Proverbs 17:3
in Proverbs 17A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; But Jehovah trieth the hearts.
KJV
The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts.
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This verse in Proverbs 17
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Wonderful as is the separation of the pure metal from the dross with which it has mingled, there is something yet more wonderful in the divine discipline which purifies the good that lies hid, like a grain of gold, even in rough and common natures, and frees it from all admixture of evil. Compare Mal 3:2; 1Pe 1:7.
This site's exposition
Better is a dry morsel
on Proverbs 17:1-3
A dry morsel with quietness opens the chapter's better-than form, weighing peace above plenty against a house full of sacrifices kept noisy with strife. The wise servant who outranks a shameful son overturns the ordinary order of inheritance, a reversal the commentators read as merit standing above mere birth. The fining pot and the furnace test metal, but the Lord trieth the hearts, the same testing image the book sets over every human motive.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The fining pot is for silver - When silver is mixed, or suspected to be mixed, with base metal, it must be subjected to such a test as the cupel to purify it. And gold also must be purified by the action of the fire. So God tries hearts. He sends afflictions which penetrate the soul, and give a man to see his state, so that he may apply to the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, to destroy what cannot stand the fire, to separate and burn up all the dross.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַצְרֵ֣ף | matzref | a crucible | H4715 → | |
| לַ֭כֶּסֶף | lakesef | [is] for <the> silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| וְכ֣וּר | vekhur | and a smelting furnace | H3564 → | |
| לַזָּהָ֑ב | lazahav | [is] for <the> gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
| וּבֹחֵ֖ן | uvochen | and [is] testing | H974 → | |
| לִבּ֣וֹת | libot | hearts | H3826 → | 7 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
מַצְרֵ֣ףa crucible
matzrefH4715 →
לַ֭כֶּסֶף[is] for <the> silver
lakesefH3701 →403 times
וְכ֣וּרand a smelting furnace
vekhurH3564 →
לַזָּהָ֑ב[is] for <the> gold
lazahavH2091 →389 times
וּבֹחֵ֖ןand [is] testing
uvochenH974 →
לִבּ֣וֹתhearts
libotH3826 →7 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 17:10I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 8:27
And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
- Jeremiah 11:20
O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
- Revelation 2:23
Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- Hebrews 4:12–13
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- 1 Samuel 16:7
Through
Isaiah 48:10See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
it leads to
- Psalms 66:10
For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 1:7
so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.
- Psalms 66:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.