English Standard Version
Proverbs 17:8
8A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.
Proverbs 17:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
- New International Version (NIV)A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers.
- New Living Translation (NLT)A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper!
Context of Proverbs 17:8
6Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. 7Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers. 9Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. 10A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.
Read all of Proverbs 17Proverbs 17:8 word by word
אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן הַ֭שֹּׁחַד בְּעֵינֵ֣י בְעָלָ֑יו אֶֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִפְנֶ֣ה יַשְׂכִּֽיל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 17:8
- Proverbs 17:23The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.
- Psalms 18:16He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
- Psalms 19:6Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
- Psalms 27:13I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
- Psalms 29:4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
- Exodus 23:8And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
- Deuteronomy 16:19You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
- Genesis 33:9But Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself."
- Genesis 43:11Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
- 1 Samuel 25:35Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition."
- 2 Samuel 16:1When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
- Micah 7:3Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
Commentaries on Proverbs 17:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8A gift is as a precious stone - It both enriches and ornaments. In the latter clause there is an evident allusion to cut stones. Whithersoever you turn them, they reflect the light, are brilliant and beautiful.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8A half-satirical description of the power of bribery in palaces and among judges. The precious stone (literally as in the margin) is probably a gem, thought of as a talisman, which, “wherever it turns,” will ensure “prosperity” to him who, being the possessor, has the power to give it.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8Verse 8 Those who set their hearts upon money, will do any thing for it. What influence should the gifts of God have on our hearts!Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. One so corrupt as to take a bribe evinces his high estimate of it by subjection to its influence (Pr 18:16; 19:6).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 17:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 17
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries