Proverbs 15:17 (DRB)

Passage

It is better to be invited to herbs with love, than to a fatted calf with hatred.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the poor are evil: a secure mind is like a continual feast.

Proverbs 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasures without content.

Proverbs 15:17 It is better to be invited to herbs with love, than to a fatted calf with hatred.

Proverbs 15:18 A passionate man stirreth up strifes: he that is patient appeaseth those that are stirred up.

Proverbs 15:19 The way of the slothful is as a hedge of thorns: the way of the just is without offence.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "better", "invited", "herbs", "love", "than", "fatted", "calf", and "hatred". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "better" and "invited", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Better is a little with the fear..." into verse 18's "A passionate man stirreth up strifes he...", so "better" and "invited" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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