Proverbs 18:24 - Exposition

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. The Authorized Version is certainly not correct. The Hebrew is literally, a man of friends will come to destruction. The word הִתְרוֹעֵעַ ( hithroea ) is the hithp, infinitive of רעע , "to break or destroy" (comp. Isaiah 24:19 ); and the maxim means that the man of many friends, who lays himself out to make friends of bad and good alike, does so to his own ruin. They will fled upon him, and exhaust his resources, but will not stand by him in the day of calamity, nay, rather will give a helping hand to his downfall. It is not the number of so called friends that is really useful and precious. But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother ( Proverbs 17:17 ; Proverbs 27:10 ).

νόμιζ ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἀληθινοὺς φίλους .

"Thy true friends hold as very brethren."

The Vulgate has, Vir amabilis ad societatem magis amicus erit quam frater, "A man amiable in intercourse will be more of a friend than even a brother."