Proverbs 17:4

An evil man obeyeth to a wicked tongue; and a false man obeyeth to false lips. (An evil person obeyeth a wicked tongue; and a liar obeyeth lies.)

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

In Context

3As silver is proved by fire, and gold is proved by a chimney, so the Lord proveth hearts.

5He that despiseth a poor man, reproveth his maker; and he that is glad in the falling of another man, shall not be unpunished. (He who despiseth the poor, rebuketh his Maker; and he who is glad in the falling of another person, shall not go unpunished.)

Read all of Proverbs 17

Cross References

1 Samuel 22:7he said to his servants that stood nigh [to] him, Ye sons of Benjamin, hear me now; whether the son of Jesse shall give to all you fields and vineries, and he shall make all you chieftains upon thousands, and upon hundreds of men? (and he said to his officers who stood about him, Ye sons of Benjamin, hear me now; will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards, and will he make all of you chieftains over thousands, and chieftains over hundreds?)

Proverbs 28:4They that forsake the law, praise the wicked man; they that keep the law, be kindled, or stirred [up], against him. (They who desert the law, praise the wicked; they who keep the law, be kindled, or stirred up, against them.)

Jeremiah 5:31prophets prophesied leasing, and priests joyed with their hands, and my people loved such things. What therefore shall be done in the last thing thereof? (prophets prophesied lies, and the priests clapped their hands, and my people loved such things. And so what shall be done in its last things, or at the end of it all?)

1 John 4:5They be of the world, therefore they speak of the world, (or and so they speak about the world), and the world heareth them.

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 17:4

3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts. Note, 1. The hearts of the children of men are subject, not only to God's view, but to his judgment: As the fining-pot is for silver, both to prove it and to improve it so the Lord tries the hearts; he searches whether they are standard or no, and those that are he refines and makes purer, Jer. xvii. 10 . God tries the heart by affliction ( Ps. lxvi. 10, 11 ), and often chooses his people in that furnace ( Isa. xlviii. 10 )… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Proverbs 17:4