The Holy Bible Verses

Proverbs 17:9

Cited in 2 topics on this site.

Translations sourced from the public-domain WEB, KJV, and ASV. See all sources.

“He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.”

— WEB

“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”

— KJV

“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.”

— ASV

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Commentary

Note, 1. The way to preserve peace among relations and neighbours is to make the best of every thing, not to tell others what has been said or done against them when it is not at all necessary to their safety, nor to take notice of what has been said or done against them when it is not at all necessary to their safety, nor to take notice of what has been said or done against ourselves, but to excuse both, and put the best construction upon them. "It was an oversight; therefore overlook it. It was done through forgetfulness; therefore forget it. It perhaps made nothing of you; do you make nothing of it." 2. The ripping up of faults is the ripping out of love, and nothing tends more to the separating of friends, and setting them at variance, than the repeating of matters that have been in variance; for they commonly lose nothing in the repetition, but the things themselves are aggravated and the passions about them revived and exasperated. The best method of peace is by an amnesty or act of oblivion.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary (public domain)

seeketh love--(Compare Margin). The contrast is between the peace-maker and tale-bearer.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary (public domain)

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