Movatterモバイル変換

Proverbs 6:19
A false witnessthat speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Genesis 4:5-8
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell…

Genesis 27:41-45
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob…

than

Proverbs 16:32
He that is slow to angeris better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

and disputes are like the bars of a castle
This part of the verse uses the metaphor of a castle's bars to describe the entrenchment and rigidity that can result from unresolved conflicts. In biblical times, castles were fortified structures with bars that provided security and protection. Similarly, disputes can create barriers between individuals, preventing reconciliation and fostering division. The Bible warns against allowing disputes to fester, as seen inEphesians 4:26-27, which advises believers not to let the sun go down on their anger. The comparison to castle bars suggests that unresolved disputes can become entrenched, making it difficult to restore relationships. This imagery serves as a caution to address conflicts promptly and seek peace, reflecting the biblical call to be peacemakers as inMatthew 5:9.

Proverbs 18:19 opens with, “An offended brother…”.

• “Brother” extends beyond blood ties to any close relationship within God’s family (seeRomans 12:10;1 John 4:20-21).

• Offense here is personal injury—real or perceived—that wounds trust and affection (compareMatthew 18:15).

• Scripture warns that even small slights can fester into bitterness if unaddressed (Hebrews 12:15).

“…is harder to win…” highlights the uphill battle of rebuilding broken fellowship.

• “Win” echoes evangelistic language (1 Corinthians 9:19-22), underlining that reconciliation is a gospel task.

• Jesus elevates peacemaking above ritual worship: “First be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:23-24).

• Practical steps:

– Humble confession (James 5:16)

– Patient listening (James 1:19)

– Active pursuit of peace (Romans 14:19)

A walled city in Solomon’s day boasted thick ramparts, watchtowers, and locked gates.

• Once an offense goes unchecked, emotional walls rise just as high (Psalm 18:2 imagery).

• Assaulting a fortress required siege engines and time; likewise, restoring trust demands persistence (Galatians 6:9).

• The comparison urges us to prevent the walls from going up in the first place (Ephesians 4:26-27).

The verse shifts from the offended person to “disputes.”

• Ongoing quarrels harden positions (Proverbs 17:14).

• Paul pleads with Euodia and Syntyche to agree “in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2-3), showing that even mature believers can slide into entrenched conflict.

• Avoid fueling disputes:

– Soft answers (Proverbs 15:1)

– Overlooking minor wrongs (Proverbs 19:11)

– Seeking impartial mediation (Matthew 18:16)

Bars secure gates from the inside, keeping enemies—and sometimes friends—out.

• When disputes install “bars,” hearts lock down, making fellowship impossible (Psalm 133:1 as the desired opposite).

• Only love can melt the metal: “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

• The Spirit empowers believers to tear down such barriers (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) through forgiveness (Colossians 3:13).

Proverbs 18:19 paints a vivid progression: an offended brother, if left unreconciled, becomes as unreachable as a fortified city, while ongoing disputes slam iron bars across the relationship. Scripture calls us to move quickly, humbly, and persistently toward peace, employing confession, forgiveness, and Spirit-led love before walls are raised and gates are barred.

Their contentions.--Of such as have once been friends, "are like the bars of a castle," or palace, forming an almost impassable barrier to reconciliation. The bitterness of quarrels between friends is proverbial.

Δεινὸν κασιγήτοισι γίγνεσθαι λόγους
Μάχας θ ὅταν ποτ ἐμπέσωσιν εἰς ἔριν. Aristotle also writes thus ('De Republ.,' 7:7): "If men receive no return from those to whom they have shown kindness, they deem themselves, not only defrauded of due gratitude, but actually injured. Whence it is said, 'Bitter are the quarrels of friends;' and, 'Those who love beyond measure also hate beyond measure.'" An English maxim gloomily decides, "Friendship once injured is forever lost." Pliny ('Hist. Nat.,' 37:4), "Ut adamas, si frangi contingat malleis, in minutissimas dissidit crustas, adeo ut vix oculis cerni queant: ita arctissima necessitudo, si quando contingat dirimi, in summam vertitur simultatem, et ex arctissimis foederibus, si semel rumpantur, maxima nascuntur dissidia." Ecclus. 6:9, "There is a friend, who being turned to enmity will also discover thy disgraceful strife,"i.e. will disclose the quarrel which according to his representation will redound to thy discredit. The Vulgate and Septuagint have followed a different reading from that of the present Hebrew text: "Brother aided by brother is like a strong and high city, and he is powerful as a well founded palace," Septuagint. The last clause is rendered in the Vulgate.Et judicia quasi vectes urbium; wherejudicia means "lawsuits," legal disputes; these bar out friendship. The first member of the sentence in the Greek and Latin recallsEcclesiastes 4:9, etc., "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour," etc. St. Chrysostom, commenting onEphesians 4:3 ('Hom.,' 9.), writes, "A glorious bond is this; with this bond let us bind ourselves together alike to one another and to God. This is a bond that bruises not, nor cramps the hands it binds, but it leaves them free, and gives them ample play and greater energy than those which are at liberty. The strong, if he be bound to the weak, will support him, and not suffer him to perish; and if again he be tied to the indolent, he will rather rouse and animate. 'Brother helped by brother,' it is said, 'is as a strong city.' This chain no distance of place can interrupt, neither heaven, nor earth, nor death, nor anything else, but it is more powerful and stronger than all things."

Parallel Commentaries ...