Proverbs 18:16
in Proverbs 18A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
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.
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This verse in Proverbs 18
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA 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.
This site's exposition
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge
on Proverbs 18:15-16
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge and the ear of the wise seeks it out, inward disposition and outward attention paired in one couplet. A man's gift opens doors for him and brings him before great men, a plain observation about what a present does.
This site's exposition
gift opens doors for him
John Gill reads the gift as opening doors, bringing him out of straits, winning a hearing for his case, and bringing him before great men. Adam Clarke calls such a gift to the great a base practice. The verse records it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"A man's gift" is called an upright life. It is that gift that "makes room for him" and makes him worthy of the fullness of God. It is that very thing which is called the "throne" of the holy powers. Indeed, the "throne" of the …
The Medieval Church1 voice
The gift of a man makes his way broad, etc. The gift of charity or other virtues which the faithful receive from the Lord broadens the way of their actions because the more they are internally filled with the grace of the Spirit, the more …
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
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.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The “gift” (or, bribe), by a bold personification, appears as the powerful “friend at court,” who introduces another, and makes him welcome in high places.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַתָּ֣ן | matan | [the] gift of | H4976 → | 5 times |
| אָ֭דָם | ʾadom | a person | H120 → | 551 times |
| יַרְחִ֣יב | yarchiv | it makes space | H7337 → | |
| ל֑וֹ | lo | for him | ||
| וְלִפְנֵ֖י | velifnei | and <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| גְדֹלִ֣ים | gedolim | great [people] | H1419 → | 526 times |
| יַנְחֶֽנּוּ׃ | yanchenu | it leads him | H5148 → | 39 times |
מַתָּ֣ן[the] gift of
matanH4976 →5 times
אָ֭דָםa person
ʾadomH120 →551 times
יַרְחִ֣יבit makes space
yarchivH7337 →
ל֑וֹfor him
lo
וְלִפְנֵ֖יand <to> before
velifneiH6440 →2123 times
גְדֹלִ֣יםgreat [people]
gedolimH1419 →526 times
יַנְחֶֽנּוּ׃it leads him
yanchenuH5148 →39 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 19:6Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
it leads to
- Proverbs 29:26
Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man receives justice from the LORD.
- Proverbs 17:8
A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
- Genesis 42:6
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…
- Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Proverbs 29:26
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…
it leads to
- Genesis 37:25
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…
- Genesis 37:25
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…
it leads to
- Job 33:26
He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.
- Job 33:26
Through
1 Samuel 25:27Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 30:26
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.”
- 1 Samuel 30:26
Through
Proverbs 17:8A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:8
Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
- Exodus 23:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
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); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Evagrius Ponticus, SCHOLIA ON PROVERBS 184:18.16; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.