Proverbs · chapter 25 of 31
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Proverbs 25 begins a new collection: the proverbs of Solomon that the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied. With images from nature and daily life it teaches humility before kings, settling conflicts in private, speaking timely words, treating an enemy with kindness and keeping self-control, since a person without it is like a city without walls.
Proverbs 25 starts the section of chapters 25 to 29, which the text presents as sayings of Solomon copied by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, about two and a half centuries later. It shows that God's people kept and passed on wisdom with care. These sayings use many comparisons: silver, snow, clouds, water and honey.
The chapter begins with the note about the men of Hezekiah who copied these proverbs (v. 1). It is the glory of God to conceal things, and the glory of kings to search them out (v. 2). Just as dross is taken from silver, the wicked are removed from the king's presence and his throne is established in righteousness (vv. 4-5). Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence, for it is better to be told to come up than to be put lower (vv. 6-7). Conflicts are to be settled with the neighbor in private, without revealing a confidence (vv. 8-10).
A word spoken at the right time is like apples of gold in a setting of silver (v. 11), and a faithful messenger is like the cold of snow in the time of harvest (v. 13). Whoever boasts of a gift he does not give is like clouds and wind without rain (v. 14). Patience persuades a ruler and a soft tongue breaks a bone (v. 15). Too much honey makes you sick; so let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he tire of you (vv. 16-17). A false witness is like a club, a sword and a sharp arrow (v. 18), and trusting an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips (v. 19).
Verses 21 and 22 teach us to give bread and water to a hungry or thirsty enemy, for in doing so you heap burning coals on his head and the Lord will reward you; the apostle Paul quotes this teaching in Romans 12:20. Cold water to a thirsty soul is like good news from a far country (v. 25). The chapter ends with another image of self-control: a person without rule over his spirit is like a city broken into and left without walls (v. 28).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
It is the glory of God to conceal things, and the glory of kings to search them out. God does not reveal everything, and those who govern or study must search with effort rather than pretend everything is obvious.
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. The right message at the right moment has special value, and well-chosen words are a form of beauty.
If your enemy is hungry, give him food, and if he is thirsty, give him water. In doing so you will make him ashamed, and the Lord will reward you. Answering with kindness instead of revenge is the way God blesses, and Paul takes it up.
A person without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Without self-discipline we are exposed to any attack, and the verse presents it as a basic part of wisdom.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The men of Hezekiah, king of Judah. — Proverbs 25:1
Answer: The glory of God is to conceal things, and the glory of kings is to search them out. — Proverbs 25:2
Answer: To be told to come up to a higher place. — Proverbs 25:7
Answer: Apples of gold in a setting of silver. — Proverbs 25:11
Answer: Bread to eat and water to drink. — Proverbs 25:21
Answer: A city broken into and left without walls. — Proverbs 25:28
Proverbs 25 teaches us to be careful about what we say and when we say it. In a small group you can think about the last time a timely word relieved someone, and who needs such a word today. It also challenges us to settle conflicts directly and discreetly, without spreading what was confided to us.
Verses 21 and 22 are hard but central: answering the enemy with kindness. Paul quotes them because they are a concrete way to overcome evil with good. And verse 28 encourages us to care for self-control as the walls of our inner city.
Proverbs 25 shows wisdom through images from daily life and creation. Chapter 26 continues with sayings about fools, sluggards and gossips, including the contrast between answering and not answering a fool.
Most likely it describes the shame and remorse that unexpected kindness brings. Others see an image of softening, as fire melts metal. In any case the aim is not revenge but winning the enemy over, and Paul quotes it in Romans 12 to encourage overcoming evil with good.
Because the text recognizes that under Hezekiah's reign in Judah a group of scribes copied and gathered these proverbs of Solomon. It is a reminder that the Bible was handed down with care, and that Solomon's wisdom stayed important centuries after his life.