Proverbs 17 in the early church
74 passages quote, allude to, or echo Proverbs 17, grouped by verse; passages on the same verse are in date order. Verse text from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). References use the Protestant English Bible's numbering, with a writer's own numbering in brackets where it differs.
Verses: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 9 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 20 · 21 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 28
Proverbs 17:1
Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:1 | On Jacob and the Happy Life 2.21 · Ambrose | allusion, low confidence | ca. 386-390 |
| Prov 17:1 | On the Duties of the Clergy 2.21 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 386–390 |
Proverbs 17:2
A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:2 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 197 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:2 | Commentary on the Song of Songs 2.123 · Origen | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 240–245 (Rufinus's translation ca. 410) |
| Prov 17:2 | Commentary on 1 Corinthians 7:22 · Ambrosiaster | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 366–384 |
| Prov 17:2 | On Jacob and the Happy Life 2.12 · Ambrose | allusion, high confidence | ca. 386-390 |
Proverbs 17:3
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:3 | Miscellanies 2.18.91 · Clement of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 198–203 |
| Prov 17:3 | Octavius 36.9 · Minucius Felix | echo, low confidence | ca. 197–250 |
| Prov 17:3 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 197 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:3 | Exhortation to Martyrdom 24 · Origen | echo, low confidence | 235 |
| Prov 17:3 | Letter 183 · Basil of Caesarea | echo, medium confidence | ca. 357–378 |
| Prov 17:3 | Letter 209 · Basil of Caesarea | echo, low confidence | ca. 357–378 |
| Prov 17:3 | Oration 14.30 · Gregory of Nazianzus | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 362–383 |
| Prov 17:3 | Sermon 105.13 · Augustine of Hippo | echo, low confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Prov 17:3 | Sermon 354.3 · Augustine of Hippo | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 391-430 |
| Prov 17:3 | Letters 18.10 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 394–413 |
| Prov 17:3 | The Conferences 7.25 · John Cassian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 426–429 |
Proverbs 17:4
A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:4 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 197 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:4 | Letter 59.20 · Cyprian of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | 249/250–258 |
| Prov 17:4 | Letter 66.7 · Cyprian of Carthage | quotation, high confidence | 249/250–258 |
Proverbs 17:5
He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:5 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 163 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:5 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 165 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:5 | Demonstration 7.24 · Aphrahat | allusion, medium confidence | 337-345 |
| Prov 17:5 | Exposition of Psalm 118 10.26.1 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 386-397 |
| Prov 17:5 | Letters 34.1 · Paulinus of Nola | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 394–413 |
Proverbs 17:6
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
Proverbs 17:7
Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:7 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 197 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:9
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:9 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 197 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:12
It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:12 | Miscellanies 2.18.91 · Clement of Alexandria | quotation, high confidence | ca. 198–203 |
Proverbs 17:13
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:13 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 199 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:14
To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:14 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 199 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:15
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:15 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 199 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:15 | On Saint Athanasius 1.26 · Lucifer of Cagliari | quotation, high confidence | ca. 356–361 |
| Prov 17:15 | Liber Orsiesii 43 · Orsiesius | allusion, high confidence | ca. 380-390 |
| Prov 17:15 | On the Duties of the Clergy 1.27 · Ambrose | quotation, high confidence | ca. 386–390 |
| Prov 17:15 | Against the Letter of Parmenian 2.4 · Augustine of Hippo | quotation, high confidence | ca. 400 |
Proverbs 17:16
Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:16 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 199 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:16 | On the Duties of the Clergy 1.27 · Ambrose | quotation, medium confidence | ca. 386–390 |
| Prov 17:16 | The Conferences 14.16 · John Cassian | quotation, medium confidence | ca. 426–429 |
| Prov 17:16 | The Conferences 14.17 · John Cassian | quotation, medium confidence | ca. 426–429 |
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:17 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 199 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:17 | Letter 58 · Basil of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 357–378 |
| Prov 17:17 | On the Life of Moses 341 · Gregory of Nyssa | quotation, high confidence | ca. 385–395 |
Proverbs 17:20
The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:20 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 201 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:21
A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:21 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 201 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:23
A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:23 | On Proverbs, fragment 3 · Hippolytus of Rome | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 200–235 |
| Prov 17:23 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 171 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:23 | Instructions 1.31 · Commodian | allusion, low confidence | 3rd century (disputed) |
Proverbs 17:24
Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:24 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 201 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:25
A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:25 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 201 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
| Prov 17:25 | Homilies on Ezekiel 4.1 · Origen | quotation, high confidence | ca. 238–250 (Jerome's translation in the 380s) |
Proverbs 17:26
It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:26 | Fragments on Proverbs, column 201 · Origen | allusion, high confidence | ca. 220-254 |
Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.
| Reference | Passage | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prov 17:28 | On Proverbs, fragment 19 · Hippolytus of Rome | allusion, high confidence | ca. 200–235 |
| Prov 17:28 | Letter to Zenas and Serenus 8 · Anonymous | quotation, medium confidence | 4th century (disputed) |
| Prov 17:28 | Tractates on the Psalms 118.5.5 · Hilary of Poitiers | quotation, high confidence | ca. 360–367 |
| Prov 17:28 | Letter 21.1 · Jerome | allusion, medium confidence | ca. 370–419 |
| Prov 17:28 | On the Holy Spirit 1.2 · Basil of Caesarea | quotation, high confidence | ca. 374–375 |
| Prov 17:28 | The Conferences 4.9 · John Cassian | quotation, high confidence | ca. 426–429 |