Proverbs 11:12
in Proverbs 11Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that despiseth his neighbor is void of wisdom; But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
KJV
He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
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This verse in Proverbs 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment
on Proverbs 11:12-14
“Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent,” and the contrast sets up a specific case. The next verse gives it: “A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence”. The third proverb widens to the whole people.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
"He who despises his friend lacks sense," etc. One who is not proven to love sincerely should not be despised or ridiculed by us, even if he does something foolish out of inertia; for he who does this is unworthy of wisdom. But indeed any …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
He that is void of wisdom - A foolish man is generally abundant in his censures; he dwells on the defects of his neighbor, and is sure to bring them into the most prominent view. But a man of understanding - a prudent, sensible man, hides those defects wherever he can, and puts the most charitable construction on those which he cannot conceal.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
None but the man “void of wisdom” will show contempt for those about him. The wise man, if he cannot admire or praise, will at least know how to be silent.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
but a man of understanding is silent when the one devoid of sense despises him, like Saul, as it is written (I Sam.:27): “And they despised him and brought him no gift; and he was as one who kept his peace.”
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
the ceiling is raised The ceiling of the Temple will be preserved at its height from falling. As long as the kings of Judah were upright, their prayer preserved the Temple.
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. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בָּז־ | boz- | [one who] despises | H936 → | 12 times |
| לְרֵעֵ֥הוּ | lereehu | <to> neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| חֲסַר־ | chasar- | [is] lacking of | H2638 → | 17 times |
| לֵ֑ב | lev | heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
| וְאִ֖ישׁ | veish | and a person of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| תְּבוּנ֣וֹת | tevunot | understanding<s> | H8394 → | 42 times |
| יַחֲרִֽישׁ׃ | yacharish | he keeps quiet | H2790 → | 74 times |
בָּז־[one who] despises
boz-H936 →12 times
לְרֵעֵ֥הוּ<to> neighbor his
lereehuH7453 →188 times
חֲסַר־[is] lacking of
chasar-H2638 →17 times
לֵ֑בheart
levH3820 →595 times
וְאִ֖ישׁand a person of
veishH376 →1663 times
תְּבוּנ֣וֹתunderstanding<s>
tevunotH8394 →42 times
יַחֲרִֽישׁ׃he keeps quiet
yacharishH2790 →74 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
1 Peter 2:23When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
it leads to
- Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not…
- 1 Peter 4:19
So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
- Hebrews 12:3
Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
- Isaiah 53:7
Through
Luke 18:9To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:
it leads to
- Luke 16:15
So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.
- Proverbs 30:12
There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.
- Isaiah 65:5
They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
- Romans 10:3
Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
- Luke 16:15
Through
Proverbs 10:19When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
it leads to
- James 1:19
My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
- James 1:19
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); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.