Proverbs 14:7
in Proverbs 14Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
KJV
Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
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This verse in Proverbs 14
Commentary
5 notes on this verseWhen thou perceivest not - the lips of knowledge - Instead of דעת daath, knowledge, several MSS. have שקר sheker, a lie. How this reading came I cannot conjecture. The meaning of the adage is plain: Never associate with a vain, empty fellow, when thou perceivest he can neither convey nor receive instruction.
This site's exposition
A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none
on Proverbs 14:6-9
“A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none” because he wants the reputation without the discipline, while “knowledge comes easily to the discerning”. Leaving a foolish man's company is wisdom, since “you will gain no knowledge from his speech”. “Fools mock the making of amends,” treating guilt itself as a joke.
This site's exposition
Stay away from a foolish man
The command follows the mocker of verse 6, who seeks wisdom and finds none. Adam Clarke reads it as plain counsel to leave the company of a man who can neither give instruction nor take it. Time with him teaches nothing.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Go against a foolish man, etc. Therefore the mocker does not find the wisdom he seeks because even if you openly proceed by disputing against his foolishness, he does not know how to understand what you say: like Arius, who contended that the word "consubstantiality" …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Go from the presence of a foolish man,....
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֵ֣ךְ | lekh | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| מִ֭נֶּגֶד | mineged | from before | H5048 → | 151 times |
| לְאִ֣ישׁ | leish | to a person | H376 → | 1663 times |
| כְּסִ֑יל | kesil | a fool | H3684 → | 70 times |
| וּבַל־ | uval- | and not | H1077 → | 73 times |
| יָ֝דַ֗עְתָּ | yada'ta | you have known | H3045 → | 945 times |
| שִׂפְתֵי־ | siftei- | lips of | H8193 → | 176 times |
| דָֽעַת׃ | daat | knowledge | H1847 → | 92 times |
לֵ֣ךְgo
lekhH1980 →1546 times
מִ֭נֶּגֶדfrom before
minegedH5048 →151 times
לְאִ֣ישׁto a person
leishH376 →1663 times
כְּסִ֑ילa fool
kesilH3684 →70 times
וּבַל־and not
uval-H1077 →73 times
יָ֝דַ֗עְתָּyou have known
yada'taH3045 →945 times
שִׂפְתֵי־lips of
siftei-H8193 →176 times
דָֽעַת׃knowledge
daatH1847 →92 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 13:20He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:33–34
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Proverbs 15:31
He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.
- Proverbs 9:6
Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:14–18
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
- Psalms 119:63
I am a friend to all who fear You, and to those who keep Your precepts.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33–34
Through
Ephesians 5:11Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6
Through
1 Corinthians 5:11But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler.…
it leads to
- Romans 16:17
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 16:17
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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.