Proverbs 18:1
in Proverbs 18He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And rageth against all sound wisdom.
KJV
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
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This verse in Proverbs 18
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The text and the marginal readings indicate the two chief constructions of this somewhat difficult verse. Other renderings are (1) He who separateth himself from others seeks his own desire, and rushes forward against all wise counsel: a warning against self-will and the self-assertion which exults in differing from the received customs and opinions of mankind. (2) he who separates himself (from the foolish, unlearned multitude) seeks his own desire (that which is worthy to be desired), and mingleth himself with all wisdom. So the Jewish commentators generally.
This site's exposition
Through desire a man, having separated himself
The verse is read two ways by the bench. Most read the separated man as the self-willed man, pulling away from counsel and company to chase his own desire, breaking out against all sound wisdom in the process. Gill and others hear instead a man withdrawing from noise and company to seek wisdom itself, so the same picture of separation reads as folly or as diligence depending on what the desire is for. Both readings are held without a verdict, since the Hebrew leaves the desire unnamed.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Through desire a man having separated himself, seeketh,.... Or, "a separated man seeketh desire" (g); his own desire, will, and pleasure.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Through desire . . . seeketh--that is, seeks selfish gratification. intermeddleth . . . wisdom--or, "rushes on" (Pr 17:14) against all wisdom, or what is valuable (Pr 2:7).
Through desire a man, having separated himself - The original is difficult and obscure. The Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic, read as follows: “He who wishes to break with his friend, and seeks occasions or pretenses shall at all times be worthy of blame.” My old MS. Bible translates, Occasioun seeketh that wil go awei fro a freend: at al tyme he schal ben wariable. Coverdale thus: “Who so hath pleasure to sowe discorde, piketh a quarrel in every thinge.” Bible by Barker, 1615: “Fro the desire thereof he will separate himself to seeke it, and occupie himself in all wisdome.” Which has in the margin the following note: “He that loveth wisdom will separate himself from all impediments, and give himself wholly to seek it.” The Hebrew: לתאוה יבקש נפרד בכל תושיה יתגלע lethaavah yebakkesh niphrad, bechol tushiyah yithgalla. The nearest translation to the words is perhaps the following: “He who is separated shall seek the desired thing, (i.e., the object of his desire), and shall intermeddle (mingle himself) with all realities or all essential knowledge.” He finds that he can make little progress in the investigation of Divine and natural things, if he have much to do with secular or trifliing matters: he therefore separates himself as well from unprofitable pursuits as from frivolous company, and then enters into the spirit of his pursuit; is not satisfied with superficial observances, but examines the substance and essence, as far as possible, of those things which have been the objects of his desire. This appears to me the best meaning: the reader may judge for himself.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
He who is separated seeks lust He who is separated from the Holy One, blessed be He, not keeping His precepts, pursues the lust of his heart and his evil inclination, and finally.. in all sound wisdom, he is exposed Among the wise, his disgrace will be revealed.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה | letaavah | <to> desire | H8378 → | 20 times |
| יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ | yevakesh | he seeks | H1245 → | 225 times |
| נִפְרָ֑ד | nifrad | [one who] separates himself | H6504 → | 26 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | on all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה | tushiyah | sound wisdom | H8454 → | 12 times |
| יִתְגַּלָּֽע׃ | yitgala' | he bursts out | H1566 → | 3 times |
לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה<to> desire
letaavahH8378 →20 times
יְבַקֵּ֣שׁhe seeks
yevakeshH1245 →225 times
נִפְרָ֑ד[one who] separates himself
nifradH6504 →26 times
בְּכָל־on all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗הsound wisdom
tushiyahH8454 →12 times
יִתְגַּלָּֽע׃he bursts out
yitgala'H1566 →3 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
Proverbs 20:3It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.
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.
- Proverbs 17:14
To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
- Proverbs 19:11
A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
- Proverbs 14:29
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
- Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Proverbs 16:32
Through
Proverbs 24:21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
it leads to
- Romans 13:1–7
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
- Romans 13:1–7
Through
Jeremiah 15:17I never sat with the band of revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation.
it leads to
- Lamentations 3:28
Let him sit alone in silence, for God has disciplined him.
- Psalms 1:1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
- Lamentations 3:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
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); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.