Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!
Parallel translations
- WEB A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.
- KJV A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
- BSB A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.
- NKJV A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.
- NASB A person’s gift makes room for him And brings him before great people.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A gift can open doors and gain access to influential people. The proverb observes this social reality without endorsing bribery.
Overview
This proverb notes, as an observation of how life works, that a man's gift makes room for him and grants access to the great. It describes a social reality rather than commending bribery, which Scripture elsewhere condemns (Prov. 17:23). Read wisely, it commends generosity and timely kindness while leaving the moral evaluation to context, reminding believers to give in ways that honor God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 19:6Many will entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
- Gen 43:11Their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so, then do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
- Gen 33:10Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me.
- Prov 17:8A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.
- 1 Sam 25:27Now this present which your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
- Gen 32:20You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob, is behind us.’” For, he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”
- Prov 21:14A gift in secret pacifies anger; and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 18:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.