EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Proverbs 25:20
20If you sing to a very sad man to make him happy, it only gives him more pain. It is like you are taking away his coat on a cold day, or you are putting vinegar on his wound.
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
18Some people may tell lies about their neighbour in court. Those people are like dangerous weapons, like sharp swords or arrows. 19If you are in trouble and you trust someone who is not honest, it will not help you. He will be as useless as a bad tooth or a broken leg. If you sing to a very sad man to make him happy, it only gives him more pain. It is like you are taking away his coat on a cold day, or you are putting vinegar on his wound. 21If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat. If he is thirsty, give him some water to drink. 22If you help him, he will become ashamed, and the Lord will bless you with good things.
Read all of Proverbs 25Proverbs 25:20 word by word
מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד׀ בְּי֣וֹם קָ֭רָה חֹ֣מֶץ עַל־נָ֑תֶר וְשָׁ֥ר בַּ֝שִּׁרִ֗ים עַ֣ל לֶב־רָֽע׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- he that taketh awayעָדָה‛âdâh · to advanceH5710
- a garmentבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
- in coldקָרָהqârâh · coldH7135
- weatherיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- vinegarחֹ֫מֶץchômets · vinegarH2558
- upon nitreנֶ֫תֶרnether · natronH5427
- he that singethשִׁירshîyr shûr · to singH7891
- songsשִׁירshîyr shîyrâh · songH7892
- to an heavyרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
- heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
Cross-references for Proverbs 25:20
- Deuteronomy 24:12If the person is poor, do not take his coat and keep it with you all night.
- Job 24:7They have no clothes to wear during the cold nights. They sleep without anything to cover themselves.
- Isaiah 58:7Instead, share your food with hungry people. Give a place in your home to poor people who have no home. Give clothes to people who have nothing to wear. If people in your own family need help, do not refuse to help them.
- James 2:15For example, maybe a believer does not have enough clothes to wear or enough food to eat.
- Proverbs 10:26Do not send a lazy person with a message. He will bring you pain, like the taste of bitter wine, or like smoke in your eyes.
- Psalms 137:3Our enemies asked us to sing songs for them there. They laughed at us as their prisoners. They asked for a song to make them happy. They shouted, ‘Sing us a song about Zion!’
- Ecclesiastes 3:4There is a time to weep. There is a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. There is a time to dance.
- Daniel 6:18Then the king returned to his palace. He ate no food. Nobody brought anything to him to give him pleasure. He was unable to sleep.
- Romans 12:15If you are with someone who is happy, you should also be happy. If you are with someone who is sad, you should also be sad.
- James 5:15If they pray in that way and they trust that God will answer them, the sick person will become well again. The Lord will cause him to become well. And God will forgive him if he has done any wrong things.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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