The Lord Will

Wisdom & Decision Atlas

Proverbs

Find what Proverbs says about life’s decisions — and see the verses behind every answer.

Proverbs is wisdom literature: mostly short sayings, plus longer parental instruction, about how life tends to go and how to live skilfully in it. It names more than one source for its own material, and it deliberately sets sayings alongside others that pull the opposite way — which is why reading it by topic, with the counterbalances visible, works better than reading it for slogans.

31 chapters · 915 verses · 31 chapters · 8 collections · Wisdom literature

What do you need wisdom about?

Pick a topic to see what Proverbs says — with the counterbalancing sayings included.

Proverbs at a glance

Ten short answers before anything else. Each one carries its claim type and the verses behind it.

chapters
31chapters
collections
8collections
topics
28topics
indexed sayings
127indexed sayings
tensions
8tensions

What is Proverbs?

A collection of Israelite wisdom writing — mostly short sayings, plus longer instruction — about how to live skilfully: with money, words, work, anger, family, power and friendship.

Textual observationHigh
▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 1:1-7Textual observationHigh
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

What kind of book is it?

Wisdom literature, not law and not narrative. It observes how life tends to go and instructs accordingly, which is why its sayings behave differently from commands or promises.

Majority scholarly viewModerate

How long is it?

31 chapters, 915 verses in the versification used here, arranged in eight collections marked mostly by the book's own headings.

Textual observationHigh

Did Solomon write all of Proverbs?

No — and the book says so. Solomon is named at 1:1 and 10:1, but the text also credits 'the wise' (22:17, 24:23), the men of Hezekiah who copied material roughly two centuries later (25:1), Agur (30:1) and King Lemuel's mother (31:1).

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(7)
Proverbs 1:1Textual observationModerate
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Proverbs 10:1Textual observationModerate
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Proverbs 22:17Textual observationModerate
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
Proverbs 24:23Textual observationModerate
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
Proverbs 25:1Textual observationModerate
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
Proverbs 30:1Textual observationModerate
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
Proverbs 31:1Textual observationModerate
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

What is 'wisdom' here?

Skill in living rather than accumulated information. The Hebrew word also covers craftsmanship — wisdom is competence applied to a life.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:2Textual observationModerate
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Proverbs 8:1Textual observationModerate
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
Proverbs 24:3Textual observationModerate
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

What does 'the fear of the LORD' mean?

It is presented as the starting point of knowledge and wisdom rather than as terror. The precise force of the phrase — reverence, awe, allegiance — is debated.

Disputed interpretationModerate
▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 1:7Disputed interpretationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 9:10Disputed interpretationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Why do some sayings pull in different directions?

Because they are situational observations, not clauses in a code. 26:4 and 26:5 give opposite instructions in consecutive verses, which is the book teaching that knowing which saying applies is itself the skill.

Majority scholarly viewModerate
▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 26:4Majority scholarly viewModerate
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Proverbs 26:5Majority scholarly viewModerate
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Are proverbs promises?

Generally not. Most function as observations about how life tends to go or as instruction about how to live, and the book's own counter-sayings — the righteous poor, the prospering wicked, the field swept away for want of justice — block reading them as guarantees.

Majority scholarly viewModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 13:23Majority scholarly viewModerate
Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.
Proverbs 16:8Majority scholarly viewModerate
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.
Proverbs 28:6Majority scholarly viewModerate
Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

What are the collections?

Instruction and Lady Wisdom (1–9); Solomonic sayings (10:1–22:16); Words of the Wise (22:17–24:22); further words of the wise (24:23–34); sayings copied by Hezekiah's men (25–29); Agur (30); Lemuel (31:1–9); and the closing acrostic (31:10–31).

Textual observationHigh
▸Evidence(7)
Proverbs 1:1Textual observationHigh
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Proverbs 10:1Textual observationHigh
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Proverbs 22:17Textual observationHigh
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
Proverbs 24:23Textual observationHigh
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
Proverbs 25:1Textual observationHigh
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
Proverbs 30:1Textual observationHigh
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
Proverbs 31:1Textual observationHigh
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

How should it be read?

By topic and in company. A single saying rarely gives the book's whole mind on anything; reading the counterbalancing sayings alongside it is what turns a slogan back into wisdom.

Editorial synthesisModerate

What Proverbs says about…

Pick a life domain. Proverbs answers in clusters — what it instructs, what it warns against, the patterns it observes, and the sayings that pull the other way.

What does Proverbs say about what I say?

22 sayings

Proverbs treats speech as the most consequential ordinary act a person performs: it can heal, wound, betray a confidence, end a quarrel or start one. The dominant counsel is restraint — fewer words, later words, softer words — but restraint is not the whole of it, because the book also insists that an honest rebuke is worth more than affectionate silence.

