Proverbs 28:23

"He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favor Than he that flattereth with the tongue."

The scholars tell us that there's difficulty in the Hebrew with the word `afterward'; and the same is true as it stands in our version. If the first line is rearranged to read, "He that rebuketh a man afterward shall find more favor," then it might mean that the `afterward' would refer to misdemeanor; but as it is the word appplies to the time when the one who rebuked will find more favor.

To rebuke one who deserves it is a courageous thing to do, and only one's true friend will do it. (See James 5:19). "The true friend says harsh things, but they are wholesome words that may lead to spiritual growth, and they show more real affection than the soft and flattering words of the fawning parasite."[26] Deane favored this rendition: "He that reproves a man's ways shall have more favor than he that flatters with the tongue."[27]