Proverbs 27 · a question people ask
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love" (27:5). But doesn't Proverbs say that love covers wrongs?
It does: "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs" (Proverbs 10:12), and "He who covers an offense promotes love" (Proverbs 17:9). Love is the same Hebrew word, ahavah, in all three sayings. But in 10:12 and 17:9 what is covered is wrongs and an offense, with the verb kasah; in 27:5 what is hidden is love itself, with another verb, satar (tap hidden). 27:5 doesn't speak of covering a wrong. It weighs a rebuke that is open against a love that is kept hidden, and the next verse goes on, "The wounds of a friend are faithful" (27:6). The book says more about rebuke: "One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue" (Proverbs 28:23), and "Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise person, and he will love you" (Proverbs 9:8). The notes on Proverbs 10 set 10:12 beside 17:9 and 28:13. The book doesn't say, case by case, when to cover and when to rebuke, and these notes don't decide it for anyone.
The verses
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. The wounds of a friend are faithful, although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.”
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.”
“He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.”
“One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.”