Proverbs 25:2

Bishops' Bible (1568)

It is the glory of God to kepe a thing secrete: but the kynges honour is to searche out a thing.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כְּבֹ֣ד אֱ֭לֹהִים הַסְתֵּ֣ר דָּבָ֑ר וּכְבֹ֥ד מְ֝לָכִ֗ים חֲקֹ֣ר דָּבָֽר׃

Transliteration

kĕbōd ʾĕlōhîm hastēr dābār and-kĕbōd mĕlākîm ḥăqōr dābār

Grammar Details

• *kĕbōd*: noun, construct state - glory of/honor of
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: noun, masculine plural (divine singular) - God
• *hastēr*: hiphil infinitive construct - to hide/conceal
• *dābār*: noun, masculine singular - word/thing/matter
• *û*: conjunction - and
• *mĕlākîm*: noun, masculine plural - kings
• *ḥăqōr*: qal infinitive construct - to search out/investigate

Word Meanings

• *kĕbōd*: glory/honor/splendor
• *hastēr*: to hide/conceal/cover
• *dābār*: word/thing/matter/affair
• *ḥăqōr*: to search out/investigate/examine thoroughly

Referenced Verses

• Deut 29:29 : 29 The secretes of the Lorde our God are opened vnto vs, and to our children for euer, that we may do all the wordes of this lawe.
• 1 Kgs 3:9-9 : 9 Geue therfore thy seruaunt an vnderstanding heart to iudge thy people, that I may discerne betweene good & bad: For who is able to iudge this thy so mightie a people? 10 And this pleased the Lorde well that Solomon had desired this thing, 11 And God sayde vnto him: Thou hast not asked for thy selfe long lyfe, neither hast asked riches for thy selfe, nor hast asked the lyfe of thy enemies, but hast asked for thy selfe vnderstanding & discretion in iudgement: 12 Behold, I haue done according to thy wordes, lo I haue geuen thee a wyse & an vnderstanding heart, so that there was none lyke thee before thee, neither after thee shal any aryse lyke vnto thee. 13 And I haue also geuen thee that which thou hast not asked, euen rychesse and honour, so that ther shalbe no king lyke vnto thee all thy dayes. 14 And if thou wilt walke in my wayes, to kepe myne ordinaunces and my commaundementes, as thy father Dauid dyd walke, I will lengthen thy dayes. 15 When Solomon awoke, beholde it was a dreame: And he came to Hierusalem and stoode before the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde, & offred burnt offringes and peace offringes, and made a feast to all his seruauntes. 16 Then came there two women that were harlottes, vnto the king, & stoode before him. 17 And the one woman sayde: Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was deliuered of a childe, with her in the house: 18 And the thirde day after that I was deliuered, she was deliuered also: and we were together, & no straunger with vs in the house, saue we two. 19 And this wiues childe died in the night, for she smothered it. 20 And she rose at midnight and toke my sonne from my syde while thyne handmayde slept, and layde it in her bosome, and put her dead childe in my bosome. 21 And when I rose in the mornyng to geue my chylde sucke, beholde it was dead: But when I had loked vpon it in the morning, beholde, it was not my sonne which I dyd beare. 22 And the other woman sayd: It is not so, but my sonne liueth, and thy sonne is dead. And she sayde againe: No, but thy sonne is dead, and my sonne is alyue. And thus they pleaded before the king. 23 Then sayde the king: The one sayth, this that is alyue is my sonne, and the dead is thyne: And the other sayth, nay: but thy sonne is the dead, and the liuing childe is myne. 24 And the king sayde: Bring me a sworde. And they brought out a sworde before the king. 25 And the king sayde: Deuide the liuing child in two, and geue the one halfe to the one, aud the other to the other. 26 Then spake the woman whose the liuing childe was, vnto the king (for her bowelles yerned vpon her sonne) and sayde: I besech thee my lorde geue her the liuing childe, and in no wyse slay it: But the other sayde, Let it be neither myne nor thyne, but deuide it. 27 Then the king aunswered and sayde: Geue her the liuing childe, and slay it not, for she is the mother therof. 28 And all they of Israel hearde of the iudgement which the king had iudged, and feared the king: for they sawe that the wysdome of God was in him to do iustice.
• Job 29:16 : 16 I was a father to the poore: and when I knewe not the cause, I sought it out diligently.
