Pro 17:9 | KingComments | STEP | This proverb deals with the contrast between “he who conceals a transgression” and “he who repeats a matter”, by passing it on to someone else. The former promotes “love” and the latter “separates intimate friends”. Friendship requires the ability to conceal a transgression, forgive it and forget it. Failure to do so is the end of intimate friendships. Dredging up the past and continuing to speak about it has destroyed many friendships and marriages. The true friend will bury the wrong out of love rather than launch a campaign in which he passes it on to whomever will hear it. Repeating is an activity that destroys love and trust and thereby destroys what deserves to be preserved. Concealing does not mean that a transgression is silenced or ignored, but that it is not talked about with others, that it is not passed on. “Love covers a multitude of sins” ( ). Every child of God has experienced this, because through the love of the Lord Jesus, which He demonstrated on the cross of Calvary, his sins are covered. They no longer exist before God. This does not mean that God condones them, but that He forgives and conceals them if there is repentance and conversion. The concealing of the transgression happens after confession, after which God forgives. In imitation of Him, we may act this way when someone commits a transgression against us ( ).

‏ Proverbs 17:9

Conceal Against Repeat

This proverb deals with the contrast between “he who conceals a transgression” and “he who repeats a matter”, by passing it on to someone else. The former promotes “love” and the latter “separates intimate friends”. Friendship requires the ability to conceal a transgression, forgive it and forget it. Failure to do so is the end of intimate friendships. Dredging up the past and continuing to speak about it has destroyed many friendships and marriages.

The true friend will bury the wrong out of love rather than launch a campaign in which he passes it on to whomever will hear it. Repeating is an activity that destroys love and trust and thereby destroys what deserves to be preserved. Concealing does not mean that a transgression is silenced or ignored, but that it is not talked about with others, that it is not passed on.

“Love covers a multitude of sins” (1Pet 4:8). Every child of God has experienced this, because through the love of the Lord Jesus, which He demonstrated on the cross of Calvary, his sins are covered. They no longer exist before God. This does not mean that God condones them, but that He forgives and conceals them if there is repentance and conversion. The concealing of the transgression happens after confession, after which God forgives. In imitation of Him, we may act this way when someone commits a transgression against us (Eph 4:32 ; Eph 5:1-2).