· Translation: KJV

Proverbs 25:10lest one who hears it put you to shame, and your bad reputation never depart.

The setting

Ancient Israel, ~950 BC. The king's court where reputations were made and destroyed by a single conversation. Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: urgent warning from someone who's watched lives destroyed by loose tongues

The original word

dibbâh (דִּבָּה) — evil report or slander that spreads like wildfire through a community

Why it matters

In ancient Israel, reputation was literally survival - loss of reputation meant loss of livelihood

Read with care

What most readers miss in Proverbs 25:10

The Hebrew suggests the shame is not temporary embarrassment but permanent social damage

Common misconceptionPeople think reputation damage is temporary in our digital age, but online shame can be even more permanent than ancient gossip.

Bible Genome reading

Proverbs 25:10 — Bible Genome reading

EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typepoetry

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability70%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone70%
Themes:reputationconsequencesshame

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Proverbs 25

Proverbs 25:10 comes from the book of Proverbs, written during the United Kingdom period. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include reputation, consequences, shame. Notable phrases: put you to shame; bad reputation never depart.

Your reflection

What does Proverbs 25:10 mean to you, today?

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