Proverbs 18:16

A person’s gift ¹  makes room for him, and leads him ²  before important people.

A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.

A man’s gift makes room for him And brings him before great men.

Giving a gift works wonders; it may bring you before important people!

A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people.

A man’s offering makes room for him, letting him come before great men.

A gift opens doors; it gives access to the great.

A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.

A person’s gift ¹  makes room for him, and leads him ²  before important people.

¹ sn The Hebrew term translated “gift” is a more general term than “bribe” (שֹׁחַד, shokhad), used in 17:8, 23. But it also has danger (e.g., 15:27; 21:14), for by giving gifts one might learn how influential they are and use them for bribes. The proverb simply states that a gift can expedite matters.

² sn The two verbs here show a progression, helping to form the synthetic parallelism. The gift first “makes room” (יַרְחִיב, yarkhiv) for the person, that is, extending a place for him, and then “ushers him in” (יַנְחֵנּוּ, yakhenu) among the greats.