A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong 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.
- BSB A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great 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 entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.
- Prov 18:16A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.
- 1 Sam 25:35So David received from her hand that which she had brought him. Then he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. Behold, I have listened to your voice, and have granted your request.”
- Matt 6:3–4But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,
- Prov 17:8A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.
- 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.”
- 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;
- Prov 17:23A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.
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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.