Proverbs 17:8 (WEB)

Passage

A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men; the glory of children are their parents.

Proverbs 17:7 Arrogant speech isn’t fitting for a fool, much less do lying lips fit a prince.

Proverbs 17:8 A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.

Proverbs 17:9 He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.

Proverbs 17:10 A rebuke enters deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred lashes into a fool.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bribe", "precious", "stone", "eyes", "gives", "wherever", "turns", and "prospers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bribe" and "precious", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Arrogant speech isn t fitting for a..." into verse 9's "He who covers an offense promotes love...", so "bribe" and "precious" 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 "bribe" and "precious" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.