The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Parallel translations
- WEB Faithful are the wounds of a friend; although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
- KJV Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
- NKJV Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
- NASB Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
- NLT Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
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 true friend's painful correction is trustworthy, while an enemy's flattering kisses are deceptive. It urges us to value faithful honesty over pleasant insincerity.
Overview
The proverb sets the loyal wounds of a friend against the abundant but treacherous kisses of an enemy, teaching that we should welcome loving rebuke and distrust empty flattery. The line foreshadows betrayal hidden behind affection, supremely fulfilled when Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss (Luke 22:48). True friendship images the faithful love of Christ, who tells His people the truth for their good.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 141:5Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.
- Rev 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
- Job 5:17–18Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
- Prov 26:23–26Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.
- 2 Sam 12:7–15Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
- Heb 12:10Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.
- 2 Sam 20:9–10“Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
- Prov 10:18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
- Matt 26:48–50Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 27:6 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.