• Rom 11:33-34 : 33 O the deepenesse of the ryches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God, howe vnsearcheable are his iudgementes, and his wayes past fyndyng out? 34 For who hath knowen the mynde of the Lorde? Or who hath ben his councellour?
• Job 38:4-39:30 : 4 Where wast thou when I layed the foundations of the earth? Tell playnely, if thou hast vnderstanding. 5 Who hath measured it, knowest thou? or who hath spread the lyne vpon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations set? or who layed the corner stone thereof? 7 Where wast thou when the morning starres praysed me together, and all the children of God reioyced triumphantly? 8 Who shut the sea with doores, when it brake foorth as out of the wombe? 9 When I made the cloudes to be a covering for it, and swadled it with the darke: 10 When I gaue it my commaundement, making doores and barres for it, 11 Saying, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shalt thou laye downe thy proude and hie waues. 12 Hast thou geue the morning his charge since thy dayes, and shewed the day spring his place, 13 That it might take holde of the corners of the earth, and that the vngodly might be shaken out of it. 14 They are fashioned as is the clay with the seale, and all stand vp as a garment. 15 The vngodly shall be disapointed of their light, and the arme of the proude shalbe broken. 16 Camest thou euer into the grounde of the sea, or walkedst in the lowe corners of the deepe? 17 Haue the gates of death ben opened vnto thee? or hast thou seene the doores of the shadowe of death? 18 Hast thou also perceaued how brode the earth is? If thou hast knowledge of all this: 19 Then shewe me the way where light dwelleth, & where is the place of darkenesse? 20 That thou shouldest receaue it in the boundes thereof, and know the pathes to their houses. 21 Knewest thou afore thou wast borne how olde thou shouldest be? 22 Wentest thou euer into the treasures of the snow, or hast thou seene the secrete places of the hayle, 23 Which I haue prepared against the time of trouble, against the time of battaile and warre? 24 By what way is the light parted? and into what land breaketh the east winde? 25 Who deuideth the waters into diuers chanels? or who maketh a way for the lightening and thunder, 26 To cause it to rayne on the earth where no man is, and in the wildernesse where none inhabiteth? 27 To satisfie the desolate and waste grounde, and to cause the budde of the hearbe to spring foorth. 28 Who is the father of the rayne? or who hath begotten the droppes of the deawe? 29 Out of whose wombe came the yce? Who hath gendred the coldnesse of the ayre? 30 That the waters are hidde as with a stone, and lye congealed aboue the deepe. 31 Wylt thou hinder the sweete influences of the seuen starres? or loose the bandes of Orion? 32 Canst thou bring foorth Mazzaroth in their time? canst thou also guide Arctutus with his sonnes? 33 Knowest thou the course of heauen, that thou mayest set vp the ordinaunce thereof vpon the earth? 34 Moreouer, canst thou lift vp thy voyce to the cloudes, that they may powre downe a great rayne vpon thee? 35 Canst thou send the lightninges also, that they may go their way, and be obedient vnto thee, saying, Lo here are we? 36 Who hath put wysdome in the reynes? or who hath geuen the heart vnderstanding? 37 Who numbreth the cloudes in wysdome? who stilleth the vehement waters of the heauen? 38 To cause the earth to grow into hardnesse, & the clots to cleaue fast together? 39 Wylt thou hunt the pray for the lion? or fill the appetite of the lions whelpes, 40 When they couche in their places, and tarie in the couert to lye in wayte? 41 Who prouideth meate for the rauen, when his young ones crye vnto God, and flee about for lacke of meate? 1 Knowest thou the time whe the wylde goates bring foorth their young among the stonye rockes? or layest thou wayte when the hindes vse to calue? 2 Canst thou number the monethes that they go with young? or knowest thou the time when they bring foorth? 3 They lye downe, they calue their young ones, and they are deliuered of their trauaile and paine: 4 Yet their young ones grow vp, and waxe fatte through good feeding with corne: They go foorth, and returne not againe vnto them. 5 Who letteth the wylde asse to go free? or who looseth the bondes of the wylde mule? 6 Euen I which haue geuen the wyldernesse to be their house, and the vntilled land to be their dwelling. 