Proverbschapter 12
28 verses · KJVProverbs book hub →
A.Whoso Loveth Correction Loveth Knowledgevv. 1-14
Proverbs 12:1-3
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: opens the chapter's discipline cluster, and the bench notes the reversal built into the second half: to hate reproof is not merely foolish but brutish, the word picturing a man reduced below his own humanity. A good man obtains favour of the Lord while a man of wicked devices is condemned by him, and the same contrast is restated in foundations: wickedness cannot establish a man, but the root of the righteous is not moved, however hard the wind blows against it.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:1, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:1
“Brutish - Dumb as a brute beast. The difference between man and brute lies chiefly in the capacity of the former for progress and improvement, and that capacity depends upon his willingness to submit to discipline and education. Compare Psa 49:12.”
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:2, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:2
“A good man obtaineth favor - First, it is God who makes him good; for every child of Adam is bad till the grace of God changes his heart. Secondly, while he walks in the path of obedience he increases in goodness, and consequently in the favor of the Lord.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:3, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:3
“What is the care and aim of a good man: His root yields fruit, and is his strength and stability, and that is it that he desires, to do good and to be fixed and confirmed in doing good. The wicked desires only a net wherewith to fish for himself; the righteous desires to yield fruit for the benefit of others and God's glory, Rom. xiv.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Proverbs 12:4
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: plants in one line the word the whole book closes on, the acrostic portrait of Proverbs 31, and here the same woman is set against her opposite, one that maketh ashamed, pictured as rottenness eating the husband's bones from within. The bench reads the contrast as deliberately extreme, honor that adorns against decay that consumes, because the book treats the choice of a wife as one of the largest decisions a man makes.
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:4, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:4
“A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband - אשת חיל esheth chayil, a strong woman.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Proverbs 12:4
“A virtuous woman--in the wide sense of well-disposed to all moral duties (Pr 31:10). maketh ashamed--that is, by misconduct. rottenness--an incurable evil.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Proverbs 12:5-7
The thoughts of the righteous are right: while the counsels of the wicked are deceit, moving the contrast inward to the mind before it reaches the mouth, and the wicked man's own words are said to lie in wait for blood even as the upright man's mouth works to deliver the innocent from that same trap. The wicked are overthrown and are not is stated with the same finality Psalm 37 gives the wicked man's sudden end, while the house of the righteous, built on a different foundation, stands.
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:5, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:5
“The thoughts of the righteous are judgments, etc. The righteous judge their actions by diligent meditation, to see if they please the Lord, lest, by any chance, being less careful, the heavenly arbiter dispenses adversities against them invisibly; according to that of the Apostle, If …”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Proverbs 12:5
“The thoughts of the righteous are right,.... Or "judgment" (o).”
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:7, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:7
“The wicked are overthrown, and are not,.... With such an overthrow as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Proverbs 12:7
“The wicked are overthrown - Seldom does God give such a long life or numerous offspring. But the house of the righteous shall stand - God blesses their progeny, and their families continue long in the earth; whereas the wicked seldom have many generations in a direct line. This is God’s mercy, that the entail of iniquity may be in some sort cut off, so that the same vices may not be strengthened by successive generations. For generally the bad root produces not only a bad plant, but one worse than itself.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Proverbs 12:8-9
A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: sets the standard the next verse tests with an example: better to be despised and have a servant, keeping a household running, than to honor oneself while lacking bread. The bench reads this as the book's practical realism about status, since real provision outweighs empty self-regard however the neighbors rank a man.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:8, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:8
“A man will be known by his doctrine. Scripture usually calls those endowed with divine virtues men. Hence the Apostle: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men (I Cor. XVI). Therefore, a man is known by his doctrine, because if he teaches …”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:9, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:9
“Better is the poor who is sufficient for himself, etc. Better is the simple and humble brother, who, working the good he knows, earns life in heaven, than he who is renowned for scripture learning or even performs the office of a doctor, but lacks …”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Proverbs 12:9
“Two interpretations are equally tenable; (1) as in the King James Version, He whom men despise, or who is “lowly” in his own eyes (compare 1Sa 18:23), if he has a slave, i. e., if he is one step above absolute poverty, and has some one to supply his wants, is better off than the man who boasts of rank or descent and has nothing to eat. Respectable mediocrity is better than boastful poverty. (2) he who, though despised, is a servant to himself, i. e., supplies his own wants, is better than the arrogant and helpless.”
