Proverbs 15:7
in Proverbs 15The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; But the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
KJV
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
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This verse in Proverbs 15
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Not so - The word translated “so” is taken by some in its etymological force as “strong,” “firm,” and the passage is rendered “the heart of the fool disperseth (supplied from the first clause) what is weak and unsteady,” i. e., “falsehood and unwisdom.” The Septuagint takes it as an adjective, “the heart of the fool is unstedfast.” The phrase as it stands in the King James Version is, however, of frequent occurrence Gen 48:18; Exo 10:11; Num 12:7.
This site's exposition
A fool rejects his father’s discipline
on Proverbs 15:5-7
A fool despises his father's instruction while the man who regards reproof is called prudent, the same choice the book has offered since chapter one. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge freely, scattering it like seed, while the foolish heart keeps nothing worth scattering.
This site's exposition
The lips of the wise spread knowledge
Lips spread what the heart holds, so the saying judges fools by their hearts. Albert Barnes records readings that take the Hebrew word for so as firm, and the Septuagint calls a fool's heart unsteady. He keeps the plain sense of the words.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
For the heart of the wise is always like itself, because, while it rests in good persuasions, it directs itself constantly in good performance. But the heart of the foolish is unlike, because, while it shews itself various through mutability, it never remains what it was.
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, etc. The lips of the Catholics spread knowledge of correct faith by preaching, while the heart of heretics will be different, because it conceives betrayal as knowledge to teach. It can also be understood that the heart of …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
(Compare Pr 10:20, 21). heart . . . not so--not right, or vain. The sacrifice [and] prayer--are acts of worship. way . . . followeth . . . righteousness--denote conduct.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׂפְתֵ֣י | siftei | [the] lips of | H8193 → | 176 times |
| חֲ֭כָמִים | chakhamim | wise [people] | H2450 → | 138 times |
| יְזָ֣רוּ | yezaru | they scatter | H2219 → | 39 times |
| דָ֑עַת | daat | knowledge | H1847 → | 92 times |
| וְלֵ֖ב | velev | and [the] heart of | H3820 → | 595 times |
| כְּסִילִ֣ים | kesilim | fools | H3684 → | 70 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | [is] not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| כֵֽן׃ | khen | right | H3651 → | 771 times |
שִׂפְתֵ֣י[the] lips of
sifteiH8193 →176 times
חֲ֭כָמִיםwise [people]
chakhamimH2450 →138 times
יְזָ֣רוּthey scatter
yezaruH2219 →39 times
דָ֑עַתknowledge
daatH1847 →92 times
וְלֵ֖בand [the] heart of
velevH3820 →595 times
כְּסִילִ֣יםfools
kesilimH3684 →70 times
לֹא־[is] not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
כֵֽן׃right
khenH3651 →771 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
Ephesians 4:29Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
it leads to
- Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.
- Ecclesiastes 10:12
The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
- Colossians 3:8–9
But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
- Matthew 12:34–37
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Colossians 4:6
Through
James 3:6The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on…
it leads to
- Psalms 120:2–3
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
- Psalms 120:2–3
Through
Matthew 12:34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
it leads to
- Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow…
- Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
- Luke 6:45
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; Gregory the Dialogist, The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).