Proverbs 14:17
in Proverbs 14A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a devious man is hated.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that is soon angry will deal foolishly; And a man of wicked devices is hated.
KJV
He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.
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This verse in Proverbs 14
Commentary
6 notes on this verseHe that is soon angry dealeth foolishly,.... A man that is quick and short, of a hasty spirit, and presently discovers anger and resentment in his face; he says and does many foolish things, which he afterwards is sorry for, and repents, and is ashamed of; and he is to be pitied and forgiven; and a man of wicked devices is hated; one that hides his anger, covers his resentment, contrives schemes to revenge himself, and waits an opportunity to put them in execution, is justly hateful to God and men.
This site's exposition
He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly
on Proverbs 14:17-18
A man soon angry acts before he thinks and calls it strength, and a man of wicked devices earns hatred by the same haste turned deliberate. Folly is the simple man's inheritance, passed down by neglect rather than chosen outright, while knowledge is the crown the prudent actually work to wear. Gill sets the two pairs side by side as the book's ordinary lesson: what a man does not resist he inherits, and what he does not pursue he never wears.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
An impatient man works folly, etc. Certainly an impatient man is reprehensible, but far worse and more hateful to God is the cunning man, although he is considered better among men. For the former openly shows his folly to all, while the latter, in his …
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
He . . . angry--literally, "short of anger" (compare Pr 14:29, opposite idea). man . . . hated--that is, the deliberate evildoer is more hated than the rash.
He that is soon angry - קצר אפים ketsar appayim, “short of nostrils:” because, when a man is angry, his nose is contracted, and drawn up towards his eyes. Dealeth foolishly - He has no time for reflection; he is hurried on by his passions, speaks like a fool, and acts like a madman.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The contrast lies between two forms of evil. Hasty anger acts foolishly, but the “man of wicked devices,” vindictive and insidious, incurs all men’s hatred.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| קְֽצַר־ | ketzar- | [a person] short of | H7116 → | |
| אַ֭פַּיִם | ʾapayim | anger<s> | H639 → | 276 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה | yaaseh | he does | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אִוֶּ֑לֶת | ʾivelet | foolishness | H200 → | 25 times |
| וְאִ֥ישׁ | veish | and a person of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מְ֝זִמּ֗וֹת | mezimot | evil devices | H4209 → | 19 times |
| יִשָּׂנֵֽא׃ | yisane' | he is hated | H8130 → | 146 times |
קְֽצַר־[a person] short of
ketzar-H7116 →
אַ֭פַּיִםanger<s>
ʾapayimH639 →276 times
יַעֲשֶׂ֣הhe does
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
אִוֶּ֑לֶתfoolishness
ʾiveletH200 →25 times
וְאִ֥ישׁand a person of
veishH376 →1663 times
מְ֝זִמּ֗וֹתevil devices
mezimotH4209 →19 times
יִשָּׂנֵֽא׃he is hated
yisane'H8130 →146 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 1:19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
it leads to
- Proverbs 14:29
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 17:27
A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
- Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.
- Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
- Proverbs 18:13
He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.
- Proverbs 14:29
Through
Proverbs 14:29A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
it leads to
- James 1:19
My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 1:19
Through
Ecclesiastes 7:9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 16:32
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.