Proverbs 12:10
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: states the book's animal ethic in a single verse, the care a righteous man extends downward to a creature under his authority, while the tender mercies of the wicked are called cruel, since even his kindness carries an edge. The bench connects the verse to the law's own provisions for animal rest and relief, reading righteousness as a quality that shows itself in how power is used over the powerless.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:10, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:10
“But the compassion of the wicked is cruel. Who not only do not sympathize with those under them, but also, according to what the Lord says: Beat the male and female servants, saying, My master is delayed in coming (Luke XII).”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Proverbs 12:11-12
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: commends steady labor against the man who follows vain persons and is called void of understanding for the company he keeps rather than any single act. The wicked desireth the net of evil men, wanting the plunder without the planting, while the root of the righteous yields fruit on its own, the same organic image the chapter used already at verse 3.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:11, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:11
“The contrast is carried on between the life of industry and that of the idle, “vain person” of the “baser sort” (the “Raca” of Mat 5:22). We might have expected that the second clause would have ended with such words as “shall lack bread,” but the contrast goes deeper. Idleness leads to a worse evil than that of hunger.”
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:12, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:12
“The wicked desireth the net of evil men,.... To be master of all the wicked arts and methods evil men use to ensnare and oppress others; to get them and their substance into their hands; or "desireth the evil net", as the Targum; the evil net of antichrist, which he lays for the poor, whom he draws into it and catches them; see Psa 10:9. Jarchi understands it of "hunting" (t) and of wicked men desiring to be fed and nourished with what evil men get by hunting; compare with this Eze 13:”
Proverbs 12:12
“The meaning seems to be: The “net of evil men” (compare Pro 1:17) is that in which they are taken, the judgment of God in which they are ensnared. This they run into with such a blind infatuation, that it seems as if they were in love with their own destruction. The marginal rendering gives the thought that the wicked seek the protection of others like themselves, but seek in vain; the “root of the just” (i. e., that in them which is fixed and stable) alone yields that protection.”
Proverbs 12:13-16
The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: while the just comes out of trouble, and the next verse widens the principle: a man is satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth just as surely as his hands are repaid for what they do. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but the man who hearkens to counsel is called wise for the simple willingness to be corrected, and the cluster closes on temper: a fool's wrath shows itself at once, while a prudent man covers shame rather than airing it.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:13, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:13
“The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips - A man who deals in lies and false oaths will sooner or later be found out to his own ruin. There is another proverb as true as this: A liar had need of a good memory; for as the truth is not in him, he says and unsays, and often contradicts himself.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
B.Rash Words Pierce; the Tongue of the Wise Is Healthvv. 15-28
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:16, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:16
“The fool immediately shows his anger, etc. He who desires to avenge himself in the present is a fool; but he who disregards an injury for the sake of the Lord is wise. Another translation of this verse says, the fool immediately pronounces his anger, …”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Proverbs 12:16
“A fool’s wrath is presently known - We have a proverb very like this, and it will serve for illustration: - A fool’s bolt is soon shot. A weak-minded man has no self-government; he is easily angered, and generally speaks whatever comes first to his mind.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Proverbs 12:17-22
He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: The chapter gathers six proverbs on the tongue into one sustained cluster, opening with truth shown forth in speech against the false witness who shows deceit instead. Words are pictured first as a weapon, piercings of a sword, and then as medicine, the tongue of the wise bringing health, and truth is given permanence, established for ever, while a lying tongue lasts only a moment before it is found out. The cluster closes on the chapter's own key theme of deceit, no evil happening to the just while the wicked are filled with mischief, and lying lips named an abomination to the Lord exactly as the false balance was at 11:1, with those who deal truly called his delight.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:17, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:17
“The thought which lies below the surface is that of the inseparable union between truth and justice. The end does not justify the means, and only he who breathes and utters truth makes the righteous cause clear.”
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:18, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:18
“There is that speaketh - Instead of בוטה boteh, blabbing out, blustering, several MSS. have בוטח boteach, Trusting: and instead of כמדקרות kemadkeroth, As the piercings, seven MSS., with the Complutensian Polyglot, have במדקרות bemadkeroth, In the piercings. “There is that trusteth in the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” But I suppose the former to be the true reading.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:19, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:19
“The lip of truth shall be established forever, etc. The faith of the Church shall always remain. But he who suddenly introduces new dogmas is a minister of the heretic.”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:20, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:20
“The “deceit” of “those who imagine evil” can work nothing but evil to those whom they advise. The “counselors of peace” have joy in themselves, and impart it to others also.”
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:21, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:21
“There shall no evil happen to the just,.... The evil of sin: no iniquity, as the Targum; which, and the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, interpret of sin not being agreeable, convenient, suit able, and pleasing to a righteous man. Moreover, the Lord, by his Spirit and grace, weakens the power of sin in them; and, by his providence, prevents and removes occasion of sinning; and by his power preserves from it, from being overcome and carried away with it, at least finally and totally.”
