Proverbs 25:20

Proverbs 25:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.
• New International Version (NIV)Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, And like vinegar on soda, Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

Context of Proverbs 25:20

18A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow, is a man that beareth false witness against his neighbour. 19A broken tooth, and a tottering foot, is confidence in an unfaithful [man] in the day of trouble. [As] he that taketh off a garment in cold weather, [and as] vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to a sad heart. 21If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and Jehovah shall reward thee.

Proverbs 25:20 word by word

מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד׀ בְּי֣וֹם קָ֭רָה חֹ֣מֶץ עַל־נָ֑תֶר וְשָׁ֥ר בַּ֝שִּׁרִ֗ים עַ֣ל לֶב־רָֽע׃ פRead the interlinear

• garmentבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
• vinegarחֹ֫מֶץchômets · vinegarH2558
• songsשִׁירshîyr shîyrâh · songH7892
• heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820

Cross-references for Proverbs 25:20

• Deuteronomy 24:12And if the man be needy, thou shalt not lie down with his pledge;
• Job 24:7They pass the night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;
• Isaiah 58:7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring to thy house the needy wanderers; when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
• James 2:15Now if a brother or a sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
• Proverbs 10:26As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
• Psalms 137:3For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that made us wail [required] mirth, [saying,] Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion.
• Ecclesiastes 3:4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
• Daniel 6:18Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were concubines brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
• Romans 12:15Rejoice with those that rejoice, weep with those that weep.
• James 5:15and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be one who has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him.

Commentaries on Proverbs 25:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20As vinegar upon nitre - The original word נתר nather is what is known among chemists as the natron of the ancients and of the Scriptures, and carbonate of soda. It is found native in Syria and India, and occurs as an efflorescence on the soil. In Tripoli it is found in crystalline incrustations of from one third to half an inch thiek. It is found also in solution in the water of some lakes in Egypt and Hungary. The borders of these lakes are covered with…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Examples of unwisdom and incongruity sharpen the point of the proverb. Pouring vinegar upon nitre or potash utterly spoils it. The effervescence caused by the mixture is perhaps taken as a type of the irritation produced by the “songs” sung out of season to a heavy heart. The verb rendered “taketh away” may have the sense (as in Ezekiel 16:11) of “adorning oneself,” and the illustration would then be, “as to put on a fine garment in time of cold is…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20Verse 20 We take a wrong course if we think to relieve those in sorrow by endeavouring to make them merry.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Not only is the incongruity of songs (that is, joyful) and sadness meant, but an accession of sadness, by want of sympathy, is implied.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 25:20

• Music
• Nitre
• Vinegar

In the dictionaries

• Arrow
• Debate
• Discover
• Heavy
• Nitre
• Hezekiah (2)
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Solomon
• Vinegar
• Weather

Commentaries on Proverbs 25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings