Flattery May be True

(Pro 2:16 KJV) To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

There are so many areas of our pride that the world “flatters” (2505b).  There are two words in the Hebrew that look the same to me but have slightly different meanings.  I am not sure how the translators decide on things like this.  One means to divide and the other means slippery.  I guess that is not a bad way to understand flattery.

The seduction of flattery is that we want to believe what people are saying.  The subtle part of flattery is that the statements might even be true.  Often we are disarmed in the battle of wits when someone points out that we are honest and reliable.  Somehow that can weaken our resistance to compromise.

So?  Beware of people saying nice things about you.  They might be true.  You might think it puts you in a special category.