A man of too many friends comes to
ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 New American Standard
Bible (NASB)
In the original Hebrew, the
two words translated as “friend” are different. The first refers to an
associate, companion or fellow. The second refers to a close friend. The
original Hebrew also did not include “too many,” but the gist of the text is
that if we are too close to or easily persuaded by those who are not closely
connected with us, possibly someone worldly or of whose character we are not
confident, we will come to ruin. If we place too much trust in a person that is
not close to us we will be let down. Other translations suggest this refers to
being too friendly with the world. It will lead us astray. But there is a friend,
someone who loves us dearly, who will stick with us through everything and
never leave our side. They will be a good influence and helps us in hard times.
The ultimate “friend” we have like this is Jesus, none loves us more. No one
will stick closer to us, and no one will be a better influence. If we are too
close to the world or those we don’t know well, if we trust too much in those
who are not loyal to us, we will come to harm. We need to find friends who are
loyal, good influences and trustworthy. The greatest example is Jesus and we
should have no friend closer. No matter who we are close to on earth, we should
be closer to Jesus. He knows us better and is more trustworthy than any human
could possibly be. Cultivate good friendships on earth, but especially
cultivate your relationship with Christ. He is the truest friend you can have,
and the closer you are to Him, the better a friend you will be to others.
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Translations of Greek and Hebrew words taken from
blueletterbible.org
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