Let’s look at Proverbs 18:24. It reads " A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." The way the KJV translators translated this is ... not really what the Hebrew says. We have a mistake in this translation. The Hebrew word for friends is “ray’ah” (*Strong’s 7453) - this means associate(more or less close) or could also mean brother, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbor. Here, I believe the best translation is companion because of the definition of the word we translate as friendly. Friendly in the Hebrew is “raw-ah’” (*Strong’s 7489) – it means to spoil; good for nothing, do mischief, ect. The word friendly was mistakenly translated from the word “raw’aw” (*Strong’s 7462). This word should be more like ruin or destruction, instead of friendly. In the next part of the verse, the writer uses a completely different word in the Hebrew for friend. This word “aw-hab’” (*Strong’s 157) means to have affection. So, the correct way to translate this verse is: “ A man of many companions may come to ruin; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” This is a verse that is showing the different kinds of friendship: the good and the bad.
Proverbs 17:17 tells us how friendship can help through all times (“friend” here is “ray’ah” (*7453)) Proverbs 17:17 tells us how friendship is extremely helpful. But, only if you choose your friends wisely, because bad friends are not good for us (Proverbs 27:6). Friendship is amazing. Proverbs 27:9 - friends help counsel each other! In conclusion, the two translations of the verse that I think best represent what the Hebrew writer was saying are: “ A man of many companions may come to ruin; but there is a man that sticketh closer than a brother.” ESV
“He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” ASV.
*Reference numbers are given for the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (KJV).
- Jonna Burrow