Proverbs 27:21

As the crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, ¹  so a person ²  is proved ³  by the praise he receives. ⁴ 

1Sa 18:7,8,15,16,30; 2Sa 14:25; 2Sa 15:6-12; Ps 12:6; Ps 66:10; Pr 17:3; Zec 13:9; Mal 3:3; 1Pe 1:7; 1Pe 4:12

¹ sn Once again this proverb uses emblematic parallelism. The crucible and the furnace are used to refine and thus reveal the pure metals. The analogy is that praise will reveal the person because others will examine and evaluate what an individual has done in order to make the public acclamation.

² tn Heb “and a man,” but the context does not indicate this is limited only to males.

³ tn The verb “is proved” was supplied in the translation in view of the analogy. Many English versions supply “tested” for the same reason.

sn The proverb is saying that public praise is usually a good measure of the qualities and contributions of a person. The other side of it is that righteousness is often denounced, but the proverb is not addressing everything that people say.

⁴ tn Heb “by [the] praise of him.” The pronominal suffix is an objective genitive, meaning “the praise about him” (= “the praise he receives”). Some commentators would take the suffix as a subjective genitive, meaning “the praise he gives”; this would mean people stand revealed by what they praise (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 168). That does not seem to work as well with the emblem of the first line which indicates being tested. The LXX adds a couplet: “The heart of the transgressor seeks evil; but the upright heart seeks knowledge.”