Proverbs 17:14 (WEB)

Passage

The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:12 Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

Proverbs 17:13 Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.

Proverbs 17:16 Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, since he has no understanding?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beginning", "strife", "like", "breaching", "therefore", "stop", "contention", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beginning" and "strife", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Whoever rewards evil for good evil shall..." into verse 15's "He who justifies the wicked and he...", so "beginning" and "strife" 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 "beginning" and "strife" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.