restraining her is like restraining the wind, or like grasping oil in his right hand.
Parallel Translations
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restraining her is like restraining the wind, or like grasping oil in his right hand.
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Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.
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He that would hide her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand betrayeth itself.
Cross-references (1)
Passages linked to Proverbs 27:16 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- John 12:3 Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (12 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 27:16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and…
Pro 27:16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, [which] bewrayeth [itself].
Ver. 16. Whosoever hideth her, hideth the wind,] i.e., One may as soon hide the wind, or hold it from blowing, as hide her shame, or hush her brawling. The wife should make her husband her covering, when she is abroad especially; but many wives are so intemperate and wilful, that a man may as well hide the wind in his fist, or oil in his clutch fist, as his wife’s infirmities. Let this be marked by those that venture upon shrews, if rich, fair, well descended, in hope to tame them and make them better.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Whosoever hideth her, i.e. attempts to smother or bridle…
Whosoever hideth her, i.e. attempts to smother or bridle her passion, that it may not break forth to her shame, and to his own discomfort and reproach,
hideth the wind; undertakes that which is impossible.
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The ointment of his right hand; which being the great instrument of action, by its much stirring diffuseth the savour of it.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit…
Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof,.... That takes care of a fig tree, either his own or another's, planted in his garden or vineyard; see Luk 13:6; who cultivates it, digs about and dungs it, and prunes it, and does everything necessary to it; when it brings forth fruit, and that is ripe and fit to eat, he eats of it, as it is but just he should; see Co1 9:7;
so he that waiteth on his master; or "that keeps his master" (k), his person from danger, and his goods faithfully committed to his trust; or "that observes his master" (l), that looks to his hand, observes his motions, directions, and commands;
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shall be honoured; as Joseph was in Potiphar's house, and elsewhere; and as all those are who observe the commandments of God, and are the servants of Christ; see Sa1 2:30.
(k) "qui custodit", Pagninus, Mercerus, Gejerus; "custodiens", Montanus; "qui custos est domini sui", V. L. (l) "Observat", Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis; "observans", Cocceius, Schultens.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Hideth - Attempts to smother her passion. Right-hand -…
Hideth - Attempts to smother her passion. Right-hand - Which being the great instrument of action, by its much stirring, diffuses the savour of it.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 16. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind] You…
Verse 16. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind] You may as well attempt to repress the blowing of the wind, as the tongue of a scold; and to conceal this unfortunate propensity of a wife is as impossible as to hush the storm, and prevent its sound from being heard.
The ointment of his right hand] You can no more conceal such a woman's conduct, than you can the smell of the aromatic oil with which your hand has been anointed. The Hebrew is very obscure, and is variously translated. Coverdale thus: "He that refrayneth her, refrayneth the wynde; and holdith oyle fast in his honde." That is, he attempts to do what is impossible to be done.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The point is the impossibility of concealment or restraint.…
The point is the impossibility of concealment or restraint. A person cannot hide the wind, or clasp it in his hands. If he takes an unguent in his right hand, the odor betrays him, or it slips out. So, in like manner, the “contentious woman” is one whose faults it is impossible either to hide or check. The difficulty of the proverb led to a different reading, adopted by the versions, “The north wind is rough, and yet it is called propitious”; it clears off the clouds and brings fine weather.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Hand. As it will flow away, such as woman…
Hand. As it will flow away, such as woman is commonly incorrigible. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain hideth--or, "restrains" (that is, tries to do it); is…
hideth--or, "restrains" (that is, tries to do it); is as fruitless an effort, as that of holding the wind.
the ointment of his right hand--the organ of power (Psa 17:7; Psa 18:35). His right hand endeavors to repress perfume, but vainly. Some prefer: "His right hand comes on oil," that is, "cannot take hold." Such a woman cannot be tamed.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 16. Hideth her… bewrayeth itself — This verse is…
16. Hideth her… bewrayeth itself — This verse is obscure and variously rendered. The difficulty is chiefly in determining the root of the verb יקרא, (yikra,) translated “bewrayeth.” One root would give us call, call out, declare, etc.; the other, happen, befall, encounter, etc. Different interpreters render according to their idea on this subject. A few specimens may be given: “He that refraineth her refraineth the wind, and holdeth oil fast in his right hand.” — Coverdale. “Ointment which discovers itself.” — Boothroyd. “Conceal the fragrant oil which is upon his right hand.” — Trench. “Cometh upon oil.” — Stuart. “Encounters oil.” — Conant. “It is altogether as impossible for him to keep the wind from blowing, or to inclose a fragrant oil in his right hand so that its perfume shall not be perceived, as to make her hold her tongue, or to conceal her bawling humour.” — Patrick. “He that hideth her, hideth the winde, and she is as ye oyle in his sight that vttereth itself.” — Geneva Bible. The proverb is understood to be a sequel to the one preceding.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 16. Whosoever hideth &c.] The verse is better rendered:
16. Whosoever hideth &c.] The verse is better rendered:
He that would restrain her restraineth the wind,
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And his right hand meets with oil.
“She is as subtle as wind, as slippery as oil,” Rel. Tr. Soc. Comm.
The A.V. takes the second clause of the verse to mean, You might as well try to conceal ointment in your right hand, which would certainly betray its presence, either by its odour, or by trickling through your fingers. But the proverb is at once more forcible and more harmonious, when it speaks of restraining the wind and grasping the oil.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (16) Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind—i.e., you might…
(16) Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind—i.e., you might as well try and stop the wind from blowing as seek to restrain her.
And the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.—Rather, perhaps, and oil meeteth his right hand—i.e., if he puts out his hand to stop her she slips through it like oil.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind. Whoever tries to…
Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind. Whoever tries to restrain a shrewish woman, or to conceal her faults, might as well attempt to confine the wind or to check its violence. And the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself. He might as well try to hide the ointment which signifies its presence by its odour. But there is no "which" in the original, which runs literally, "his right hand calls oil," or, "oil meets his right hand." The former is supposed to mean that he is hurt in the struggle to coerce the vixen, and needs ointment to heal his wound; but the latter seems the correct rendering, and the meaning then is that, if he tries to hold or stop his wife, she escapes him like the oil which you try in vain to keep in your hand. An old adage says that there are three things which cannot be hidden, but always betray themselves, viz. a woman, the wind, and ointment. The LXX has read the Hebrew differently, translating, "The northwind is harsh, but by name it is called lucky (epidexiov );" i.e. because it clears the sky and introduces fine weather. The Syriac, Aquila, and Symmachus have adopted the same reading.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.