Prov 17.1-28 brings out moral, ethical and spiritual concepts
v 1…Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of sacrifices (zevachim) of strife (part of the thank and heave offerings were eaten by the family. Peace in the family is more important than food).
v 2…A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully (like the son who left home in Luke 15.11-32), and will share in the inheritance among his brothers).
v 3…The refining pot is for silver and the furnace is for gold (to be made pure), but Yehovah tests (examines) the hearts (only he can purify it).
v 4…An evildoer listens to wicked lips (because they agree with the evildoers heart), a liar pays attention (listens) to a destructive tongue (of evil desire and takes pleasure in evil talk because it agrees with their basic thoughts and desires).
v 5…He who mocks the poor (shows contempt) reproaches his maker (because God made him and gave him his lot in life), he who rejoices in calamity (their misfortunes) will not go unpunished.
v 6…Grandchildren are the crown of old men (a diadem of blessing and honor), and the glory of sons is their fathers (they are happy that they descend from a wise father).
v 7…Excellent speech is not fitting (expected) for a fool, much less are lying lips to a prince.
v 8…A bribe is a charm (precious, a stone of grace) in the sight of its owner (stimulated by it), wherever he turns he prospers (bribes get the job done).
v 9…He who covers a transgression (avoids tactfully its spread) seeks love, but he who repeats a matter (keeping the memory of an offense alive) separates intimate friends (repeating gossip about a sin will ruin relationships).
v 10… A rebuke (reproof is a single, verbal statement done gently and kindly) goes deeper into one who has understanding (astute, it makes an impression on them) than a hundred blows (stripes) into a fool (they cannot be corrected, it makes no impression on them).
v 11…A rebellious man seeks only evil (trangression of the Torah), so a cruel messenger will be sent against him (in retaliation; could be a person who is coming to take him into custody or the judgment of God).
v 12…Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs (full of rage), rather than a fool in his folly (because he is more dangerous).
v 13…He who returns evil for good (like David did to Uriah, and what Solomon knew well), evil will not depart from his house (God will set the moral order right again).
v 14…The beginning of strife is like letting out water (over the banks), so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
v 15…He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yehovah (because they violate justice).
v 16…Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom (why is a fool given the means to buy wisdom) when he has no sense (no heart for it).
v 17…A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (helps when needed).
v 18…A man lacking in sense (heart) pledges (co-signs a loan) and becomes surety (to pay the debt) in the presence of his neighbor (being friends does not mean we should be a surety to pay his debt).
v 19…He who loves transgression loves strife (they love it when the Torah is broken and there is conflict); he who raises his door (his mouth against God-Micah 7.5) seeks destruction.
v 20…He who has a crooked mind (Hebrew “lev” or “heart”) finds no good (in others), and he who is perverted in his language (tongue) falls into evil.
v 21…He who begets a fool (kesil) does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy (This is a Hebrew parallelism).
v 22…A joyful heart (lev) is good medicine (leads to health), but a broken spirit dries up the bones (brings on ailments).
v 23…A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom (purses were carried above their girdles near the bosom) to pervert the ways of justice.
v 24…Wisdom (chachmah is knowing what to do when you have an understanding of the facts) is in the presence (Hebrew “pannay” or the face meaning right before him) of the one who has understanding (binah, or comprehension), but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth (it is far from him).
v 25…A foolish son is a grief to his father (who watches the ruin of his son; Solomon was a witness to this also), and bitterness to her who bore him (which is worse than the pains she bore when he was born).
v 26…It is also not good to fine the righteous (innocent), nor to strike the noble (prince) for their uprightness (for doing what was right and their duty; this is against God’s moral order).
v 27…He who restrains his words has knowledge (thinks more and says little), and he who has a cool spirit (calm) is a man of understanding.
v 28…Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise (he does not reveal his foolishness), when he closes his lips he is prudent (careful).
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