Proverbs 27.5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.

 Q - Tito pwede po ba magbigay kayo ng optional interpretation and application of

Proverbs 27.5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Sawang-sawa na po akong madinig yan being used /abused by self-righteous people every time may gusto silang i-judge o pakialaman!

Something inside me tells me very strongly na mali ang understanding and use nila of this verse kasi parang the verse becomes a license to hurt needlessly.

A -

One version, NLV, says:

“Sharp words spoken in the open are better than love that is hidden.”

In most proverbs the message is put across by presenting opposite/clashing ideas or options, and

THERE ARE TWO OPPOSITE IDEAS IN PROVERBS 27.5:

1. THE DESIRABLE, which is love /being loved

and

2. THE UNDESIRABLE which is being rebuked, especially openly/publicly. (The pain of this experience is never “desirable”.)

The verse could be poetically saying this idea:

• While love is desirable, IF it is only in secret and unexpressed,

then something undesirable ---like being rebuked openly---

could be considered as better.

Puede ring tingnan yung ideas here, not as opposites, but as alike.

For example, parehong masakit:

Masakit ma-open rebuke pero

mas masakit maibig ng palihim lang.

=

Mas mabuti pa ma-open rebuke

kesa ma-secret love.

Of course, arte lang to. Hindi talaga mean.

In other words,

• Being loved is desirable; being openly rebuked is not desirable.

But receiving something undesirable like an open rebuke could be considered better than being the object of a secret love (which one would rather like to be the one OPEN, instead of the rebuke!)

Katulad ng paghahambing ng dalawang parehong sorrow, like

Mabuting pang mamatay (undesirable)

kesa mabuhay ng wala ka (mas undesirable.)

=

Mas mabuti pang ma-rebuke openly kesa mamahal ng lihim lamang.

Puede ring ironic way or presenting the message which is:

Dapar yung love ang open at yung rebuke ang secret (private)

The core idea could actually be :

LOVE, instead of rebuke, SHOULD BE EXPRESSED OPENLY.

In an exaggerated way, this proverb says

Mas mabuti pang tumanggap ng masakit na open rebuke kesa tumanggap ng secret love.

Ang tunay na message:

GAWING OPEN ANG SECRET LOVE

at

GAWING SECRET ANG OPEN REBUKE.

The verse should not be read as a license for self-appointed critics and judges to openly / callously rebuke anyone and everyone.

Why do we think that the verse is better interpreted this way?

Kasi ang Proverbs ay collection of WISDOM.

And by the painful, harsh and divisive fruits of indiscriminate open rebuke, it is obvious that the usual interpretation is NOT wise.

THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE VERSE COULD not HAVE BEEN TO WEAPONIZE THE TONGUES OF THE JUDGMENTAL

AND PAKI-ALAMERA/O the way it happens when Proverbs 27.5 is

Interpreted as a license to openly, publicly and painfully rebuke anyone and everyone.

Also, kung gusting i-interpret along the usual way, puede rin naman but only if the two main ideas in the verse are noted: REBUKE and LOVE.

So why not read as:

MAKE YOUR LOVE OPEN and YOUR REBUKE SECRET.

Or

REBUKE IN A LOVING WAY.

Or

REBUKE OUT OF LOVE; rebuke only those you truly love kasi kung di mo love, magiging harsh ka lang.

Or

Rebuke because you love, so your rebuke would be done in a loving way.

WHY do we think the verse should be read in this more loving way?

Because Proverbs is a collection of wisdom. mas faithful to the intent of Proverbs ang wise, kind, loving, diplomatic, conciliatory interpretation than a self-righteous, abusive one.