He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse by him.
- BSB If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted to him as a curse.
- NKJV He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him.
- NASB One who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be considered a curse to him.
- NLT A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!
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
Excessive, ill-timed flattery is received as an annoyance rather than a blessing. It cautions against insincere or inconsiderate displays of goodwill.
Overview
Loudly blessing a neighbor at dawn turns a supposed kindness into a curse because it is overdone and inconvenient. The proverb exposes how showy or thoughtless praise rings hollow and may mask flattery. Genuine love, by contrast, is sincere and considerate, marking the sincerity that the gospel produces in those renewed by Christ (Romans 12:9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Sam 16:16–19And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king.
- Acts 12:22–23And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
- Jer 28:2–4Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
- 2 Sam 17:7–13And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.
- 1 Kgs 22:6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
- 1 Kgs 22:13And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
- 2 Sam 15:2–7And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.
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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 27:14 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
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