Singing songs to a troubled heart is like removing a coat in cold or pouring vinegar on soda.
Cheer aimed at the wrong moment is described in Proverbs 25:20: Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is he who sings songs to a troubled heart (v. 20). Solomon names a particular kind of unkindness.
Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day. To remove warmth in cold weather is to compound the suffering of the cold. Vinegar on soda (the ancient soda referred to here is sodium carbonate) produces a violent chemical reaction. Both images describe additions that make the situation worse.
He who sings songs to a troubled heart. The man who responds to deep grief with cheerful songs, jokes, or upbeat encouragement compounds the grief rather than relieving it. He has read the moment wrong. Romans 12:15 gives the right rule: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." Wisdom matches its tone to the listener's actual condition.
Proverbs 25:20
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda,
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Proverbs 25:20 meaning
Cheer aimed at the wrong moment is described in Proverbs 25:20: Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is he who sings songs to a troubled heart (v. 20). Solomon names a particular kind of unkindness.
Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day. To remove warmth in cold weather is to compound the suffering of the cold. Vinegar on soda (the ancient soda referred to here is sodium carbonate) produces a violent chemical reaction. Both images describe additions that make the situation worse.
He who sings songs to a troubled heart. The man who responds to deep grief with cheerful songs, jokes, or upbeat encouragement compounds the grief rather than relieving it. He has read the moment wrong. Romans 12:15 gives the right rule: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." Wisdom matches its tone to the listener's actual condition.