World English Bible
- These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
- It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
- As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
- Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner.
- Take away the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
- Don’t exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;
- for it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen.
- Don’t be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you?
- Debate your case with your neighbor, and don’t betray the confidence of another,
- lest one who hears it put you to shame, and your bad reputation never depart.
- A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
- As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.
- As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.
- As clouds and wind without rain, so is he who boasts of gifts deceptively.
- By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.
- Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it.
- Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he be weary of you, and hate you.
- A man who gives false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
- Confidence in someone unfaithful in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a lame foot.
- As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
- If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
- for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
- The north wind produces rain; so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
- It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a contentious woman.
- Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
- Like a muddied spring and a polluted well, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
- It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.
- Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.
Proverbs 25 begins with an easily overlooked act of preservation. Centuries after Solomon, Hezekiah’s scribes “copied out” these sayings—perhaps better understood as transferred or collected them. While Judah lived beneath the shadow of Assyria, these servants searched the royal archives and recovered wisdom for a threatened generation.
Their work quietly enacts the next proverb: “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2, World English Bible). God’s concealment is not deception. It is depth. He hides truth as a musician hides a symphony within a few written notes: not to keep us away, but to invite patient attention. Faith is not threatened by investigation. Mature faith kneels before mystery and then begins digging.
Much of this chapter concerns proportion: enough honey, enough visiting, the right time to speak, the right way to correct, and the restraint not to expose another’s confidence. Sin is not always the love of something evil. Often it is the refusal to receive a good thing within God-given limits.
Honey is good; too much makes us sick. Friendship is good; constant intrusion makes it oppressive. Songs are good; forced cheerfulness offered to mourners can become cruelty. Vinegar poured upon ancient alkali produced a violent, useless reaction. In the same way, religious optimism can fizz loudly while failing to comfort anyone.
Augustine’s vision of rightly ordered love is helpful here: holiness means loving good things in the right way, to the right degree, under the rule of God. Wisdom does not merely ask, “Is this permissible?” It asks, “Does this fit the person, moment, and need before me?”
That is why a fitting word resembles gold fruit set in silver. Its beauty lies not only in its truth but in its placement. Even correction becomes precious when joined to an “obedient ear.” Truth without timing may become a weapon; timing without truth becomes flattery.
“A soft tongue breaks the bone” is a deliberate paradox. Gentleness is not weakness. It is strength delivered without violence—steady pressure that can overcome what force cannot.
This reaches its summit in feeding one’s enemy. Paul quotes these verses in Romans 12:20, placing them beside God’s command to surrender vengeance. The “coals of fire” may picture the burning shame that awakens repentance, but the outcome belongs to God. Our calling is not to manipulate an enemy’s conscience; it is to refuse becoming the evil we oppose.
Christ did exactly this. He fed those who would abandon Him, prayed for those who crucified Him, and bore hostility without surrendering to it. At the cross, divine gentleness broke the hardest bone: humanity’s enmity toward God.
The chapter ends with a city without walls—a life whose impulses have no guard. Yet the Spirit does not make us sealed fortresses. He gives us gates: hearts that can open in love and close against destruction.
Suggested cross-references: Romans 12:17–21; Isaiah
52:7; James 1:19–20; Galatians 5:22–23
Suggested hymn: “Lord, Speak to Me, That I May
Speak”
Lord of hidden wisdom, search the dross within me. Teach me the holiness of enough, the courage of gentleness, and the mercy that feeds an enemy. Set a guard over my spirit, and make my words beautifully fitted to the needs of others. Amen.