What it tells you to do(11)

Tells you what to do.

  • 6:16–19 A numerical list names seven things the LORD hates, ending with sowing discord.
  • 10:19 Many words invite transgression; restraint is called prudent.
  • 12:16 A fool shows annoyance at once; the prudent overlooks an insult.
  • 12:18 Rash words wound like a sword; the tongue of the wise heals.
  • 13:3 Guarding the mouth guards life; opening it wide brings ruin.
  • 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath; a harsh word stirs it up.
  • 18:13 Answering before listening is called folly and shame.
  • 18:21 Death and life are placed in the power of the tongue.
  • 21:23 Guarding mouth and tongue keeps one from trouble.
  • 25:15 Patience persuades a ruler; a soft tongue can break bone.
  • 29:11 A fool gives full vent to anger; the wise holds it back.

What it warns against(3)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 11:13 A gossip betrays confidence; a trustworthy spirit keeps it.
  • 16:28 A perverse person spreads strife; a whisperer separates close friends.
  • 29:20 There is said to be more hope for a fool than for one hasty in words.

Patterns it says tend to go well(2)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 16:24 Gracious words are compared to honey — sweet and healing.
  • 25:11 A word fitly spoken is compared to gold apples in silver settings.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in airing an opinion.

What pulls the other way(3)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he becomes wise in his own eyes.
  • 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a whisperer, quarrelling stops.
  • 28:23 Rebuking someone eventually finds more favour than flattery.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 17:27–28 Restraint of words marks knowledge; even a fool silent is thought wise.
  • 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you become like him.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs gives no rule for when candour becomes cruelty, and its two sayings about answering a fool sit side by side without a procedure for choosing between them. That judgement is left to the reader.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 2

What does Proverbs say about anger?

8 sayings

Anger in Proverbs is mostly a question of speed. The recurring contrast is not between people who feel anger and people who do not, but between those who discharge it immediately and those who delay. Slowness is repeatedly called understanding, and self-control is rated above military conquest.

What it tells you to do(2)

Tells you what to do.

  • 14:29 Slowness to anger shows understanding; a hasty temper exalts folly.
  • 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath; a harsh word stirs it up.

What it warns against(2)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 22:24–25 Befriending a hot-tempered person risks learning their ways.
  • 25:28 A person without self-control is compared to a city with broken walls.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 16:32 Slowness to anger is called better than might; self-rule better than taking a city.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 29:11 A fool gives full vent to anger; the wise holds it back.

What pulls the other way(1)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger; overlooking an offence is called glory.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 12:16 A fool shows annoyance at once; the prudent overlooks an insult.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book commends overlooking an offence and also commends open rebuke; it does not say which situations call for which. Nor does it address anger at injustice, which its justice sayings treat quite differently.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about conflict?

19 sayings

Proverbs is unusually practical about disputes: it identifies what feeds them (whispering, insolence, answering before listening) and what starves them (a soft answer, an overlooked offence, the absence of a gossip). It also insists that the first account of a case sounds convincing until the second is heard.

What it tells you to do(6)

Tells you what to do.

  • 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath; a harsh word stirs it up.
  • 18:13 Answering before listening is called folly and shame.
  • 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger; overlooking an offence is called glory.
  • 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you become like him.
  • 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he becomes wise in his own eyes.
  • 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a whisperer, quarrelling stops.

What it warns against(4)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 6:16–19 A numerical list names seven things the LORD hates, ending with sowing discord.
  • 12:18 Rash words wound like a sword; the tongue of the wise heals.
  • 13:10 Insolence breeds strife; wisdom is with those who take advice.
  • 16:28 A perverse person spreads strife; a whisperer separates close friends.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 17:17 A friend loves at all times; a brother is born for adversity.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 21:9 A corner of the housetop is preferred to sharing a house with constant quarrelling.

What pulls the other way(3)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 10:12 Hatred stirs conflict; love covers offences.
  • 25:15 Patience persuades a ruler; a soft tongue can break bone.
  • 25:21–22 Feeding a hungry enemy is urged rather than retaliation.

What it qualifies(4)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 15:17 A meal of vegetables with love is preferred to a fattened ox with hatred.
  • 17:1 A dry morsel with quiet is preferred to a house full of feasting with strife.
  • 18:17 The first to state a case seems right until the other is examined.
  • 24:17–18 Rejoicing when an enemy falls is warned against.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book prefers de-escalation but does not treat every conflict as avoidable — it also commands rebuking the guilty. It offers no test for distinguishing a quarrel worth ending from a wrong worth pressing.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 3

What does Proverbs say about money?

16 sayings

Proverbs takes money seriously without treating it as the measure of a life. Honest weights, prompt payment and generosity are commanded; anxious accumulation is discouraged; and a good name, a quiet household and integrity are each explicitly rated above wealth.

