Proverbs 18:24 (DBY)

Passage

A man of [many] friends will come to ruin but there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:22 Whoso hath found a wife hath found a good thing, and hath obtained favour from Jehovah.

Proverbs 18:23 He that is poor speaketh with supplications, but the rich answereth roughly.

Proverbs 18:24 A man of [many] friends will come to ruin but there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "friends", "come", "ruin", "sticketh", "closer", "than", and "brother". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "friends" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "He that is poor speaketh with supplications...", giving immediate footing for "friends" and "come". In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "friends" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.