25:6 Do not honor yourself before the king,
and do not stand in the place of great men;
25:7 for it is better for him 1 to say to you, “Come up here,” 2
than to put you lower 3 before a prince,
whom your eyes have seen. 4
1 tn The phrase “for him” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
2 sn This proverb, covering the two verses, is teaching that it is wiser to be promoted than to risk demotion by self-promotion. The point is clear: Trying to promote oneself could bring on public humiliation; but it would be an honor to have everyone in court hear the promotion by the king.
3 tn The two infinitives construct form the contrast in this “better” sayings; each serves as the subject of its respective clause.
4 tc Most modern commentators either omit this last line or attach it to the next verse. But it is in the text of the MT as well as the LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and most modern English versions (although some of them do connect it to the following verse, e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).