What is the meaning of Proverbs 25:19? Like a broken tooth “Like a broken tooth…” (Proverbs 25:19a) paints a vivid picture of something that should help you—but instead hurts you. • A tooth is meant to bite, tear, and chew. When it’s broken it not only fails at its job, it causes sharp pain every time you try to use it (cf. Lamentations 3:16; Psalm 58:6). • Solomon is saying that relying on an untrustworthy person turns what should be a helpful relationship into a source of pain. • The image stresses sudden shock: you don’t always notice a broken tooth until you put pressure on it. Likewise, unreliability often shows up only when you lean on someone. or a foot out of joint “…or a foot out of joint…” (Proverbs 25:19b) carries the idea of instability and immobility. • A dislocated foot can’t bear weight; every step is agony (see Hebrews 12:13; 2 Samuel 4:4). • Just as you can’t move forward on a disabled foot, you can’t make progress when the person you counted on fails you. • Both pictures—broken tooth and disjointed foot—highlight how betrayal hinders essential, everyday functions. is confidence in a faithless man “…is confidence in a faithless man…” (Proverbs 25:19c) identifies the core problem: misplaced trust. • “Faithless” means unsteady, unreliable, treacherous (cf. Proverbs 11:13; Jeremiah 17:5). • Scripture consistently warns that human help without integrity is empty: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man” (Psalm 118:8-9). • Trust is good—it reflects God-given community—yet it must rest on proven faithfulness (Proverbs 20:6; Psalm 15:4). in time of trouble “…in time of trouble.” (Proverbs 25:19d) shows when unreliability stings the most. • Crisis reveals character. Adversity sifts friends (Proverbs 17:17; Psalm 46:1). • When the storm hits, empty promises collapse like a house on sand (Matthew 7:26-27). • The verse implicitly directs us to the One who never fails: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7). summary Proverbs 25:19 likens trusting an unfaithful person during hardship to biting with a broken tooth or stepping on a dislocated foot—painful, crippling, and counterproductive. The lesson is clear: choose your confidants wisely, build relationships with those proven true, and ultimately place your deepest confidence in the Lord, whose faithfulness is perfect and unfailing. |
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