Proverbs 12:21
“There shall no evil happen to the just - No, for all things work together for good to them that love God. Whatever occurs to a righteous man God turns to his advantage. But, on the other hand, the wicked are filled with mischief: they are hurt, grieved, and wounded, by every occurrence; and nothing turns to their profit.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Proverbs 12:23-25
A prudent man concealeth knowledge: , holding back what does not need saying, while the heart of fools proclaims foolishness for lack of the same restraint. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule while the slothful fall under tribute, a proverb the bench reads against Israel's own history of servitude to more industrious neighbors, and heaviness in a man's heart makes it stoop while a good word, spoken at the right time, makes it glad again.
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:23, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:23
“A shrewd man conceals knowledge. Shrewd in this place is understood in a good sense, that is, wise and prudent, who sometimes conceals his knowledge out of prudence: for two reasons, either not being able to speak to weak listeners as to spiritual ones, but …”
Bede· eighth century· Commentary on Proverbspatristic
Proverbs 12:23
“A prudent man concealeth knowledge - “If a fool hold his peace he may pass for a wise man.” I have known men of some learning, so intent on immediately informing a company how well cultivated their minds were, that they have passed either for insignificant pedants or stupid asses.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:24, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:24
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule - And why? because by his own industry he is independent; and every such person is respected wherever found.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:25, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:25
“Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop - Sorrow of heart, hopeless love, or a sense of God’s displeasure - these prostrate the man, and he becomes a child before them. But a good word maketh it glad - A single good or favorable word will remove despondency; and that word, “Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee,” will instantly remove despair.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Proverbs 12:25
“Those therefore that are inclined to it should watch and pray against it. The cure of it: A good word from God, applied by faith, makes it glad; such a word is that (says one of the rabbin), Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; the good word of God, particularly the gospel, is designed to make the hearts glad that are weary and heavy-laden, Matt. xi.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Proverbs 12:26-28
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: while the way of the wicked leads its own followers astray, and the sluggard proverb that follows draws the same contrast in miniature: he will not even roast what he caught hunting, too lazy to finish what his own labor started, while the diligent man's substance is called precious. The chapter closes on its plainest line, in the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death, stated without qualification as the chapter's own summary.
Voices on this verse, 1What a preacher or commentator has said about Proverbs 12:26, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:26
“The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor - That is, if the neighbor be a wicked man. The spirit of the proverb lies here: The Poor righteous man is more excellent than his sinful neighbor, though affluent and noble. The Syriac has it, “The righteous deviseth good to his neighbor.” A late commentator has translated it, “The righteous explore their pastures.” How מרעהו can be translated Their pastures I know not; but none of the versions understood it in this way.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Voices on this verse, 2What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:27, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:27
“The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting,.... Because he takes none. The slothful man takes no pains to get anything for a livelihood, by hunting or otherwise; and though he loves to live well, and eat roast meat, yet what he roasts is not what he has got himself, but what another has laboured for. It is observed (o) that fowlers burn the wings of birds taken by them, that they may not fly away; to which the allusion may be.”
Proverbs 12:27
“The word rendered “roasteth” occurs nowhere else; but the interpretation of the King James Version is widely adopted. Others render the first clause thus: “The slothful man will not secure (keep in his net) what he takes in hunting,” i. e., will let whatever he gains slip from his hands through want of effort and attention.”
Voices on this verse, 3What preachers and commentators have said about Proverbs 12:28, in their own words.
Proverbs 12:28
"The souls of those that bear a settled hatred are to death," says Solomon. But our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says in the gospels: "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift to God." .
Apostolic Constitutions· fourth century· CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLESpatristic
Proverbs 12:28
“In the way of righteousness is life,.... The life of the soul, or spiritual life, as Aben Ezra; and eternal life, as Gersom.”
Proverbs 12:28
“In the way of righteousness is life - חיים chaiyim, lives; life temporal, and life eternal. And in the pathway thereof there is no death - Not only do the general precepts and promises of God lead to life eternal, and promote life temporal; but every duty, every act of faith, patience of hope, and labor of love, though requiring much self-abasement, self-denial, and often an extension of corporal strength, all lead to life.”
Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Where the chapter sits
Proverbs 12 falls in Solomon's proverbs proper (chapters 10–24). Short antithetical and synonymous couplets; the core of the book's gnomic register. Ch 22:17–24:34 labeled ''words of the wise''.
Before it: Sayings of Solomon: long discourses, chapters 1–9. After it: Hezekiah's men: Solomon's proverbs copied, chapters 25–29.
