Proverbs 25:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

NIV: Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.

NASB: Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a treacherous person in time of trouble.

CSB: Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot.

NLT: Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot.

KJV: Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

NKJV: Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

Every "proverb" is a statement of general wisdom or common sense. Some of the lessons seem obvious, but there can still be a lesson in hearing them stated. Here, Solomon (Proverbs 25:1) warns against trusting unreliable, disloyal people during challenging times. The reference to "time of trouble" is key; when one is in a crisis, it can be tempting to take risks. That might include putting trust in someone known to be a liar, fraud, or traitor. In those moments, it's important to keep that risk in mind: trusting those who cannot be trusted can lead to disaster.

The comparisons made here point out the frequent suddenness of betrayal. A rotten tooth might seem fine, only to cause sudden pain and misery. "A foot that slips" refers to something unsure, unreliable, unbalanced; in an instant, disaster can strike and what was supposed to provide support instead causes harm. Putting trust in liars and crooks is exceedingly dangerous.

Job expressed disappointment in his neighbors using similar themes. He said, "My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away, which are dark with ice, and where the snow hides itself. When they melt, they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish from their place" (Job 6:15–17). The friends Job depended on resembled a riverbed. In the rainy season it fills up with water. It runs fast and full, as snow melts and pours into it, but in the heat of summer, when it is most needed, it is bone dry. When Job most need dependable friends, he could not find them. They had vanished.

Chapter 25 begins to relate more wise statements from Solomon. Depending on where they are divided or combined, these amount to around one hundred portions of godly wisdom. These were compiled and added about 250 years after Solomon's reign by men under the direction of King Hezekiah. The phrasing used in verse 1 suggests these were copied from other records into the scrolls associated with the prior proverbs. This collection runs through the end of chapter 29.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.