The Meaning of Proverbs 18:24 Explained

Proverbs 18:24

KJV: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

YLT: A man with friends is to show himself friendly, And there is a lover adhering more than a brother!

Darby: A man of many friends will come to ruin but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

ASV: He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A man  [that hath] friends  must shew himself friendly:  and there is  a friend  [that] sticketh closer  than a brother. 

What does Proverbs 18:24 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The NASB translation of Proverbs 18:24 a is more true to the Hebrew than the AV that reads, "A man (who hath) friends must show himself friendly." The RV is perhaps the easiest of all to understand: "He that maketh many friends (doeth it) to his own destruction."
Why is it unwise to have many friends? Probably because when one has many friends the possibility that some of them will be false friends is greater (cf. Jeremiah 38:22). It is better to have one or two good friends than many false friends.
"The significance of friends is found in their quality, not quantity." [1]
Christians have often applied the second part of this verse to Jesus Christ (cf. John 15:12-15; Hebrews 2:11; Hebrews 2:14-18). While that is appropriate, Solomon"s point was that in contrast to false friends ( Proverbs 18:24 a), some friends can be more faithful than our closest blood relatives. Such a friend is a true treasure.

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 18

1  A fool delights not in understanding

What do the individual words in Proverbs 18:24 mean?

A man [who has] friends must himself be friendly but there is a friend clinging closer than a brother
אִ֣ישׁ רֵ֭עִים לְהִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ וְיֵ֥שׁ אֹ֝הֵ֗ב דָּבֵ֥ק מֵאָֽח

אִ֣ישׁ  A  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
רֵ֭עִים  [who  has]  friends 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
לְהִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ  must  himself  be  friendly 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
וְיֵ֥שׁ  but  there  is 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
אֹ֝הֵ֗ב  a  friend 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָהַב  
Sense: to love.
דָּבֵ֥ק  clinging 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: דָּבֵק  
Sense: clinging, adhering to.
מֵאָֽח  closer  than  a  brother 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.