Proverbs - 19:6



6 Many will entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Proverbs 19:6.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Many will entreat the favor of the liberal man; And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Many honour the person of him that is mighty, and are friends of him that giveth gifts.
Many court the favour of a noble; and every one is friend to a man that giveth.
Many will entreat the favour of the liberal man: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Many will entreat the favor of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Many entreat the face of the noble, And all have made friendship to a man of gifts.
Many will entreat the favor of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that gives gifts.
Great numbers will make attempts to get the approval of a ruler: and every man is the special friend of him who has something to give.
Many honor the character of one who is powerful, and there are friends for a giver of gifts.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Intreat the favor - literally, "stroke the face" of the man of princely nature, who gives munificently.

Many will entreat the favour of the prince,.... Or of the liberal and bountiful man; as kings and princes generally are, Luke 22:25; such have many to wait upon them, and are humble petitioners to them. Aben Ezra and Gersom interpret the many of great and honourable men, who are courtiers to kings and princes; who wait upon them, ask favours of them, and seek for places under them. The Targum is,
"there are many that minister before a prince;''
he has many servants, and some of them nobles;
and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts; or "to a man of gift" (k): who has it in his power to give, and has a heart to it; who is both a rich man and a liberal man; who is both able and willing to communicate to the necessities of others: such a man not only has the poor his friends, but others will speak well of him, and will make application to him on account of the poor; and, for the sake of doing good to them, will court his friendship and acquaintance. Bayne interprets this "man of gift" of Christ, who ascended on high, and received gifts for men, and gives them to men.
(k) "viro doni", Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis.

We are without excuse if we do not love God with all our hearts. His gifts to us are past number, and all the gifts of men to us are fruits of his bounty.

6 Many stroke the cheeks of the noble;
And the mass of friends belongeth to him who gives.
The phrase 'חלּות פּני פל signifies to stroke the face of any one, from the fundamental meaning of the verb חלה, to rub, to stroke, Arab. khala, with which the Hebrews., meaning to be sick, weak (viribus attritum esse), and the Arabic: to be sweet (properly laevem et politum, glabrum esse, or palatum demulcere, leniter stringere, contrast asperum esse ad gustum), are connected (Fl.). The object of such insinuating, humble suing for favour is the נדיב (from נדב, instigare), the noble, he who is easily incited to noble actions, particularly to noble-mindedness in bestowing gifts and in doing good, or who feels himself naturally impelled thereto, and spontaneously practises those things; cf. the Arab. krym, nobilis and liberalis (Fl.), and at Job 21:28; parall. אישׁ מתּן, a man who gives willingly, as אישׁ חמה, Proverbs 15:18, one who is easily kindled into anger. Many (רבּים, as Job 11:19) stroke the face of the liberal (Lat. caput mulcent or demulcent); and to him who gives willingly and richly belongs כל־הרע, the mass (the totality) of good friends, cf. Proverbs 15:17; there the art. of הרע, according to the manner of expression of the Arab. grammarians, stood for "the exhaustion of the characteristic properties of the genus": the friend who corresponds to the nature (the idea) of such an one; here it stands for "the comprehension of the individuals of the genus;" all that is only always friend. It lies near with Ewald and Hitzig to read וכלּה רע (and every one is friend...) (כלּה = כלּו, as Jeremiah 8:10, etc.); but why could not כל־הרע be used as well as כל־האדם, perhaps with the sarcastic appearance which the above translation seeks to express? The lxx also had וכל הרע in view, which it incorrectly translates πᾶς δὲ ὁ κακός, whereby the Syr. and the Targ. are led into error; but מתּן is not one and the same with שׂחד, vid., Proverbs 18:6. On the contrary, there certainly lies before us in Proverbs 19:7 a mutilated text. The tristich is, as we have shown, vol. i, p. 15, open to suspicion; and the violence which its interpretation needs in order to comprehend it, as a formal part of 7ab, places it beyond a doubt, and the lxx confirms it that 7c is the remainder of a distich, the half of which is lost.

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