17:4

v. 4. A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips, literally, "Wickedness attends to lips of violence," for lies, deceit, and violence agree with the sentiments of a wicked heart; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue, finding his pleasure in evil talk, which agrees with his own base thoughts and encourages him in his wickedness. read more

Johann Peter Lange

Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal and Homiletical - Proverbs 17:1-28

β) Admonition to contentment and a peaceable dispositionChap. 171 Better a dry morsel and quietness therewiththan a house full of slain beasts with strife.2 A wise servant shall have rule over a degenerate son,and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold,but he that trieth hearts is Jehovah.4 Wickedness giveth heed to lying lips,deceit giveth ear to a vile tongue.5 He that mocketh the poor hath reproached... read more

G. Campbell Morgan

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible - Proverbs 17:1-28

Verse Proverbs 17:3. Two important thoughts are suggested by this proverb. First, that the heart will yield to no force other than that of God. Dross in metal may be discovered and expurged by fire, but evil in the heart can be discovered and dealt with only by God. Second, Jehovah does try the heart. Verse Proverbs 17:5. The first part of this proverb does not teach, as is so often stated, that poverty is from God. Rather, it recognizes the inherent rights of every man in God,... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 17:1-7

Solomon Contrasts The Behaviour Of The Perverse And Worthless Man With The Life and Attitudes Of The Man Grown Old In Righteousness, Who Is An Exemplar Of All The Righteous (Proverbs 16:30 to Proverbs 17:7 ). The subsection begins with a contrast between the perverse and worthless man who closes his eyes and purses his lips (compare Proverbs 6:12-13 a) in preparation for planning perverse things and bringing about evil (Proverbs 16:30), and the one whose hoary head is a crown of glory, as he... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 17:1-28

Proverbs Of Solomon Part 2 (Proverbs 15:22 to Proverbs 22:16 ). At this point there is a sudden switch from proverbs which contrast one thing with another, which have been predominant since Proverbs 10:1, to proverbs where the second clause adds something to the first. Whilst we still find some contrasting proverbs, especially at the beginning, they are not so common. This may suggest a deliberate intention by Solomon to separate his proverbs into two parts. Furthermore such a change at this... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 17:1-28

Proverbs 17. Fresh points are the rise of the able and clever slave to a place in the family ( Proverbs 17:2), the practice of bribes ( Proverbs 17:8; Proverbs 17:23), the value of adversity as a test of friendship ( Proverbs 17:17): also the subject of suretyship, dealt with in Proverbs 6:1-Deuteronomy :, is resumed ( Proverbs 17:18). Proverbs 17:1 . For the connexion between sacrifices ( mg.) and feasting cf. Proverbs 6:14. For “ sacrifice” used to denote private slaying cf. Deuteronomy... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 17:4

A wicked doer, or, a malicious or mischievous man, whose practice and delight it is to bring trouble to others, giveth heed to false lips, Heb. to lips of iniquity, to any wicked counsels or speeches, to false accusations and calumnies, which give him occasion and encouragement to do mischief. A liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue; he who accustometh himself to false and wicked speaking delighteth in the like speeches of other men. This proverb contains a comparison between an evil-doer and an... read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - Proverbs 17:4

CRITICAL NOTES.—Proverbs 17:4. A liar. literally, a lie, falsehood. MAIN HOMILETICS OF Proverbs 17:4THE EVIL SPEAKER AND THE LISTENERI. That which men give heed to reveals their character. If a man will listen to another whom he knows to be false—if he permits him to be continually pouring into his ear that which he knows to be untrue—he is a liar himself. He could not make himself a receiver of lies if he were not of a kindred spirit with the liar. We classify animals according to the food... read more

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - Proverbs 17:1-28

Chapter 17Better is a dry morsel, with quietness, than a house full of sacrifices with strife ( Proverbs 17:1 ).Now the house full of sacrifices refer to the sacrifices. It's, if in that economy the of the Judaism, if you decided that tonight you wanted to have roast leg of lamb, to butcher your lamb you'd take it down to the temple and you bring it to the priest. And you'd say, "I want to offer this as a peace offering unto God, a sacrifice." So you'd butcher the lamb and the priest would take... read more

Joseph Sutcliffe

Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments - Proverbs 17:1-28

Proverbs 17:1 . Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith. See Proverbs 15:17. Proverbs 17:3 . The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace (or crucible) for gold. Silver ores in Mexico are worked as ores of tin in Cornwall. Lead and iron, though without apparent affinity, occur in the same masses in our limestone ranges. Lead in a state of fusion, has the lighter silver floating on the top. Cobalt and the greenish nickel are difficult to separate. The alloys of gold are found... read more