A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
Parallel translations
- WEB A gift in secret pacifies anger; and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.
- BSB A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great 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 will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
- Prov 18:16A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
- 1 Sam 25:35So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
- Matt 6:3–4But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
- Prov 17:8A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
- Gen 32:20And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
- Gen 43:11And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
- Prov 17:23A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
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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.