What it tells you to do(5)

Tells you what to do.

  • 3:9–10 Honouring the LORD with one's produce is linked to plenty.
  • 3:27–28 Do not withhold good, or defer payment, when it is in your power to give.
  • 6:1–5 Standing surety for a neighbour's debt is treated as a trap to escape urgently.
  • 10:22 The LORD's blessing is said to enrich without added sorrow.
  • 11:1 False scales are an abomination; a just weight is a delight.

What it warns against(6)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 11:15 Going surety for a stranger is said to bring harm; refusing the pledge is safe.
  • 11:28 Trusting in riches is said to fail, while the righteous flourish.
  • 17:18 Striking hands in pledge for a neighbour is called a want of sense.
  • 18:10–11 The LORD's name is a strong tower; the rich imagine their wealth as a wall.
  • 22:26–27 Striking hands in pledge for another's debt is warned against.
  • 23:4–5 Wearing oneself out to be rich is discouraged; riches take wings.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 22:7 The rich rule the poor; the borrower is called servant to the lender.

What pulls the other way(1)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 11:24–25 One who scatters gains more; one who withholds unduly comes to want.

What it qualifies(3)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 15:16 Little with the fear of the LORD is called better than great treasure with turmoil.
  • 22:1 A good name is preferred to great riches.
  • 30:7–9 Agur asks for neither poverty nor riches, but the food he needs.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs addresses an agrarian economy with different instruments from a modern one. Its sayings about surety and lending are about personal pledges between neighbours, not about consumer credit or corporate finance.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about debt?

5 sayings

The book's strongest financial warnings are about standing surety — guaranteeing someone else's obligation. It treats that as an urgent trap to escape rather than a mild imprudence, and it observes plainly that borrowing transfers power: the borrower becomes servant to the lender.

What it tells you to do(1)

Tells you what to do.

  • 6:1–5 Standing surety for a neighbour's debt is treated as a trap to escape urgently.

What it warns against(2)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 11:15 Going surety for a stranger is said to bring harm; refusing the pledge is safe.
  • 22:26–27 Striking hands in pledge for another's debt is warned against.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(2)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 17:18 Striking hands in pledge for a neighbour is called a want of sense.
  • 22:7 The rich rule the poor; the borrower is called servant to the lender.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs describes the borrower's position; it does not forbid borrowing, and it does not address interest, bankruptcy or institutional lending. The surety sayings concern personal guarantees for another party.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about wealth?

18 sayings

Two voices run through the book and neither cancels the other. Diligence is genuinely associated with plenty, and blessing with increase. But riches are also called an imagined wall, a thing that grows wings, and something worth less than integrity, a good name, or a quiet meal with love.

What it tells you to do(3)

Tells you what to do.

  • 3:9–10 Honouring the LORD with one's produce is linked to plenty.
  • 15:17 A meal of vegetables with love is preferred to a fattened ox with hatred.
  • 17:1 A dry morsel with quiet is preferred to a house full of feasting with strife.

Patterns it says tend to go well(6)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 10:4 A slack hand is associated with poverty, a diligent hand with wealth.
  • 10:22 The LORD's blessing is said to enrich without added sorrow.
  • 11:24–25 One who scatters gains more; one who withholds unduly comes to want.
  • 21:5 Diligent planning leads to abundance; haste to want.
  • 22:7 The rich rule the poor; the borrower is called servant to the lender.
  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

What pulls the other way(3)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 11:28 Trusting in riches is said to fail, while the righteous flourish.
  • 18:10–11 The LORD's name is a strong tower; the rich imagine their wealth as a wall.
  • 23:4–5 Wearing oneself out to be rich is discouraged; riches take wings.

What it qualifies(6)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 15:16 Little with the fear of the LORD is called better than great treasure with turmoil.
  • 16:8 A little with righteousness is called better than large revenues without justice.
  • 22:1 A good name is preferred to great riches.
  • 27:23–27 Attentive care of flocks is urged, since riches do not last forever.
  • 28:6 A poor person of integrity is called better than a rich person who is crooked.
  • 30:7–9 Agur asks for neither poverty nor riches, but the food he needs.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs never promises that the diligent will become rich, and it does not treat wealth as evidence of virtue. Where prosperity and righteousness come apart, the book prefers righteousness without explaining the gap.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 2

What does Proverbs say about poverty?

21 sayings

Proverbs names several distinct roads into poverty — sloth, haste, heavy drinking, and, just as explicitly, injustice: food is in the fallow ground of the poor and is swept away for want of justice. Alongside the diligence sayings sit commands to defend the poor, warnings against robbing them because they are poor, and the statement that oppressing them insults their Maker.

