Proverbs 25:17

Study note

Setting — The author of the compiled proverbs addresses a general reader, placing this instruction between warnings against gluttony and false testimony. The counsel functions as practical boundary-setting within a broader wisdom framework.

The words — הֹקַ֣ר (ho.Kar) literally means "make rare," commanding the reader to limit visits. יִ֝שְׂבָּעֲ/ךָ֗ (yis.ba.'a./kha) literally means "he should be surfeited with you," stating the direct result of repeated intrusion.

The thread — The motif of visiting a neighbor’s house appears in Genesis 19:2, where guests request lodging, and Judges 19:18, where a traveler notes the absence of such hospitality. Romans 15:24 records a planned visit to a community to receive journey support, showing the same geographic movement used for different purposes.

Why it lands — The text commands readers to measure their presence in others’ homes to prevent relational exhaustion. It asks the reader to actively preserve goodwill by limiting visits rather than assuming unlimited access.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.