Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, January 12th, 2025
Jesus' Baptism / First Sunday after Epiphany
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Century Version

Proverbs 17:9

Whoever forgives someone's sin makes a friend, but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Charitableness;   Friendship;   Love;   Slander;   Speaking;   Talebearer;   Thompson Chain Reference - Charitableness;   Charitableness-Uncharitableness;   Charity;   Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Speaking, Evil;   Talebearers;   The Topic Concordance - Friendship;   Love;   Seeking;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Slander;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Friend, Friendship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Fool, Foolishness, and Folly;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fool;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Godliness;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Hee that couereth a transgression, seeketh loue: but hee that repeateth a matter, separateth the prince.
Christian Standard Bible®
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,but whoever gossips about it separates friends.
Hebrew Names Version
He who covers an offense promotes love; But he who repeats a matter separates best friends.
Easy-to-Read Version
Forgive someone, and you will strengthen your friendship. Keep reminding them, and you will destroy it.
Amplified Bible
He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.
American Standard Version
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.
Contemporary English Version
You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.
Complete Jewish Bible
He who conceals an offense promotes love, but he who harps on it can separate even close friends.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that harpeth on a matter estrangeth a familiar friend.
King James Version (1611)
He that couereth a transgression, seeketh loue; but he that repeateth a matter, separateth very friends.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
He that conceals injuries seeks love; but he that hates to hide them separates friends and kindred.
English Revised Version
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love: but he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.
Berean Standard Bible
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
Lexham English Bible
He who forgives an affront fosters love, but he who waits on a matter will alienate a friend.
Literal Translation
He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.
New English Translation
The one who forgives an offense seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.
New King James Version
He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
New Living Translation
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
New Life Bible
He who covers a sin looks for love. He who tells of trouble separates good friends.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He that hideth a transgression, seeketh love, but, he that repeateth a matter, separateth intimate friends.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that concealeth a transgression, seeketh friendships: he that repeateth it again, separateth friends.
George Lamsa Translation
He who forgets an offense seeks friendship; but he who hates to forget an offense estranges himself from a friend and neighbor.
Good News Translation
If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.
New American Standard Bible
One who conceals an offense seeks love, But one who repeats a matter separates close friends.
King James Version
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who so couereth a fault, procureth loue: but he that discloseth it, deuideth very frendes.
New Revised Standard
One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
Darby Translation
He that covereth transgression seeketh love; but he that bringeth a matter up again separateth very friends.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that helith trespas, sekith frenschipis; he that rehersith bi an hiy word, departith hem, that ben knyt togidere in pees.
Young's Literal Translation
Whoso is covering transgression is seeking love, And whoso is repeating a matter Is separating a familiar friend.
World English Bible
He who covers an offense promotes love; But he who repeats a matter separates best friends.
Revised Standard Version
He who forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend.
Update Bible Version
He that covers a transgression seeks love; But he that harps on a matter separates chief friends.
Webster's Bible Translation
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth [very] friends.
Bible in Basic English
He who keeps a sin covered is looking for love; but he who keeps on talking of a thing makes division between friends.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so couereth another mans offence, seketh loue: but he yt discloseth the faute, setteth frendes at variaunce.
THE MESSAGE
Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
Legacy Standard Bible
He who covers a transgression seeks love,But he who repeats a matter separates close companions.

Contextual Overview

9 Whoever forgives someone's sin makes a friend, but gossiping about the sin breaks up friendships.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that covereth: Proverbs 10:12, Psalms 32:1, 1 Peter 4:8

seeketh: or, procureth

but: Proverbs 16:28

Reciprocal: Proverbs 12:16 - but Proverbs 28:13 - that

Cross-References

Genesis 17:4
"I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:5
I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations.
Psalms 25:10
All the Lord 's ways are loving and true for those who follow the demands of his agreement.
Psalms 103:18
and to those who keep his agreement and who remember to obey his orders.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He that covereth a transgression seeketh love,.... He that hides the transgression of another, or of his friend, committed against himself or against another, which he is privy to; but the matter being made up, and the offence forgiven, he forgets it, and no more speaks of it to his friend, or upbraids him with it, nor spreads it among others: such a man shows that he loves his friend, and is desirous that love and friendship should be continued; and this is the way to continue it; and a man that thus seeks it finds it. Or it may be rendered, "he covereth a transgression who seeketh love" i; for "love covereth all things", Proverbs 10:12;

but he that repeateth a matter; the matter of the transgression, the thing that has given the offence; that rakes it up again, when it has been covered; upbraids his friend with it, when it has been passed over and forgiven; will frequently hit him on the teeth with it, and talk of it wherever he comes, and spread the knowledge of it in all places: he

separateth [very] friends; he sets the best of friends at variance one with another by such a practice; for this pursued, friendship cannot subsist long among men: he separates his best friend from himself, and himself from him. The word signifies a prince, leader, or governor;

Proverbs 10:12- :; and Jarchi interprets it thus;

"he separates from himself the Governor of the world, the holy blessed God.''

i So Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seeketh love - i. e., Takes the course which leads to his gaining it.

He that repeateth a matter - The warning is directed against that which leads a man to dwell with irritating iteration on a past offence instead of burying it in oblivion.

Separateth very friends - Better, alienateth his chief friend. The tale-bearer works injury to himself.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile