Proverbs 18:17
The man who first puts his cause before the judge seems to be in the right; but then his neighbour comes and puts his cause in its true light.
Bible in Basic English
In The King James Version
He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
In Context
16A man's offering makes room for him, letting him come before great men.
18The decision of chance puts an end to argument, parting the strong.
Cross References
2 Samuel 16:1And when David had gone a little way past the top of the slope, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came to him, with two asses on which were two hundred cakes of bread and a hundred stems of dry grapes and a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine.
Proverbs 18:13To give an answer before hearing is a foolish thing and a cause of shame.
Acts 24:12And they have not seen me in argument with any man in the Temple, or working up the feelings of the people, in the Synagogues or in the town:
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 18:17
16 A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. Of what great force gifts (that is, bribes) are he had intimated before, ch. xvii. 8 , 23 . Here he shows the power of gifts, that is, presents made even by inferiors to those that are above them and have much more than they have. A good present will go far, 1. Towards a man's liberty: A man's gift, if he be in prison, may procure his enlargement; there are courtiers, who, if they use their interest even for oppressed innocency, expect to… Read the whole commentary →