Proverbs 18:19 (YLT)

Passage

A brother transgressed against is as a strong city, And contentions as the bar of a palace.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:17 Righteous <FI>is<Fi> the first in his own cause, His neighbour cometh and hath searched him.

Proverbs 18:18 The lot causeth contentions to cease, And between the mighty it separateth.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother transgressed against is as a strong city, And contentions as the bar of a palace.

Proverbs 18:20 From the fruit of a man's mouth is his belly satisfied, <FI>From the<Fi> increase of his lips he is satisfied.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life <FI>are<Fi> in the power of the tongue, And those loving it eat its fruit.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "brother", "transgressed", "against", "strong", "city", "contentions", and "palace". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brother" and "transgressed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "The lot causeth contentions to cease And..." into verse 20's "From the fruit of a man's mouth...", so "brother" and "transgressed" 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 "transgressed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.