Proverbs 10:8
in Proverbs 10A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The wise in heart will receive commandments; But a prating fool shall fall.
KJV
The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
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This verse in Proverbs 10
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThe wise in heart will receive commandments,.... Such who have true wisdom in the hidden part of the heart, of which the fear of the Lord is the beginning: these will not only, as good subjects, honour their king, and attend to his lawful commands; and, as dutiful children, regard those of their parents; and, as faithful servants, hearken to those of their masters; but, as such that fear the Lord, will receive and cheerfully obey the commandments of God and Christ; but a prating fool shall fall; like Diotrephes, that prated against the Apostle John and other saints.
This site's exposition
Blessings are on the head of the righteous
on Proverbs 10:6-10
This cluster turns on standing and reception: “Blessings are on the head of the righteous,” and “the name of the wicked will rot”. Verse 8 sets the rule the rest of the chapter assumes: “A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin”.
This site's exposition
A wise heart will receive commandments
The couplet sets a listening heart against talking lips. John Gill reads the commandments as God's own, received and gladly obeyed by the one whose wisdom begins in the fear of the LORD. The second line returns word for word in verse 10.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
But his case is less dangerous of the two, and, though he destroys himself, he does not create so much sorrow to others as he that winks with his eyes. The dog that bites is not always the dog that barks. 11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A prating fool shall fall - This clause is repeated in the tenth verse. The wise man will receive the commandment: but the shallow blabbing fool shall be cast down. See Pro 10:10.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
A prating ... fall - Better, as in the margin. Inward self-contained wisdom is contrasted with self-exposed folly.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| חֲכַם־ | chakham- | a wise [person] of | H2450 → | 138 times |
| לֵ֭ב | lev | heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
| יִקַּ֣ח | yikach | he accepts | H3947 → | 966 times |
| מִצְוֹ֑ת | mitzvot | commandments | H4687 → | 181 times |
| וֶאֱוִ֥יל | veevil | and a fool of | H191 → | 26 times |
| שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם | sefatayim | lips | H8193 → | 176 times |
| יִלָּבֵֽט׃ | yilavet | he will be ruined | H3832 → |
חֲכַם־a wise [person] of
chakham-H2450 →138 times
לֵ֭בheart
levH3820 →595 times
יִקַּ֣חhe accepts
yikachH3947 →966 times
מִצְוֹ֑תcommandments
mitzvotH4687 →181 times
וֶאֱוִ֥ילand a fool of
veevilH191 →26 times
שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִםlips
sefatayimH8193 →176 times
יִלָּבֵֽט׃he will be ruined
yilavetH3832 →
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 3:13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
it leads to
- Galatians 5:23
gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
- Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- 1 Peter 2:12
Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
- Galatians 5:23
Through
Proverbs 12:1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
it leads to
- Proverbs 15:10
Discipline is harsh for him who leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.
- Proverbs 9:7–8
He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.
- Psalms 119:97–100
Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation.
- Proverbs 15:10
Where this verse is studied
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); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.