Proverbs 17:2
in Proverbs 17A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.
KJV
A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.
⋯
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)
The “servant,” it must be remembered, was a slave, but (as in such cases as Gen 15:2; 2Sa 16:4) might succeed to the inheritance.
This site's exposition
Better a dry morsel in quietness
on Proverbs 17:1-3
The chapter opens with a better-than saying that weighs "a dry morsel in quietness" above "a house full of feasting with strife." A wise servant rules over a disgraceful son and shares his inheritance "as one of the brothers," overturning the ordinary order of birth.
This site's exposition
A wise servant will rule over
The servant here was a slave, Albert Barnes explains, yet a slave could succeed to an inheritance, as in Genesis 15:2 and 2 Samuel 16:4. Wisdom lifts him over a disgraceful son. In this house wisdom outweighs birth.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame,.... That does wicked and shameful actions: that is slothful, and will not attend to instruction or business; that is prodigal, wasteful, and luxurious, and causes shame to his parents, who blush at his conduct. Now a servant that behaves well and wisely in a family is observed and respected by his master, and he puts his wicked and extravagant son under him, makes him a tutor to him, and sets him to watch over him, and obliges his son to obey his orders.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Better a piece of dry bread and tranquility with it It would have been better for the Holy One, blessed be He, to destroy His Temple and His city, for He would enjoy tranquility from the sins of Israel.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עֶֽבֶד־ | ʾeved- | a servant | H5650 → | 799 times |
| מַשְׂכִּ֗יל | maskil | [who] acts prudently | H7919 → | 62 times |
| יִ֭מְשֹׁל | yimshol | he will rule | H4910 → | 81 times |
| בְּבֵ֣ן | beven | over a son | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| מֵבִ֑ישׁ | mevish | [who] acts shamefully | H954 → | 127 times |
| וּבְת֥וֹךְ | uvetokh | and in among | H8432 → | 418 times |
| אַ֝חִ֗ים | ʾachim | brothers | H251 → | 630 times |
| יַחֲלֹ֥ק | yachalok | he will share | H2505 → | 65 times |
| נַחֲלָֽה׃ | nachalah | [the] inheritance | H5159 → | 222 times |
עֶֽבֶד־a servant
ʾeved-H5650 →799 times
מַשְׂכִּ֗יל[who] acts prudently
maskilH7919 →62 times
יִ֭מְשֹׁלhe will rule
yimsholH4910 →81 times
בְּבֵ֣ןover a son
bevenH1121 →4930 times
מֵבִ֑ישׁ[who] acts shamefully
mevishH954 →127 times
וּבְת֥וֹךְand in among
uvetokhH8432 →418 times
אַ֝חִ֗יםbrothers
ʾachimH251 →630 times
יַחֲלֹ֥קhe will share
yachalokH2505 →65 times
נַחֲלָֽה׃[the] inheritance
nachalahH5159 →222 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
Proverbs 10:5He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
it leads to
- Proverbs 6:8
it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.
- Proverbs 30:25
The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
- Proverbs 6:8
Through
Ecclesiastes 4:13Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 25:16
While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has…
- Proverbs 19:1
Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.
- 2 Chronicles 16:9–10
For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in…
- 2 Chronicles 25:16
Through
Proverbs 19:26He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
it leads to
- Proverbs 10:5
He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
- Proverbs 10:5
Through
Proverbs 11:29He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 5:16
This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
- Ecclesiastes 5:16
Through
Proverbs 14:35A king delights in a wise servant, but his anger falls on the shameful.
it leads to
- Matthew 24:45–51
Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?
- Matthew 24:45–51
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on 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.