Proverbs 17:14

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
beginning	רֵאשִׁ֣ית re.Shit	H7225	the first · noun, common feminine singular construct
strife	מָד֑וֹן ma.Don	H4066	a contest or quarrel · noun, common masculine singular absolute
out	פּ֣וֹטֵֽר Po.ter	H6362	to cleave or burst through · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
water	מַ֭יִם Ma.yim	H4325	water · noun, common masculine plural absolute
off	נְטֽוֹשׁ ne.To.osh	H5203	properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
contention	הָרִ֥יב ha.Riv	H7379	a contest (personal or legal) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
before	וְלִפְנֵ֥י ve.lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
meddled	הִ֝תְגַּלַּ֗ע hit.ga.La'	H1566	to be obstinate · verb, hithpael perfect, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 20:3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
Proverbs 25:8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
2 Timothy 2:23-24 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 17:14

Here is, 1. The danger that there is in the beginning of strife. One hot word, one peevish reflection, one angry demand, one spiteful contradiction, begets another, and that a third, and so on, till it proves like the cutting of a dam; when the water has got a little passage it does itself widen the breach, bears down all before it, and there is then no stopping it, no reducing it. 2. A good caution inferred thence, to take heed of the first spark of contention and to put it out as soon as ever it appears. Dread the breaking of the ice, for, if once broken, it will break further; therefore leave it off, not only when you see the worst of it, for then it may be too late, but when you see the…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 17:14

letteth . . . water--as a breach in a dam. before . . . meddled with--before strife has become sharp, or, by an explanation better suiting the figure, before it rolls on, or increases.

John Gill on Proverbs 17:14

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water,.... As when a man makes a little hole in the bank of a river, or cuts a small passage in it, to let the water into an adjoining field; by the force of the water, the passage is widened, and it flows in, in great abundance, to the overflow and prejudice of the field; nor is it easily stopped: so a single word, spoken in anger, with some warmth, or in a way of contradiction, has been the beginning and occasion of great strife and contention. The words in the Hebrew text lie thus; "he that letteth out water is the beginning of strife" (o); which some understand of letting out water into another man's field, which occasions contentions, q…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 17:14

14 As one letteth out water is the beginning of a strife; But cease thou from such strife ere it comes to showing teeth. The meaning of this verb פּטר is certain: it means to break forth; and transitively, like Arab. faṭr, to bring forth from a cleft, to make to break forth, to let go free (Theodotion, ἀπολύων; Jerome, dimittit; Venet. ἀφιείς). The lxx, since it translates by ἐξουσίαν δίδωσι, thinks on the juristic signification, which occurs in the Chronicles: to make free, or to declare so; but here פּוטר מים (vid., regarding the Metheg at Pro 14:31) is, as Luther translates, one who tears away the dam from the waters. And ראשׁית מדון is not accus. dependent on פוטר, to be supplied…

The Church Fathers

He who releases water, etc. To release water is to loosen the tongue into flowing speech. In a good sense, it is said, "Deep waters, words from the mouth of a man." Therefore, he who releases the waters is the beginning of quarrels, because he who does not restrain his tongue disrupts harmony. Whence it is written conversely, "He who imposes silence on a fool mitigates wrath."
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

Moreover, since the indolent mind for the most part lapses by degrees into downfall, while we neglect to guard against idle words we go on to hurtful ones; so that at first it pleases us to talk of other men's affairs; afterwards the tongue gnaws with detraction the lives of those of whom we talk; but at last breaks out even into open slanders. Hence are sown pricking thorns, quarrels arise, the torches of enmities are kindled, the peace of hearts is extinguished. Whence it is well said through Solomon, "He that letteth out water is a well-spring of strifes." For to let out water is to let loose the tongue to a flux of speech.
— Gregory the Dialogist, The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Chapter 14

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Adjudication At Law · TO BE AVOI — TO BE AVOI
Anger · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Peace · General references — General references
Strife · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Water · Illustrative: (Difficulty of stopping,) of strife and contention — Illustrative: (Difficulty of stopping,) of strife and contention

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 17:14

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 17:14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 17:14

John Gill on Proverbs 17:14

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 17:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 17:14

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 17:14

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 17:14

John Gill on Proverbs 17:14

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 17:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 17:14

Rashi on Proverbs 17:14