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

18⌞Like⌟ a club and a sword and a sharp arrow, ⌞so⌟ is a person who gives false testimony against his neighbor. 19⌞Like⌟ a broken tooth and a lame foot, ⌞so⌟ is confidence in an unfaithful person in a ⌞time of⌟ crisis. ⌞Like⌟ taking off a coat on a cold day or pouring vinegar on baking soda, so is singing songs to one who has an evil heart. 21If your enemy is hungry, give him some food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him some water to drink. 22⌞In this way⌟ you will make him feel guilty and ashamed, and the Lord will reward you.

Proverbs 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, don’t keep the coat you took as a deposit overnight.
• Job 24:7All night they lie naked without a covering from the cold.
• Isaiah 58:7Share your food with the hungry, take the poor and homeless into your house, and cover them with clothes when you see ⌞them⌟ naked. Don’t refuse to help your relatives.
• James 2:15Suppose a believer, whether a man or a woman, needs clothes or food
• Proverbs 10:26Like vinegar to the teeth, like smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him ⌞on a mission⌟.
• Psalms 137:3It was there that those who had captured us demanded that we sing. Those who guarded us wanted us to entertain them. ⌞They said,⌟ “Sing a song from Zion for us!”
• Ecclesiastes 3:4a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
• Daniel 6:18Then the king went to his palace and spent the night without food or company. He couldn’t get to sleep.
• Romans 12:15Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad.
• James 5:15(Prayers offered in faith will save those who are sick, and the Lord will cure them.) If you have sinned, you will be forgiven.

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
• Heavy; Heaviness
• Hezekiah (2)
• Proverbs, the Book of
• Solomon
• Vinegar

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