Proverbs 9:7
in Proverbs 9He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling; And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
KJV
He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.
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This verse in Proverbs 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseDo not rebuke a scoffer, etc. It is not to be feared that a scoffer, when rebuked, will insult you; but rather this should be foreseen, that, drawn to hatred, he may become worse: and therefore, you must sometimes cease from his correction for the …
This site's exposition
He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself
on Proverbs 9:7-9
Between the two tables the chapter pauses for a rule about correction: “Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you”. The same words land as insult in one hearer and as gift in another. “Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still” turns the rule into a test a reader can apply to himself, since his response to reproof shows which table he sits at.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
These verses seem somewhat to interrupt the continuity of the invitation which Wisdom utters. The order of thought is, however, this: “I speak to you, the simple, the open ones, for you have yet ears to hear: but from the scorner or evil doer, as such, I turn away.” The words are illustrated by Mat 13:11 ff.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Wisdom not only supplies right but forbids wrong principles. 7, 8. shame--(Compare Pr 3:35). a blot--or, "stain on character." Both terms denote the evil done by others to one whose faithfulness secures a wise man's love.
He that reproveth a scorner - לץ lets, the person who mocks at sacred things; the libertine, the infidel; who turns the most serious things into ridicule, and, by his wit, often succeeds in rendering the person who reproves him ridiculous. Wisdom seems here to intimate that it is vain to attempt by reproof to amend such: and yet we must not suffer sin upon our neighbor; at all hazards, we must deliver our own soul. But no reproof should be given to any, but in the spirit of love and deep concern; and when they contradict and blaspheme, leave them to God.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יֹ֤סֵ֨ר׀ | yoser | [one who] admonishes | H3256 → | 43 times |
| לֵ֗ץ | letz | a mocker | H3887 → | 28 times |
| לֹקֵ֣חַֽ | lokeach | [is] receiving | H3947 → | 966 times |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | for himself | ||
| קָל֑וֹן | kalon | shame | H7036 → | 17 times |
| וּמוֹכִ֖יחַ | umokhiach | and [one who] reproves | H3198 → | 59 times |
| לְרָשָׁ֣ע | lerasha' | <to> a wicked [person] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| מוּמֽוֹ׃ | mumo | defect his | H3971 → |
יֹ֤סֵ֨ר׀[one who] admonishes
yoserH3256 →43 times
לֵ֗ץa mocker
letzH3887 →28 times
לֹקֵ֣חַֽ[is] receiving
lokeachH3947 →966 times
ל֣וֹfor himself
lo
קָל֑וֹןshame
kalonH7036 →17 times
וּמוֹכִ֖יחַand [one who] reproves
umokhiachH3198 →59 times
לְרָשָׁ֣ע<to> a wicked [person]
lerasha'H7563 →263 times
מוּמֽוֹ׃defect his
mumoH3971 →
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 23:9Do not speak to a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
it leads to
- Proverbs 9:7–8
He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 7:6
Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
- Proverbs 26:4–5
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
- Proverbs 9:7–8
Through
2 Chronicles 36:16But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 5:12–13
They have lied about the LORD and said: “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us; we will not see sword or famine.
- 2 Chronicles 30:10
And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun; but the people scorned and mocked them.
- Luke 22:63–64
The men who were holding Jesus began to mock Him and beat Him.
- Jeremiah 5:12–13
Through
Proverbs 15:12A mocker does not love to be reproved, nor will he consult the wise.
it leads to
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.