Proverbs 19:2
in Proverbs 19Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Also, that the soul be without knowledge is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
KJV
Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
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This verse in Proverbs 19
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAlso, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good,.... Without knowledge of things natural and civil, especially without the knowledge of God and Christ, and divine and spiritual things; to be without this is not good, yea, very bad; for men without such knowledge and understanding are, like the beasts that perish, and for lack of it do. Jarchi interprets it, without the law.
This site's exposition
Better a poor man who walks
on Proverbs 19:1-3
Integrity in poverty outweighs perverse lips in a fool, the same ranking of character above condition the earlier chapters use. A man's own foolishness perverts his way and then his heart frets against the Lord, the fault is his before the blame is misplaced.
This site's exposition
Even zeal is no good without knowledge
John Gill reads knowledge here as the knowledge of God and divine things, and he reports that Jarchi read it as the law. Zeal without it runs blind. The man who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Where there is no knowledge of the soul, it is not good, etc. The knowledge of heavenly life is indeed necessary for the human soul, because without it, it surely cannot be blessed forever. But yet, those who desire to know more than what is …
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good - Would it not be plainer, as it is more literal, to say, “Also, to be without knowledge, is not good for the soul?” The soul was made for God; and to be without his knowledge, to be unacquainted with him, is not only not good, but the greatest evil the soul can suffer, for it involves all other evils.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| גַּ֤ם | gam | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| בְּלֹא־ | belo'- | with not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| דַ֣עַת | daat | knowledge | H1847 → | 92 times |
| נֶ֣פֶשׁ | nefesh | a person | H5315 → | 754 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| ט֑וֹב | tov | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| וְאָ֖ץ | veatz | and [one who] hastens | H213 → | 10 times |
| בְּרַגְלַ֣יִם | beraglayim | with feet | H7272 → | 247 times |
| חוֹטֵֽא׃ | chote' | [is] missing | H2398 → | 238 times |
גַּ֤םalso
gamH1571 →769 times
בְּלֹא־with not
belo'-H3808 →5168 times
דַ֣עַתknowledge
daatH1847 →92 times
נֶ֣פֶשׁa person
nefeshH5315 →754 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
ט֑וֹב[is] good
tovH2896 →538 times
וְאָ֖ץand [one who] hastens
veatzH213 →10 times
בְּרַגְלַ֣יִםwith feet
beraglayimH7272 →247 times
חוֹטֵֽא׃[is] missing
chote'H2398 →238 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
Isaiah 28:16So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.
it leads to
- Psalms 118:22
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
- Acts 4:11–12
This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’
- 1 Peter 2:6–8
For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Luke 20:17–18
But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
- Romans 9:33
as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Psalms 118:22
Through
Philippians 1:9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 3:12
And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows,
- Colossians 1:9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and…
- 1 Thessalonians 3:12
Through
Ecclesiastes 7:9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
it leads to
- James 1:19
My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 1:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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.
