Let another man's mouth praise you, ideally a stranger's mouth rather than your own.
The instinct to praise oneself is the focus of Proverbs 27:2: Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips (v. 2).
Praise that comes from someone else carries weight. Praise that comes from one's own mouth has none. The wise man understands the asymmetry and refuses to spend words on himself.
The verse intensifies with A stranger, and not your own lips. Even better than praise from a friend or family member is praise from a stranger, someone with no obligation to flatter. The stranger's compliment is a freer reading of the man, and therefore a more reliable one. This can be compared with 2 Corinthians 10:18, "It is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends." Real reputation rises without the man pushing it up.
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Proverbs 27:2 meaning
The instinct to praise oneself is the focus of Proverbs 27:2: Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, a stranger, and not your own lips (v. 2).
Praise that comes from someone else carries weight. Praise that comes from one's own mouth has none. The wise man understands the asymmetry and refuses to spend words on himself.
The verse intensifies with A stranger, and not your own lips. Even better than praise from a friend or family member is praise from a stranger, someone with no obligation to flatter. The stranger's compliment is a freer reading of the man, and therefore a more reliable one. This can be compared with 2 Corinthians 10:18, "It is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends." Real reputation rises without the man pushing it up.