7 They force not for the multitude of people in the citie, neither regarde the crying of the driuer: 8 But seeke their pasture about the mountaines, and folowe the greene grasse. 9 Wyll the vnicorne do thee seruice, or abide still by thy cribbe? 10 Canst thou binde the yoke about the vnicorne in the forowe, to make him plowe after thee in the valleyes? 11 Mayst thou trust him because he is strong, or commit thy labour vnto him? 12 Mayst thou beleue him that he wyll bring home thy corne, or carry any thing vnto thy barne? 13 Gauest thou the faire winges vnto the pecockes, or winges and fethers vnto the Estriche? 14 For she leaueth her egges in the earth, and heateth them in the dust. 15 She remembreth not that they might be troden with feete, or broken with some wilde beaste. 16 So harde is she vnto her young ones as though they were not hers, and laboureth in vaine without any feare. 17 And that because God hath taken wysdome from her, & hath not geuen her vnderstanding. 18 When her time is that she fleeth vp on hie, she careth neither for the horse nor the ryder. 19 Hast thou geue the horse his strength, or learned him to ney coragiously? 20 Canst thou make him afrayde as a grashopper? where as the stoute neying that he maketh is fearefull. 21 He breaketh the grounde with the hooffes of his feete, he reioyceth cherefully in his strength, and runneth to meete the harnest men. 22 He layeth aside all feare, his stomacke is not abated, neither starteth he backe for any sworde. 23 Though the quiuers rattle vpon him, though the speare and shielde glister: 24 Yet rusheth he in fiercely beating the grounde, he thinketh it not the noyse of the trumpettes: 25 But when the trumpettes make most noyse, he saith, tushe, for he smelleth the battaile a farre of, the noyse of the captaines and the shouting. 26 Commeth it through thy wysdome that the Goshauke flieth toward the south? 27 Doth the Egle mount vp, and make his nest on hye at thy comaundement? 28 He abydeth in stony rockes, and dwelleth vpon the hye toppes of moutaines: 29 From whence he seeketh his praye, and loketh farre about with his eyes. 30 His young ones also sucke vp blood: and where any dead body lyeth, there is he.
• Job 42:3 : 3 For who can keepe his owne counsaile so secrete but it shalbe knowen? Therefore haue I spoken that I vnderstoode not, euen the thinges that are to wonderfull for me, and passe myne vnderstanding.
• 1 Kgs 4:29-34 : 29 And God gaue Solomon wysdome and vnderstanding exceeding much, and a large heart, euen as the sand that is on the sea shore. 30 And Solomons wysdome excelled the wysedome of all the children of the east countrey, and al the wisdome of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser then al men, yea then Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda the sonnes of Mahol: And his name was spoken of throughout all nations on euery syde. 32 And Solomon spake three thousande prouerbes: And his songes were a thousande and fiue. 33 And he spake of trees, euen from the Cedar tree that groweth in Libanon, vnto the Isope that springeth out of the wall: He spake also of beastes, of foules, of wormes, and of fishes. 34 And there came of all nations to heare the wysdome of Solomon, and from all kinges of the earth, which had heard of his wysdome.
• Ezra 4:15 : 15 That it may be sought in the booke of the cronicles of thy progenitours, and so shalt thou finde in the booke of the cronicles, and perceaue that this citie is seditious and noysome vnto the kinges and landes, and that they cause other also among them to rebell of olde: and for the same cause was this citie destroyed.
• Ezra 4:19 : 19 And I haue commaunded to make searche, and it is found that this citie of olde hath made insurrection against kinges, and that rebellion and sedition hath ben committed therein.
• Job 11:7-8 : 7 Art thou able to finde out the secretes of God? Or wilt thou attayne to the perfectnesse of the almightie? 8 It is hier then heauen, what art thou able to do? deeper then the hel, how wilt thou then knowe it?