Proverbs 25:4
in Proverbs 25Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:
KJV
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.
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This verse in Proverbs 25
Commentary
4 notes on this verseTake away the dross from the silver,.... By putting it into the furnace, and purging it from it: and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer; not out of the furnace, a vessel formed and shaped, but pure silver shall come out of it for the refiner; of which a vessel may be made, very honourable, beautiful, and fit for use: the application of it is in Pro 25:5.
This site's exposition
Take away the dross from the silver
on Proverbs 25:4-5
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer gives the metallurgy that the next verse applies directly to government: take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. Bridges reads the pairing as deliberate, corrupt counselors named as the dross that must be removed before a kingdom's silver can be trusted, the same refining image the prophets use of Israel itself.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Remove the dross from the silver, etc. Remove the surface of the letter from the sacred word, and you will find the purest meaning hidden by the subtlety of the letter, and spiritual mysteries were concealed under the figures of carnal ceremonies.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Take away the dross from the silver - You cannot have a pure silver vessel till you have purified the silver; and no nation can have a king a public blessing till the wicked - all bad counsellors, wicked and interested ministers, and sycophants - are banished from the court and cabinet. When the wise and good only are the king’s ministers and advisers, then the throne will be established in righteousness, and his administration be a universal blessing.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָג֣וֹ | hago | remove | H1898 → | |
| סִיגִ֣ים | sigim | dross<es> | H5509 → | |
| מִכָּ֑סֶף | mikasef | from silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| וַיֵּצֵ֖א | vaiyetze' | and it came out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| לַצֹּרֵ֣ף | latzoref | for the metalsmith | H6884 → | |
| כֶּֽלִי׃ | keli | a vessel | H3627 → |
הָג֣וֹremove
hagoH1898 →
סִיגִ֣יםdross<es>
sigimH5509 →
מִכָּ֑סֶףfrom silver
mikasefH3701 →403 times
וַיֵּצֵ֖אand it came out
vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times
לַצֹּרֵ֣ףfor the metalsmith
latzorefH6884 →
כֶּֽלִי׃a vessel
keliH3627 →
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
Proverbs 17:3A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
it leads to
- Isaiah 48:10
See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 17:10
I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
- Psalms 26:2
Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
- Proverbs 27:21
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him.
- 1 Chronicles 29:17
I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are…
- Isaiah 48:10
Through
Ezekiel 22:18“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
it leads to
- Psalms 119:119
All the wicked on earth You discard like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.
- Isaiah 1:22
Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted with water.
- Jeremiah 6:28–30
All are hardened rebels, walking around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt.
- Psalms 119:119
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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On this verse
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About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; 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.