▼5:17When applied to doctrine, this verse and the previous one can be understood in a number of ways. Concerning doctrine, one can distribute it far and wide, sharing it in the streets. Or one can keep it to oneself, so that only you and God know your thoughts about the Faith. But in either case, one cannot ‘let strangers be partakers’ casting the pearls of true doctrine before those swine who ridicule and despise the truth.(Conte)

▼5:17It is not so unusual to have two consecutive verses that seem to contradict one another. This technique of writing causes the reader to think about the correct meaning of each verse. This is also seen later in Proverbs when the topic is responding to the foolish according to their folly.(Conte)