Straight from today’s Quotle — here’s who really said it, and the story behind it. Play again

Who really said it

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity

Written in King James Bible (Book of Proverbs) Proverbs 17:17 · first published 1611
Verified Free to reuse

This is a genuine verse: Proverbs 17:17 in the King James Version (1611), confirmed word-for-word against multiple KJV texts. The English wording is the King James translators’ rendering of the Hebrew of Proverbs; modern translations reword the same verse (e.g. “A friend loves at all times”).

Last verified 10 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

Put it on a slide

Verified quote & credit

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” Proverbs 17:17, King James Version (1611).

Can you use it?

Free to use, including in commercial and paid presentations — no permission or licence needed.

Image direction — grounded in this quote’s real context; paste into your image tool

In context

Evoking the world of King James Bible (Book of Proverbs) — King James Version, first published 1611. Theme: "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Reference
Proverbs 17:17
Work
The Holy Bible, King James Version
Translation
King James Version (1611; standard text 1769 Blayney revision)
Original language
Biblical Hebrew

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

The verse as printed in the King James Version of Proverbs 17:17.

Proverbs 17:17 (KJV) at Bible Gateway

How we verified this

  • The exact KJV wording is confirmed at Bible Hub’s KJV text ↗: “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
  • King James Bible Online ↗ prints the identical verse for Proverbs 17:17.
  • Modern translations render the same Hebrew verse differently — e.g. the NLT’s “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need” (Bible.com ↗) — so the archaic “loveth…born for adversity” phrasing is specifically the King James wording.
Public domain

The King James Version was first published in 1611 (the standard modern text is the 1769 Blayney revision), far earlier than 1931, so the English wording is public domain in the United States. (In the United Kingdom the KJV is under perpetual Crown copyright, but that does not affect US public-domain status.)

This reflects the original work, which is public domain. If your exact English wording comes from a specific modern translation, that translation may itself still be under copyright — check the edition you quote.

Fact-check

Often misattributed

The credit here is essentially correct — this is a real Bible verse. The main thing worth flagging is wording, not authorship.

Modern Bible translations paraphrase

The archaic phrasing “loveth at all times…born for adversity” belongs specifically to the King James Version. Modern versions reword the same verse — the NLT reads “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need” (Bible.com ↗). Quoting the KJV form is genuine; attributing that exact phrasing to a modern translation would be inaccurate.

Genuine and correctly credited: it is Proverbs 17:17 in the King James Version ↗, confirmed verbatim.

Context

Why it endures

Proverbs 17:17 is one of the Bible’s most-quoted lines on friendship and loyalty. The two clauses work as a Hebrew parallelism: a true friend loves consistently — “at all times” — and a brother (or kinsman) proves himself precisely when trouble comes.

The King James wording, with its “loveth” and “born for adversity,” is the form that circulates on cards, sermons and memorials, which is why it is worth pinning to the specific 1611 translation rather than a later paraphrase.

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Friendship Resilience

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Proverbs 17:17 (KJV) — Bible Gatewaybiblegateway.com

Standard KJV text of the verse, searchable by translation.
Proverbs 17:17 KJV — Bible Hubbiblehub.com

KJV verse text with parallel translations and Hebrew interlinear.
Proverbs 17:17 — King James Bible Onlinekingjamesbibleonline.org

KJV verse with cross-references and commentary.
Proverbs 17:17 interlinear (Hebrew)biblehub.com

Hebrew original of the verse with word-by-word English.
Proverbs 17:17 — Bible Study Toolsbiblestudytools.com

Verse across multiple translations for wording comparison.

The author

About the source

King James Bible (Book of Proverbs)

Proverbs 17:17 · King James Version, first published 1611

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of Hebrew wisdom sayings in the Old Testament, traditionally associated with King Solomon. The King James Version (Authorized Version) was produced by a body of English scholars and first published in 1611; its stately English gave this verse the enduring form “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Primary source — Chicago

Proverbs 17:17, in The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611; standard text, 1769 Blayney revision).

MLA (9th ed.)

The Holy Bible. King James Version, 1769 Blayney revision, Proverbs 17:17.

APA (7th ed.)

The Holy Bible, King James Version. (1769). Blayney revision. Proverbs 17:17. (Original work published 1611)

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity’?” Last verified 10 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/a-friend-loveth-at-all-times-and-a-brother-is-born-for

Copied