Proverbs 17:17​—“Real Friend De Show Love All the Time”

Wetin Proverbs 17:17 Mean?

Real friends na people wey we fit trust. Them be like brothers and sisters for family wey really close, their love no de fail and them de care for us especially when we de face problem.

“Real friend de show love all the time.” This part of this Bible verse fit still mean “friends de always show their love.” The Hebrew word for “love” as them use-am here no be just to get ordinary feeling for person. Na the kind love wey no de think about only imself and e de show for wetin person de do. (1 Corinthians 13:​4-7) Friends wey get this kind love for each other no de leave each other even when them quarrel or face problem for life. Them ready to forgive each other from their heart. (Proverbs 10:12) Better friend no de jealous when things go well for im friend. Instead, e de always happy with im friend.​—Romans 12:⁠15.

“Real friend . . . na brother wey you fit trust when problem dey.” This proverb de compare real friends to brothers and sisters for family because them fit really dey close. So when we do our best to help our friends wey de face problems, we de do exactly wetin brother or sister for family suppose do. Apart from that one, problems wey this friends de face no de make the strong love wey them get for each other weak. Instead, e de make their friendship strong well-well and still de make the love and respect wey them get for each other de strong more-more.

Things Wey Dey Around Proverbs 17:⁠17

The book of Proverbs get plenty short-short words wey de give sense and wey de make person think deep. Na King Solomon write the one wey plenty pass for this Bible book. E write-am the way them de write Hebrew poem. Instead make e use words wey de rhyme with each other, e use ideas wey resemble each other or wey be opposite of each other, where one line go fit add more meaning to the one before-am, or talk something wey be opposite of wetin e talk before. Proverbs 17:17 na the type of poem wey the second part of the verse de give more information wey de support the first part. But Proverbs 18:24 na the kind poem wey the ideas be opposite of each other. “Friends dey wey ready to cause wahala for theirself, but one friend dey wey dey close pass brother.”

When Solomon de write Proverbs 17:​17, e fit be say na the friendship wey im papa, David get with Jonathan wey be the son of King Saul dey im mind. (1 Samuel 13:16; 18:1; 19:​1-3; 20:​30-34, 41, 42; 23:​16-18) Even though say David and Jonathan come from different family, them dey close pass brothers wey come from the same family. Jonathan even risk im life for David, im young friend.a

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