Proverbs 25:4
New International Version
Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel;

New Living Translation
Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith.

English Standard Version
Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;

Berean Standard Bible
Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth.

King James Bible
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

New King James Version
Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.

New American Standard Bible
Take away the impurities from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

NASB 1995
Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

NASB 1977
Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

Legacy Standard Bible
Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith;

Amplified Bible
Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out [the pure metal for] a vessel for the silversmith [to shape].

Christian Standard Bible
Remove impurities from silver, and material will be produced for a silversmith.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.

American Standard Version
Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner:

Contemporary English Version
Silver must be purified before it can be used to make something of value.

English Revised Version
Take away the dross from the silver, and there cometh forth a vessel for the finer:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Take the impurities out of silver, and a vessel is ready for the silversmith to mold.

Good News Translation
Take the impurities out of silver and the artist can produce a thing of beauty.

International Standard Version
Purge the dross from the silver, and material for a vessel comes forth for the silversmith.

Majority Standard Bible
Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth.

NET Bible
Remove the dross from the silver, and material for the silversmith will emerge;

New Heart English Bible
Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner;

Webster's Bible Translation
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

World English Bible
Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Take away dross from silver, "" And a vessel goes forth for the refiner,

Young's Literal Translation
Take away dross from silver, And a vessel for the refiner goeth forth,

Smith's Literal Translation
Take ye away the dross from the silver, and a vessel shall come forth for the goldsmith.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Take away the rust from silver, and there shall come forth a most pure vessel:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Take away the tarnish from silver, and a most pure vessel will go forth.

New American Bible
Remove the dross from silver, and it comes forth perfectly purified;

New Revised Standard Version
Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Purge dross from silver that it may come forth a pure vessel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Select dross from silver so that a pure item may come forth.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Take away the dross from the silver, and there cometh forth a vessel for the refiner;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Beat the drossy silver, and it shall be made entirely pure.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
More Proverbs of Solomon
3As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be searched. 4Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth. 5Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.…

Cross References
Malachi 3:3
And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Isaiah 1:25
I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge your dross; I will remove all your impurities.

Ezekiel 22:18-22
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver. / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem. / Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you. ...

Jeremiah 6:29-30
The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged. / They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”

Zechariah 13:9
This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

Psalm 12:6
The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.

Psalm 66:10
For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver.

Job 23:10
Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

Isaiah 48:10
See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

Daniel 12:10
Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

1 Peter 1:7
so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:21
So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, / his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. / If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ...

Hebrews 12:10-11
Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness. / No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.

James 1:3-4
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. / Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.


Treasury of Scripture

Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Proverbs 17:3
The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

Isaiah 1:25-27
And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: …

Malachi 3:3
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

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Dross Forth Material Refiner Remove Silver Silversmith Silver-Worker Smith Vessel Waste
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Proverbs 25
1. observations about kings
8. and about avoiding causes of quarrels














Remove the dross from the silver
This phrase uses the metaphor of refining silver to illustrate the process of purification. In ancient times, silver was refined by heating it until the impurities, or dross, could be removed. This process is symbolic of spiritual purification, where sin and moral impurities are removed from a person's life. The Bible frequently uses the imagery of refining metals to describe God's sanctifying work in believers (Malachi 3:3, Isaiah 1:25). The removal of dross signifies the elimination of anything that diminishes the value or purity of one's character, aligning with the call to holiness found throughout Scripture (1 Peter 1:16).

and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth
Once the dross is removed, the silver is ready to be shaped into a vessel. This represents the idea that once impurities are removed, a person becomes useful and valuable for God's purposes. The imagery of a vessel is often used in the Bible to describe people who are prepared for God's work (2 Timothy 2:21). The silversmith, in this context, can be seen as a type of Christ, the master craftsman who shapes and molds believers into instruments for His service. This transformation process is akin to the sanctification journey, where believers are continually refined and shaped to reflect the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally attributed as the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom.

2. Silversmith
A craftsman skilled in working with silver, representing the process of refining and purifying.

3. Dross
Impurities or waste material that must be removed from silver to make it pure and usable.

4. Israel
The nation to whom much of the wisdom literature, including Proverbs, was originally addressed.

5. Ancient Near East
The cultural and historical context in which the book of Proverbs was written, where metallurgy was a common practice.
Teaching Points
The Process of Purification
Just as silver must be refined to remove impurities, believers must undergo spiritual purification to become vessels for God's use.

The Role of Trials
Trials and challenges in life serve as the refining fire that removes the dross from our character, making us more like Christ.

God as the Master Craftsman
God, like a skilled silversmith, knows exactly how much heat and pressure to apply in our lives to purify us without destroying us.

The Value of Purity
Purity is essential for usefulness in God's kingdom. Just as pure silver is valuable and functional, a pure heart is essential for effective service.

Continuous Refinement
The process of refinement is ongoing. Believers must continually seek God's refining work in their lives to grow in holiness and usefulness.(4) And there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.--Or, So there results a vessel to the refiner, or silversmith. He is able to make one.

Verses 4, 5. - A tetrastich in an emblematical form. Verse 4. - Take away the dross from the silver. Silver was most extensively used by the Hebrews (see 'Dictionary of the Bible,' sub voc.), whether obtained from native mines or imported from foreign countries, and the process of separating the ore from the extraneous matters mixed with it was well known (Psalm 12:6; Ezekiel 22:20, etc.; see on Proverbs 17:3). And there shall come forth a vessel for the finer (tsaraph); the goldsmith. The pure silver is ready for the artist s work, who from this material can make a beautiful vessel. Septuagint, "Beat untested silver, and all shall be made entirely pure," where the allusion is to the process of reducing minerals by lamination.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Remove
הָג֣וֹ (hā·ḡōw)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1898: To remove

the dross
סִיגִ֣ים (sî·ḡîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5509: A moving back or away, dross

from the silver,
מִכָּ֑סֶף (mik·kā·sep̄)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money

and a vessel
כֶּֽלִי׃ (ke·lî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3627: Something prepared, any apparatus

for a silversmith
לַצֹּרֵ֣ף (laṣ·ṣō·rêp̄)
Preposition-l, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6884: To smelt, refine, test

will come forth.
וַיֵּצֵ֖א (way·yê·ṣê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 25:4 Take away the dross from the silver (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 25:3
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