Proverbs 12:23
23 The shrewd person ▼
▼tn Heb “a shrewd man” (so NAB); KJV, NIV11 “the prudent”; NRSV “One who is clever.”
▼▼sn A shrewd person knows how to use knowledge wisely, and restrains himself from revealing all he knows.
conceals ▼ knowledge, but foolish people ▼
▼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.
proclaim folly. ▼▼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.”
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