Proverbs 25:6–8

25:6 Do not honor yourself before the king,

and do not stand in the place of great men;

25:7 for it is better for him10 to say to you, “Come up here,”11

than to put you lower12 before a prince,

whom your eyes have seen.13

25:8 Do not go out hastily to litigation,14

or15 what will you do afterward

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

10	tn The phrase “for him” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
11	sn This proverb, covering the two verses, is teaching that it is wiser to be promoted than to risk demotion by self-promotion. The point is clear: Trying to promote oneself could bring on public humiliation; but it would be an honor to have everyone in court hear the promotion by the king.
12	tn The two infinitives construct form the contrast in this “better” sayings; each serves as the subject of its respective clause.
13	tc Most modern commentators either omit this last line or attach it to the next verse. But it is in the text of the MT as well as the LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and most modern English versions (although some of them do connect it to the following verse, e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
14	tn Heb “do not go out hastily to strive”; the verb “to strive” means dispute in the legal context. The last clause of v. 7, “what your eyes have seen,” does fit very well with the initial clause of v. 8. It would then say: What you see, do not take hastily to court, but if the case was not valid, he would end up in disgrace. sn The Hebrew verb רִיב (riv) is often used in legal contexts; here the warning is not to go to court hastily lest it turn out badly.
15	tn The clause begins with פֶּן (pen, “lest”) which seems a bit out of place in this line. C. H. Toy suggests changing it to כִּי (ki, “for”) to make a better connection, instead of supplying an ellipsis: “lest it be said what …” (Proverbs [ICC], 461).