89。有一朋友比弟兄更亲,这里的朋友并非指耶稣基督

作者:小草

前不久我写了一文《称“主是我的朋友”符合圣经吗?》,有人不赞同,说,箴言书里有说基督徒可以称主为朋友。虽然此人不具体说出是哪句经文,但我猜是指这节经文,“但有一朋友,比弟兄更亲。”(箴18:24)因为确实有人认为这里的朋友是在指基督耶稣。但这样的解释和理解对吗?

“但有一朋友,比弟兄更亲”,是箴18:24的下半句,整节的经句是,“滥交朋友的、自取败坏.但有一朋友、比弟兄更亲密。”这节经句的几个英文版本为:

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NIV);

A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NASB);

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (KJV)

从英文版可见,有一朋友用的是 there is a friend, 而不是 the Friend, 或 there is a Friend,所以,这不是指特定的一位朋友,而只是泛指有一朋友,也即,有朋友会比弟兄更亲密。

现来看整句经文”滥交朋友的、自取败坏.但有一朋友、比弟兄更亲密。”显然,这是在教导如何交友。前半句,教导不要滥交朋友,朋友并不在于多,不要广交朋友,后半句则是在教导要交什么样的朋友,也就是,要交那种,比弟兄更亲密的朋友,因为真正的朋友是,“朋友乃时常亲爱”。(箴17:17)

如果说,比弟兄更亲密的朋友只能是指基督耶稣的话,那么,除非在人与人之间不存在比弟兄更亲密的朋友,但这显然是不符合事实的。大卫和约拿单的爱情,堪称千古绝唱,经上说,“约拿单的心、与大卫的心、深相契合.约拿单爱大卫、如同爱自己的性命。”(撒上18:1)约拿单对大卫比弟兄更亲密,他们的友情,就是交友的典范。所以,人间是存在比弟兄更亲密的朋友,而非此友只应天上有。

这节经文的 英文NLV版为:There are "friends" who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. 中文直译就是,“有的“朋友”是相互毁灭,但真正的朋友是比弟兄还亲。”我觉得这样的翻译,就比较直白,不会有多少歧意。

美国的约翰麦卡瑟牧师(John MacArthur)对箴18:24这节经文的解释如下:

Proverbs 18:24 is kind of an interesting verse just jumping outside of our ten chapter fence a little bit. Proverbs 18:24 at first reading looks a little hard to understand in English, “A man of many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” It’s kind of an interesting verse in the Hebrew. It says a man of many rea comes to ruin, but there is a aheb who sticks closer than a brother. It’s two different words for friend. A man who just wants a lot of acquaintances, who wants to be everybody’s buddy is going to be in trouble. Better you should have a deep friend, an aheb, a loving friend who is loyal and honest and uplifting and holds you accountable, who lifts you up. Better a few of the right kind of friendships than a lot of the wrong kind.

---引自《John MacArthur on Proverbs (Part 4) “Bad company corrupts…”

麦卡瑟牧师说,这节经文上半句和下半句里的朋友,在希伯来文里用的是不同的两个词,他解释的大意是:一个人若只是要很多的熟人,和谁都是好朋友、好伙伴,这人就将落在麻烦和苦恼里。比较好的是,有个深交的、亲爱的,忠心的好友,他能鼓舞你向上。宁可只有几个好友,胜过许多坏友。

综上论证,箴言里的这句经文,“有一朋友比弟兄更亲“,这里的朋友并非指耶稣基督,不能成为信徒可以称主为朋友的根据。那些认为这句里的朋友是在指耶稣基督的,只是出于人自己的想当然,并没有别的经文作为依据,整本圣经里,也找不到信徒称神为朋友的例子。