Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

Proverbs 10:19
New English Translation

19 When words abound, transgression is inevitable,[a]
but the one who restrains[b] his words[c] is wise.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:19 tn Heb “does not cease.” It is impossible to avoid sinning in an abundance of words—sooner or later one is bound to say something wrong.
  2. Proverbs 10:19 tn Or “holds his lips under control.” The verb חָשַׂךְ (khasakh) means “to withhold; to restrain; to hold in check” (BDB 362 s.v.). The related Arabic term is used in reference to placing a piece of wood in the mouth of a goat to prevent it from sucking (HALOT 359 s.v. חשׂךְ).
  3. Proverbs 10:19 tn Heb “his lips” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “his tongue.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause for speech.
Close LEB

Proverbs 10:19
Lexham English Bible

19 In many words, transgression is not lacking,
    but he who restrains his lips is prudent.

Read full chapter
Next
Proverbs 9
Proverbs 11
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 12:23
New English Translation

23 The shrewd person[a] conceals[b] knowledge,
but foolish people[c] proclaim folly.[d]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:23 tn Heb “a shrewd man” (so NAB); KJV, NIV “a prudent man”; NRSV “One who is clever.” sn A shrewd person knows how to use knowledge wisely, and restrains himself from revealing all he knows.
  2. Proverbs 12:23 sn The term כֹּסֶה (koseh, “covers; hides”) does not mean that he never shares his knowledge, but discerns when it is and is not appropriate to speak, cf. 10:14; 17:27.
  3. Proverbs 12:23 tn Heb “the mind of fools.” The לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) is the place of thinking and so it is the both source of what is said and the place of discernment for what to say aloud.
  4. Proverbs 12:23 tn Or “speak out foolishly.” The noun may be a direct object (folly) or an adverbial accusative (foolishly).sn The noun אִוֶּלֶת (ʾivvelet, “foolishness; folly”) is the antithesis of perception and understanding. It is related to the noun אֱוִּיל (ʾevvil, “fool”), one who is morally bad because he despises wisdom and discipline, mocks at guilt, is licentious and quarrelsome, and is almost impossible to rebuke. W. McKane says that the more one speaks, the less he is able to speak effectively (Proverbs [OTL], 422). Cf. TEV “stupid people advertise their ignorance;” NLT “fools broadcast their folly.”
Close LEB

Proverbs 12:23
Lexham English Bible

23 A clever person conceals knowledge,
    but the heart[a] of a fool[b] announces folly.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:23 Or “mind”
  2. Proverbs 12:23 Hebrew “fools”
Next
Proverbs 11
Proverbs 13
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 13:3
New English Translation

3 The one who guards his words[a] guards his life;
whoever is talkative[b] will come to ruin.[c]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “mouth” (so KJV, NAB). The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for speech.
  2. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “opens wide his lips.” This is an idiom meaning “to be talkative” (BDB 832 s.v. פָּשַׂק Qal). Cf. NIV “speaks rashly”; TEV “a careless talker”; CEV “talk too much.”
  3. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “ruin belongs to him.”sn Tight control over what one says prevents trouble (e.g., Prov 10:10; 17:28; Jas 3:1-12; Sir 28:25). Amenemope advises to “sleep a night before speaking” (5:15; ANET 422, n. 10). The old Arab proverb is appropriate: “Take heed that your tongue does not cut your throat” (O. Zockler, Proverbs, 134).
Close LEB

Proverbs 13:3
Lexham English Bible

3 He who keeps his mouth guards his life;[a]
    he who opens his lips, ruin belongs to him.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:3 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
Next
Proverbs 12
Proverbs 14
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 17:28
New English Translation

28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered[a] wise,
and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning.[b]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:28 tn The imperfect tense here denotes possibility: One who holds his tongue [may be considered] discerning.
  2. Proverbs 17:28 tn The Niphal participle is used in the declarative/estimative sense with stative verbs: “to be discerning” (Qal) becomes “to be declared discerning” (Niphal). The proverb is teaching that silence is one evidence of wisdom, and that even a fool can thereby appear wise. D. Kidner says that a fool who takes this advice is no longer a complete fool (Proverbs [TOTC], 127). He does not, of course, become wise—he just hides his folly.
Close LEB

Proverbs 17:28
Lexham English Bible

28 Even a fool who keeps silent shall be considered wise;[a]
    he who closes his lips is intelligent.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:28 Literally “wise, he shall be considered”
Next
Proverbs 16
Proverbs 18
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 18:13
New English Translation

13 The one who gives an answer[a] before he listens[b]—
that is his folly and his shame.[c]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:13 tn Heb “returns a word”; KJV “He that answereth a matter.”
  2. Proverbs 18:13 sn Poor listening and premature answering indicate that the person has a low regard for what the other is saying, or that he is too absorbed in his own ideas. The Mishnah lists this as the second characteristic of the uncultured person (m. Avot 5:7).
  3. Proverbs 18:13 tn Heb “it is folly to him and shame.” The verse uses formal parallelism, with the second colon simply completing the thought of the first.
Close LEB

Proverbs 18:13
Lexham English Bible

13 He who returns a word before he will hear,
    folly itself belongs to him as well as[a] shame.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:13 Hebrew “and”
Next
Proverbs 17
Proverbs 19
Next
Previous Next
Close NET

Proverbs 21:23
New English Translation

23 The one who guards his mouth and his tongue[a]
keeps his life[b] from troubles.[c]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:23 sn “Mouth” and “tongue” are metonymies of cause, signifying what one says (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV).
  2. Proverbs 21:23 tn This part could also be translated “keeps himself” (so NIV), for נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) often simply means “the whole person.” The participle שֹׁמֵר (shomer) is repeated from the first line in the parallelism—to guard what is said is to guard against difficulty.
  3. Proverbs 21:23 sn The “troubles” (צָרוֹת, tsarot) here could refer to social and legal difficulties into which careless talk might bring someone (e.g., 13:3; 18:21). The word means “a strait, a bind, difficulty.” Careless and free talking could get the person into a tight spot.
Close LEB

Proverbs 21:23
Lexham English Bible

23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue,
    he guards his life[a] from danger.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:23 Or “soul,” or “inner self”
Next
Proverbs 20
Proverbs 22
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software