A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
What does Proverbs 17:17 mean?
No change of outward circumstances should abate our affection for our friends or relatives. But no friend, except Christ, deserves unlimited confidence.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Proverbs 17:17-18 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 17:17
Some take the proverb to describe (as in Proverbs 18:24 ) the "friend that sticketh closer than a brother:" and render: At all times, a friend loveth, but in adversity he is born (i. e., becomes) a brother.
Key words
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Context in Proverbs 17
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Proverbs 17 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as sayings of the wise. Proverbs offers compact instruction on speech, work, wealth, friendship, sex, discipline, justice, and wisdom as a way of life before God. Read this chapter with the wider themes of wisdom, fear of the Lord, and speech in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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