The whole shape of Proverbs→Key words
The Hebrew words this chapter turns on, by how often it uses them. Each one opens its word study.
| Word | What it means | Verses |
|---|---|---|
| צַדִּיקtsaddîyq8 times, as צַ֝דִּיקִ֗ים, צַדִּיקִ֣ים, צַ֭דִּיק | righteous | 3, 5, 7, 10 and 4 more |
| רָשָׁעrâshâʻ7 times, as רְשָׁעִ֣ים, רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים, רָ֭שָׁע | wicked | 5, 6, 7, 10 and 3 more |
| לֵבlêb5 times, as לֵ֝֗ב, לֵֽב׃, בְּלֶב־ | heart | 8, 11, 20, 23 and 1 more |
| טוֹבṭôwb4 times, as ט֗וֹב, ט֣וֹב, ט֑וֹב | pleasant | 2, 9, 14, 25 |
| אִישׁʼîysh4 times, as וְאִ֖ישׁ, אִ֑ישׁ, אִ֭ישׁ | man | 2, 8, 14, 25 |
| אָדָםʼâdâm4 times, as אָדָ֣ם, אָ֝דָ֗ם, אָדָ֖ם | man | 3, 14, 23, 27 |
Cross references
The 8 chapters this one speaks with, most first. Open a row for the verses it shares.
Proverbs 147 verses
Proverbs 12:4
Proverbs 14:1Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.Proverbs 12:6
Proverbs 14:3In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.Proverbs 12:17
Proverbs 14:5A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.Proverbs 12:15
Proverbs 14:16A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.Proverbs 12:11
Proverbs 14:23In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.Proverbs 12:17
Proverbs 14:25A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.- Read Proverbs 14: 1 more there →
Proverbs 104 verses
Proverbs 12:24
Proverbs 10:4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.Proverbs 12:16
Proverbs 10:12Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.Proverbs 12:23
Proverbs 10:19In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.Proverbs 12:3, 7
Proverbs 10:25As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.- Read Proverbs 10 →
Proverbs 114 verses
Proverbs 12:13
Proverbs 11:8The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.Proverbs 12:23
Proverbs 11:13A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.Proverbs 12:22
Proverbs 11:20They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the Lord: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.Proverbs 12:7
Proverbs 11:21Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.- Read Proverbs 11 →
Proverbs 134 verses
Proverbs 12:14
Proverbs 13:2A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.Proverbs 12:27
Proverbs 13:4The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.Proverbs 12:9
Proverbs 13:7There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.Proverbs 12:23
Proverbs 13:16Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.- Read Proverbs 13 →
The rest of the chapters this one speaks with, 4 of them, for a reader following a thread past the four above
- Proverbs 153 verses
- Proverbs 32 verses
- Proverbs 292 verses
- Proverbs 212 verses
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.
The world behind itThe place, the time and the people around this chapter, for a reader who wants the setting.
The world behind this chapter
Proverbs 12The history
"He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread" assumes a specific kind of farming. The hills of Judah and Ephraim were worked in stone-walled terraces that had to be rebuilt after every winter, ploughed with a wooden ard behind a pair of oxen, and sown by hand. The work was constant, and a man who chased "vain persons" instead spent the year on someone else's schedule.
"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting" describes a real failure. Hunting with snares, nets, and a bow was how a household added meat, but game spoils in a day in that heat. Catching it and not dressing it out means the whole effort rots on the floor.
"A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast" was practical as well as kind. An ox or a donkey was the most expensive thing most families owned, plough, transport, and threshing power in one animal, and the Law itself ordered rest for the animal on the Sabbath and forbade muzzling the ox that treads out the grain.
The court sayings sit alongside the farming ones because the same men did both. "He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit" was heard by farmers who would be called as witnesses at the gate about a boundary or a stray animal that same season.
What it meant to them
The chapter's promise is not that hard work makes a man rich, but that it puts bread on the table. That was the honest ceiling of a terrace farm, and the first hearers knew it.
The contrast running through it is between what lasts and what is only claimed. "The root of the righteous yieldeth fruit" is an image from a tree that has been in the ground long enough to survive a drought year.
Sources cited
- Roland de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions
- John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
Connections
Where this chapter reaches into the rest of Scripture, with the verse each connection stands on.
The text of this chapter
This page carries no textual note on Proverbs 12. Where this site has examined a place the manuscripts differ, the examination is in the manuscripts room. Every place this site examines →
This page draws on 9 works. Open for the list.
This page draws on Adam Clarke; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Apostolic Constitutions, CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES; Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871); John Gill and Matthew Henry.