Proverbs 18:16
A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.
BSB
ASV
A man’s gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men.
KJV
A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
A man's gift maketh room for him,.... Or "enlarges him" (y); brings him out of prison, or, or out of straits and difficulties with which he, has, been pressed; or it makes way for him to a judge, and for a favourable hearing of his cause; or it enlarges his acquaintance, and gains him respect among men; and bringeth him before great men; it opens a way for him into the presence and company of great men, being a fee to their servants; or with it he procures a place to wait on them.
A man’s gift maketh room for him - It is, and ever has been, a base and degrading practice in Asiatic countries, to bring a gift or present to the great man into whose presence you come. Without this there is no audience, no favor, no justice. This arose from the circumstance that men must not approach the altar of God without an offering. Potentates, wishing to be considered as petty gods, demanded a similar homage: - Munera, crede mihi, capiunt hominesquedeosque; Placatur donis Jupiter ipse suis.
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Proverbs 19:6Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
leads to
Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.
A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the…
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Through
Genesis 43:11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift…
leads to
And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to…
Through
Genesis 33:10But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face…
leads to
He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.
Through
1 Samuel 25:27Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you.
leads to
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
Through
Proverbs 17:8A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
leads to
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
