Proverbs 18:19
A brother that is helped by his brother, is like a strong city: and judgments are like the bars of cities.
Open Proverbs 18:19 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Frater qui adjuvatur a fratre quasi civitas firma, et judicia quasi vectes urbium.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἀδελφὸς ὑπὸ ἀδελφοῦ βοηθούμενος ὡς πόλις ὀχυρὰ καὶ ὑψηλή, ἰσχύει δὲ ὥσπερ τεθεμελιωμένον βασίλειον.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- אָ֗ח נִפְשָׁ֥ע מִקִּרְיַת עֹ֑ז ומדונים כִּבְרִ֥יחַ אַרְמֽוֹן
Haydock's commentary
Judgments of many are more deserving of credit. Hebrew, "a brother offended, is like a strong place, and their quarrels," &c. They are not easily reconciled. Civil wars are most terrible. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Chrysostom A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Homily III on Acts i. 12
If then there were only the responsibility of the office itself for people to run after in the episcopate, none would be so quick to accept it. But as things go, we run after this, just as we do after the dignities of the world. That we may have glory with men, we lose ourselves with God. What profit in such honor? How self-evident its nothingness is! When you covet the episcopal rank, put in the other scale, the account to be rendered after this life. Weigh against it, the happiness of a life free from toil, take into account the different measure of the punishment. I mean, that even if you have sinned, but in your own person merely, you will have no such great punishment, nothing like it: but if you have sinned as bishop, you are lost. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 10.19-23
Then he adds the perfect thing, love. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” which some (he says) do, and divide the assemblies. For “a brother helped by a brother is as a strong city.” ( Prov. xviii. 19 , LXX.)
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 12.11-13
This is friendship; thus “brother aided by brother becomes a fortified city.” ( Prov. xviii. 19 .) For not eating and drinking makes friendship: such friendship even robbers have and murderers. But if we are friends, if we truly care for one another, let us in these respects help one another. This leads us to a profitable friendship: let us hinder those things which lead away to hell.
St Gregory the Great Book IX, To Syagrius, Bishop of Augustodunum (Autun)
Now it has been reported to us that our most beloved brother Ursicinus, bishop of the city of Taurini, after the captivity and plunder which he endured, has suffered serious prejudice in his parishes, which are said to be situated within the boundaries of the Franks, even to the extent of another person being constituted bishop there in contravention of ecclesiastical ordinances, no crime of his demanding it. And, lest this prejudicial proceeding should perchance seem to be a light matter, there has been also some hardship added in the taking from him of the property of his Church which he might have held. …