Proverbs 28:23
in Proverbs 28He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor Than he that flattereth with the tongue.
KJV
He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.
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This verse in Proverbs 28
Commentary
2 notes on this verseHe that rebuketh a man,.... His friend and acquaintance, for any fault committed by him; which reproof he gives in a free and faithful manner, yet kind, tender, and affectionate. The word rendered "afterwards", which begins the next clause, according to the accents belongs to this, and is by some rendered, "he that rebuketh a man after me" (b); after my directions, according to the rules I have given; that is, after God, and by his order; or Solomon, after his example, who delivered out these sentences and instructions.
This site's exposition
He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour
on Proverbs 28:23-28
He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue opens the chapter's close by ranking honest correction above comfortable flattery. Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression, is the companion of a destroyer, naming a self-justifying theft the book treats as a family crime rather than a small dishonesty. He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife, but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat, and he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool, but whoso walketh wisely shall be delivered, run the same contrast between self-reliance and trust that has carried the chapter throughout. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack, but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse, and when the wicked rise men hide themselves, but when they perish the righteous increase, close the chapter on generosity and on the public mood a nation's rulers set, the last line answering verse 12 as a deliberate frame.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מ֘וֹכִ֤יחַ | mokhiach | [one who] reproves | H3198 → | 59 times |
| אָדָ֣ם | ʾadam | a person | H120 → | 551 times |
| אַ֭חֲרַי | ʾacharai | after me | H310 → | 715 times |
| חֵ֣ן | chen | favor | H2580 → | 69 times |
| יִמְצָ֑א | yimtza' | he will find | H4672 → | 455 times |
| מִֽמַּחֲלִ֥יק | mimachalik | more than [one who] makes smooth | H2505 → | 65 times |
| לָשֽׁוֹן׃ | lashon | [the] tongue | H3956 → | 117 times |
מ֘וֹכִ֤יחַ[one who] reproves
mokhiachH3198 →59 times
אָדָ֣םa person
ʾadamH120 →551 times
אַ֭חֲרַיafter me
ʾacharaiH310 →715 times
חֵ֣ןfavor
chenH2580 →69 times
יִמְצָ֑אhe will find
yimtza'H4672 →455 times
מִֽמַּחֲלִ֥יקmore than [one who] makes smooth
mimachalikH2505 →65 times
לָשֽׁוֹן׃[the] tongue
lashonH3956 →117 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
Matthew 18:15If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
it leads to
- Galatians 6:1
Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 19:17
You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.
- Luke 17:3–4
Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:15
Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
- Colossians 3:13
Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
- Galatians 6:1
Through
Psalms 141:5Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds…
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 7:5
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
- Revelation 3:19
Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
- Proverbs 27:5–6
Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed.
- Ecclesiastes 7:5
About Proverbs
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.