Proverbs 28:23
New International Version
Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

New Living Translation
In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery.

English Standard Version
Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.

Berean Standard Bible
He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

King James Bible
He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

New King James Version
He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward Than he who flatters with the tongue.

New American Standard Bible
One who rebukes a person will afterward find more favor Than one who flatters with the tongue.

NASB 1995
He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

NASB 1977
He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who reproves a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

Amplified Bible
He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.

Christian Standard Bible
One who rebukes a person will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
One who rebukes a person will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

American Standard Version
He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor Than he that flattereth with the tongue.

Contemporary English Version
Honest correction is appreciated more than flattery.

English Revised Version
He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Whoever criticizes people will be more highly regarded in the future than the one who flatters with his tongue.

Good News Translation
Correct someone, and afterward he will appreciate it more than flattery.

International Standard Version
Whoever rebukes a man will later on find more favor than someone who flatters with his words.

Majority Standard Bible
He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

NET Bible
The one who reproves another will in the end find more favor than the one who flatters with the tongue.

New Heart English Bible
One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

Webster's Bible Translation
He that rebuketh a man afterward shall find more favor than he that flattereth with the tongue.

World English Bible
One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Whoever is reproving a man finds grace afterward, "" More than a flatterer with the tongue.

Young's Literal Translation
Whoso is reproving a man afterwards findeth grace, More than a flatterer with the tongue.

Smith's Literal Translation
He reproving a man, afterwards shall find favor more than he smoothing the tongue.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that rebuketh a man, shall afterward find favour with him, more than he that by a flattering tongue deceiveth him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Whoever corrects a man, afterward he shall find favor with him, more so than he who deceives him with a flattering tongue.

New American Bible
Whoever rebukes another wins more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

New Revised Standard Version
Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He who rebukes a man shall find more favor afterwards than he who flatters with his tongue.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He that rebukes a son of man finds more favor than he that is duplicitous with his tongue.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He that rebuketh a man shall in the end find more favour Than he that flattereth with the tongue.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
He that reproves a man's ways shall have more favour than he that flatters with the tongue.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Boldness of the Righteous
22A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him. 23He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue. 24He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It is not wrong,” is a companion to the man who destroys.…

Cross References
Galatians 4:16
Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

Proverbs 27:5-6
Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed. / The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Matthew 18:15
If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

Leviticus 19:17
You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.

James 5:19-20
My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, / consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

Hebrews 12:11
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.

Psalm 141:5
Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

2 Samuel 12:1-7
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. / The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, / but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. ...

1 Corinthians 4:14
I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

Titus 1:13
This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith

2 Corinthians 7:8-9
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time— / yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.

Luke 17:3
Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.


Treasury of Scripture

He that rebukes a man afterwards shall find more favor than he that flatters with the tongue.

Proverbs 27:5,6
Open rebuke is better than secret love…

2 Samuel 12:7
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

1 Kings 1:23,32-40
And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground…

and

Genesis 13:10-13
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar…

Genesis 19:17
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Job 20:18-22
That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein

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Afterward Afterwards Approval End Favor Favour Find Findeth Flattereth Flattering Flatters Gain Grace Later Protest Rebukes Rebuketh Reproving Smooth Tongue Words
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Afterward Afterwards Approval End Favor Favour Find Findeth Flattereth Flattering Flatters Gain Grace Later Protest Rebukes Rebuketh Reproving Smooth Tongue Words
Proverbs 28
1. general observations of impiety and integrity














He who rebukes a man
The Hebrew word for "rebukes" is "יוכיח" (yokhiakh), which implies correction or reproof with the intention of bringing about positive change. In the ancient Near Eastern context, rebuke was often seen as a necessary part of maintaining community and personal integrity. The act of rebuking is not merely about pointing out faults but is deeply rooted in love and concern for the individual's spiritual and moral well-being. This aligns with the broader biblical principle that true love sometimes requires difficult conversations, as seen in passages like Leviticus 19:17, which encourages honest confrontation over silent resentment.

will later find more favor
The phrase "will later find more favor" suggests a future reward or recognition that comes from the act of rebuking. The Hebrew word for "favor" is "חן" (chen), which can mean grace, acceptance, or goodwill. Historically, this reflects the wisdom literature's understanding that truth, though initially hard to accept, ultimately leads to respect and appreciation. The idea is that while flattery may provide immediate gratification, it is the honest and loving rebuke that builds lasting relationships and trust. This is consistent with the biblical theme that God's truth, though sometimes challenging, leads to genuine freedom and favor (John 8:32).

than one who flatters with his tongue
The Hebrew word for "flatters" is "חלק" (khalaq), which means to smooth or to be slippery. Flattery, in this context, is seen as deceitful and self-serving, often used to manipulate or gain favor without regard for truth. The phrase "with his tongue" emphasizes the verbal nature of flattery, contrasting it with the honest and sometimes difficult words of rebuke. In the biblical narrative, flattery is often associated with false prophets and those who lead others astray (Ezekiel 12:24). The wisdom of Proverbs warns against the seductive nature of flattery, reminding believers that integrity and truth are the foundations of righteous living.

(23) He that rebuketh a man, afterwards shall find more favour . . .--i.e., when the man reproved comes to his senses, and finds how true a friend the reprover has been to him. Or, the words may perhaps mean, He that rebuketh a man (that is going) backwards. (Compare Jeremiah 7:24, and James 5:20.)

Verse 23. - He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour. The word rendered "afterwards" (postea, Vulgate), אַחֲרַי (acharai), creates a difficulty. The suffix cannot be that of the first person singular, which would give no sense; hence most interpreters see in it a peculiar adverb attached to the following verb, "shall afterwards find." Delitzsch. Lowenstein, end Nowack take it for a noun with the termination -ai, and translate, "a man that goeth backward," "a backslider" (as Jeremiah 7:24). Hence the translation will run, "He who reproveth a backsliding man," i.e. one whom he sees to be turning away from God and duty. He shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue (comp. Proverbs 27:6; Proverbs 29:5). A faithful counsellor, who tells a man his faults, brings them home to his conscience, and checks him in his downward course, will be seen to be a true friend, and will be loved and respected both by the one whom he has warned and advised and by all who are well disposed. James 5:19, "If any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him. let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and stroll hide a multitude of sins." "Laudat adulator, sed non est verus amator." The flatterer says only what is agreeable to the man whom he flatters, and thus makes him conceited and selfish and unable to see himself as he really is: the true friend says harsh things, but they are wholesome and tend to spiritual profit, and show more real affection than all the soft words of the fawning parasite. Septuagint, "He that reproveth a man's ways shall have more thanks than he who flattereth with the tongue."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He who rebukes
מ֘וֹכִ֤יחַ (mō·w·ḵî·aḥ)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3198: To be right, reciprocal, to argue, to decide, justify, convict

a man
אָדָ֣ם (’ā·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

will later
אַ֭חֲרַי (’a·ḥă·ray)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

find
יִמְצָ֑א (yim·ṣā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

more favor
חֵ֣ן (ḥên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2580: Graciousness, subjective, objective

than one who flatters
מִֽמַּחֲלִ֥יק (mim·ma·ḥă·lîq)
Preposition-m | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2505: To be smooth, to apportion, separate

with his tongue.
לָשֽׁוֹן׃ (lā·šō·wn)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 3956: The tongue


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 28:23 One who rebukes a man will afterward (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 28:22
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