Proverbs 28:23
He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue. [Amplified Bible]
In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated far more than bootlicking flattery. [The Message]
Honest correction is appreciated more than flattery. [Contemporary English Version]
A person who offers constructive criticism will, in the end, be appreciated more than a person who engages in empty flattery. [The Voice]
[[MORE]]
———-
correction: yakach 3198 (Hebrew) reprove, chasten, reason, rational disputation; truthful confrontation with the goal of loving reconciliation; exposing what is wrong and establishing what is right through God’s unwavering commitment to truth, justice, and restoration; in the same step which unmasks guilt, invitation is made for repentance and cleansing, teaching that reproof is a sign of divine favor, not rejection;
favor: chen 2580 (Hebrew) grace, kindness, pleasant; embraces the ideas of favor, gracious kindness, acceptance, attractiveness, and the goodwill that is extended to another through concrete acts of mercy and delight. It is portrayed both as social capital and moral excellence, but warns that external charm divorced from fear of the Lord is not durable.
flatter: chalaq 2505 (Hebrew) smooth, slippery; referencing speech or character, the verb is consistently placed under man’s moral accountability for deceitful language in the context of seduction and politics as the speaker claims that which he has no right to seize.
tongue: lashon 3956 (Hebrew) language, speech, talker, babbler; as well as the literal meaning, Scripture applies the term to speech and language, presenting the tongue as a decisive indicator of the heart, with profound relational and covenantal consequences.
