Pro 18:24 | TNotes | STEP | 18:24 Some people who present themselves as “friends” are not. The wise see beyond pretense, discerning a real friend from false friends by how they act in adverse circumstances. Thematic note: Bribes Some verses in Scripture condemn bribes as perverting justice (15:27 ; 17:23 ). Yet bribes can be used for good purposes and may even be encouraged (17:8 ; 18:16 ; 21:14 ). As with other topics in Proverbs, the teaching on bribery may seem contradictory, but these proverbs all ring true when applied to the right circumstances, which seem to be connected to the reason for which a bribe or gift is given. If someone gives a bribe so that a judge will condemn an innocent person or set a guilty person free, then it is an evil bribe (see Exod 23:8 ; Deut 16:19 ; 27:25 ; Ps 15:5 ). However, if a bribe helps an innocent person to find justice or serves some good purpose, then it seems to be allowable. An example of the latter from modern times might be a “gift” to a foreign immigration official that expedites the processing of a visa for a missionary. Passages for Further Study Exod 23:8 ; Deut 10:17 ; 16:19 ; 1 Sam 8:1-3 ; Prov 17:8 , 23 ; 18:16 ; 29:4 ; Eccl 7:7 ; Isa 1:23 ; 33:14-16 ; Amos 5:12 ; Mic 3:9-12 ; 7:3 ; Matt 28:11-15

18:24 ^a Some people who present themselves as “friends” are not. The wise see beyond pretense, discerning a real friend from false friends by how they act in adverse circumstances.

Thematic note: Bribes
Some verses in Scripture condemn bribes as perverting justice (15:27 ^b; 17:23 ^c). Yet bribes can be used for good purposes and may even be encouraged (17:8 ^d; 18:16 ^e; 21:14 ^f).
As with other topics in Proverbs, the teaching on bribery may seem contradictory, but these proverbs all ring true when applied to the right circumstances, which seem to be connected to the reason for which a bribe or gift is given. If someone gives a bribe so that a judge will condemn an innocent person or set a guilty person free, then it is an evil bribe (see Exod 23:8 ^g; Deut 16:19 ^h; 27:25 ⁱ; Ps 15:5 ^j). However, if a bribe helps an innocent person to find justice or serves some good purpose, then it seems to be allowable. An example of the latter from modern times might be a “gift” to a foreign immigration official that expedites the processing of a visa for a missionary.

Passages for Further Study
Exod 23:8 ^k; Deut 10:17 ^l; 16:19 ^m; 1 Sam 8:1-3 ⁿ; Prov 17:8 ^o, 23 ^p; 18:16 ^q; 29:4 ^r; Eccl 7:7 ^s; Isa 1:23 ^t; 33:14-16 ^u; Amos 5:12 ^v; Mic 3:9-12 ^w; 7:3 ^x; Matt 28:11-15 ^y