Proverbs 27:10
New International Version
Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.

New Living Translation
Never abandon a friend— either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

English Standard Version
Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

King James Bible
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

New King James Version
Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

New American Standard Bible
Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.

NASB 1995
Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.

NASB 1977
Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, And do not come to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster; Better is one who dwells near than a brother far away.

Amplified Bible
Do not abandon your own friend and your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend, and don’t go to your brother’s house in your time of calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend, and don’t go to your brother’s house in your time of calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

American Standard Version
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your father, and do not enter the house of your brother in the day of your brokenness; better is a neighbor that is near than the brother that is distant.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and when thou art in distress go not into thy brother's house: better is a friend that is near than a brother living far off.

Contemporary English Version
Don't desert an old friend of your family or visit your relatives when you are in trouble. A friend nearby is better than relatives far away.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thy own friend, and thy father's friend forsake not: and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy affliction. Better is a neighbour that is near, than a brother afar off.

English Revised Version
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do not abandon your friend or your father's friend. Do not go to a relative's home when you are in trouble. A neighbor living nearby is better than a relative far away.

Good News Translation
Do not forget your friends or your father's friends. If you are in trouble, don't ask a relative for help; a nearby neighbor can help you more than relatives who are far away.

International Standard Version
Never abandon your friend nor your father's friend, and don't go to your brother's house in times of trouble. A neighbor who is near is better than a brother who lives far away.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity; Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

Literal Standard Version
Do not forsake your own friend and the friend of your father, | And do not enter the house of your brother in a day of your calamity, | A near neighbor [is] better than a brother far off.

Majority Standard Bible
Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

New American Bible
Do not give up your own friend and your father’s friend; do not resort to the house of your kindred when trouble strikes. Better a neighbor near than kin far away.

NET Bible
Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not enter your brother's house in the day of your disaster; a neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away.

New Revised Standard Version
Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent; do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is nearby than kindred who are far away.

New Heart English Bible
Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend. Do not go to your brother's house in the day of your disaster: better is a neighbor who is near than a distant brother.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off.

World English Bible
Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend. Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster. A neighbor who is near is better than a distant brother.

Young's Literal Translation
Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better is a near neighbour than a brother afar off.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Do not Boast about Tomorrow
9Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is counsel to the soul. 10Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. 11Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, so that I can answer him who taunts me.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 22:1
If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; be sure to return it to your brother.

1 Kings 12:6
Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How do you advise me to respond to these people?" he asked.

2 Chronicles 10:6
Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How do you advise me to respond to these people?" he asked.

Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.


Treasury of Scripture

Your own friend, and your father's friend, forsake not; neither go into your brother's house in the day of your calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

own

2 Samuel 19:24,28
And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace…

2 Samuel 21:7
But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

1 Kings 12:6-8
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? …

neither

Proverbs 19:7
All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

Job 6:21-23
For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid…

Obadiah 1:12-14
But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress…

better

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 18:24
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Luke 10:30-37
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead…

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Proverbs 27
1. observations of self love
5. of true love
11. of care to avoid offenses
23. and of the household care














(10) Better is a neighbour that is near.--See above on Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 18:24. "Near" and "far off"--i.e., in feeling.

Verse 10. - Another proverb, a tristich, in praise of friendship. It seems to be a combination of two maxims. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not. A father's friend is one who is connected with a family by hereditary and ancestral bonds; φίλον πατρῷον. Septuagint. Such a one is to be cherished and regarded with the utmost affection. Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity. The tried friend is more likely to help and sympathize with you than even your own brother, for a friend is born for adversity, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 18:24, where see notes). The mere blood relationship, which is the result of circumstances over which one has had no control, is inferior to the affectionate connection which arises from moral considerations and is the effect of deliberate choice. We must remember, too, that the practice of polygamy, with the separate establishments of the various wives, greatly weakened the tie of brotherhood. There was little love between David's sons; and Jonathan was far dearer to David himself than any of his numerous brothers were. Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. "Near" and "far off" may be taken as referring to feeling or to local position. In the former case the maxim says that a neighbour who is really attached to one by the bonds of affection is better than the closest relation who has no love or sympathy. In the latter view, the proverb enunciates the truth that a friend on the spot in time of calamity is more useful than a brother living at a distance (μακρὰν οἰκῶν, Septuagint); one is sure of help at once from the former, while application to the latter must occasion delay, and may not be successful. Commentators quote Hesiod, Ἔργ. καὶ Ημ., 341 -

Τὸν δὲ μάλιστα καλεῖν ὅστις σέθεν ἐγγύθεναίει
Αἰ γάρ τοι καὶ χρῆμ ἐγκώμιον ἄλλο γένηται
Γείτονες ἄζωστοι ἔκιον ζώσαντο δὲ πηοί

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do not
אַֽל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

forsake
תַּעֲזֹ֗ב (ta·‘ă·zōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

your friend
רֵֽעֲךָ֨ (rê·‘ă·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

or your father’s
אָבִ֡יךָ (’ā·ḇî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

friend,
וְרֵ֪עַ (wə·rê·a‘)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7463: Evil, misery, distress, injury

and do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

go
תָּ֭בוֹא (tā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to your brother’s
אָחִ֗יךָ (’ā·ḥî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

house
וּבֵ֥ית (ū·ḇêṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

in the day
בְּי֣וֹם (bə·yō·wm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3117: A day

of your calamity;
אֵידֶ֑ךָ (’ê·ḏe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 343: Oppression, misfortune, ruin

better
ט֥וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

a neighbor
שָׁכֵ֥ן (šā·ḵên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7934: A resident, a fellow-citizen

nearby
קָ֝ר֗וֹב (qā·rō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7138: Near

than a brother
מֵאָ֥ח (mê·’āḥ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

far away.
רָחֽוֹק׃ (rā·ḥō·wq)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 27:10 Don't forsake your friend and your father's (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 27:9
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