Have you ever looked at Proverbs 18:24 in the light of the common saying blood is thicker than water?

What do you see?

Do you see two opposing ideologies or harmony and agreement between the two?

Proverbs 18:24 from New Century Version (NCV)

Some friends may ruin you,
but a real friend will be more loyal than a brother.

If you would love to have it from the popular King James, it still holds the ideas of "...a friend that sticketh closer than a brother".
— Proverbs 18:24 (KJ)

This feels a little far off from our local understanding of "blood is thicker than water"

We use this expression when pushing the idea that family comes first. The idiom simply means that Family ties are stronger than other relationships, or at least that is what we think.

Here’s the truth: we’ve had it wrong all along.

That old idiom and Proverbs 18:24 are both saying the same thing. That there is more loyalty in a relationship we choose compared to the one we are born into

The conflict was created when we shortened the idiom and flipped its meaning. Below is the old and complete rendition of the idiom.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb"

Originally, this idiom meant that the friends/allies you choose to bleed for… are thicker than family you’re just born into.
This is the perspective that proverb was looking from when it saw a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

The idiom was shortened and its meaning was reversed such that we now understand it to mean that family comes before anything else.

From your experience, which of the blood has been thicker?

Do you agree with me if I say most families these days need some kind of blood thickener and that the thickness of family blood is not automatic, it is as a result of hard work and the bond of friendship that developed among them.

Na who stand with you when NEPA take light and gas finish, na im be your real brother.

Conclusion.

We have all been lied to. The thickness of family bond is not automatic. It is developed by the experiences you have had together, the challenges you have faced together and the depth of gratitude you owe each other. Just coming from the water of the same womb without a history together makes a blood that is lighter than water.

I would love the following to sample their opinion @okere-blessing, @dequeen and @josepha.

Media Credit

Composer	@manuelhooks
Graphics from	Galaxy-A15
Entry type	Freelance
Date	Wed.. 1st July
	(@) 2026