Proverbs 18:19 (WEB)

Passage

A brother offended is more difficult than a fortified city; and disputes are like the bars of a fortress.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:17 He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.

Proverbs 18:18 The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is more difficult than a fortified city; and disputes are like the bars of a fortress.

Proverbs 18:20 A man’s stomach is filled with the fruit of his mouth. With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "brother", "offended", "difficult", "than", "fortified", "city", "disputes", and "like". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brother" and "offended", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "The lot settles disputes and keeps strong..." into verse 20's "A man s stomach is filled with...", so "brother" and "offended" 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 "brother" and "offended" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.