A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.
Parallel translations
- WEB A gift in secret pacifies anger; and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.
- KJV A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
- NKJV A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath.
- NASB A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe in an inside pocket, strong wrath.
- NLT A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.
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 secret gift soothes anger and quiets strong wrath. It matters as a candid observation about how gifts can defuse hostility.
Overview
The proverb observes how a discreet gift can pacify anger, describing human behavior without necessarily endorsing bribery, which Proverbs elsewhere condemns (Proverbs 17:23). It can describe peace-making generosity or, more darkly, the power of a bribe. Read alongside Scripture's warnings, it cautions us to use gifts for reconciliation, not corruption.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 19:6Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
- Prov 18:16A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.
- 1 Sam 25:35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go home in peace. See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request.”
- Matt 6:3–4But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
- Prov 17:8A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
- Gen 32:20You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.”
- Gen 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 for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
- Prov 17:23A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
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 21:14 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.