What it tells you to do(3)

Tells you what to do.

  • 14:21 Despising a neighbour is sin; being generous to the poor is called blessed.
  • 15:16 Little with the fear of the LORD is called better than great treasure with turmoil.
  • 31:8–9 A ruler is told to speak for the voiceless and judge the poor rightly.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 13:23 Food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it is swept away for want of justice.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(8)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 6:6–11 The sluggard is sent to the ant; drowsiness is said to bring poverty.
  • 10:4 A slack hand is associated with poverty, a diligent hand with wealth.
  • 20:4 The sluggard does not plough in season and finds nothing at harvest.
  • 20:13 Loving sleep is linked to poverty; open eyes to having enough bread.
  • 22:7 The rich rule the poor; the borrower is called servant to the lender.
  • 23:20–21 Heavy drinking and gluttony are linked to poverty and drowsiness.
  • 24:30–34 A field overgrown through neglect is presented as a lesson about a little sleep.
  • 28:19 Working one's land brings plenty; chasing fantasies brings poverty.

What pulls the other way(6)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 14:31 Oppressing the poor insults their Maker; kindness to the needy honours him.
  • 19:17 Generosity to the poor is described as lending to the LORD.
  • 21:13 Closing the ear to the cry of the poor is said to bring an unanswered cry.
  • 22:22–23 Robbing the poor because they are poor is warned against — the LORD pleads their case.
  • 23:10–11 Moving an ancient boundary or entering orphans' fields is warned against.
  • 28:27 Giving to the poor is linked to not lacking; hiding one's eyes to many curses.

What it qualifies(3)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 16:8 A little with righteousness is called better than large revenues without justice.
  • 28:6 A poor person of integrity is called better than a rich person who is crooked.
  • 30:7–9 Agur asks for neither poverty nor riches, but the food he needs.

What Proverbs does not settle

Because the book states more than one cause, no single saying about the sluggard can be read as its verdict on poor people generally. Proverbs does not tell you which cause applies in any particular case.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about generosity?

11 sayings

Generosity is treated as both a duty and a paradox: withholding what is owed is condemned, giving to the poor is described as lending to the LORD, and the one who scatters is said to gain while the one who hoards comes to want. Even the enemy is to be fed.

What it tells you to do(7)

Tells you what to do.

  • 3:9–10 Honouring the LORD with one's produce is linked to plenty.
  • 3:27–28 Do not withhold good, or defer payment, when it is in your power to give.
  • 14:21 Despising a neighbour is sin; being generous to the poor is called blessed.
  • 14:31 Oppressing the poor insults their Maker; kindness to the needy honours him.
  • 19:17 Generosity to the poor is described as lending to the LORD.
  • 24:10–12 Rescuing those being taken to death is urged; ignorance is not accepted as an excuse.
  • 28:27 Giving to the poor is linked to not lacking; hiding one's eyes to many curses.

What it warns against(1)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 21:13 Closing the ear to the cry of the poor is said to bring an unanswered cry.

Patterns it says tend to go well(2)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 11:24–25 One who scatters gains more; one who withholds unduly comes to want.
  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

What pulls the other way(1)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 25:21–22 Feeding a hungry enemy is urged rather than retaliation.

What Proverbs does not settle

The sayings commend generosity without specifying amounts, recipients or limits, and they do not address the question of when giving enables harm.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about work?

13 sayings

Work in Proverbs is ordinary, seasonal and attentive: plough in season, know the condition of your flocks, build the house with wisdom. Effort is repeatedly linked to provision — and then immediately qualified by the warning not to wear yourself out to be rich.

What it tells you to do(2)

Tells you what to do.

  • 24:3–4 A house is said to be built by wisdom and established by understanding.
  • 27:23–27 Attentive care of flocks is urged, since riches do not last forever.

What it warns against(5)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 6:6–11 The sluggard is sent to the ant; drowsiness is said to bring poverty.
  • 20:4 The sluggard does not plough in season and finds nothing at harvest.
  • 20:13 Loving sleep is linked to poverty; open eyes to having enough bread.
  • 24:30–34 A field overgrown through neglect is presented as a lesson about a little sleep.
  • 26:13–16 The sluggard's excuses and inertia are described with deliberate comedy.

Patterns it says tend to go well(4)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 10:4 A slack hand is associated with poverty, a diligent hand with wealth.
  • 28:19 Working one's land brings plenty; chasing fantasies brings poverty.
  • 30:24–28 Four small creatures are named as exceedingly wise.
  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

What pulls the other way(1)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 23:4–5 Wearing oneself out to be rich is discouraged; riches take wings.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 13:20 Walking with the wise makes wise; the companion of fools suffers harm.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book assumes agricultural work whose results follow effort fairly directly. It does not address wage labour, unemployment, or work whose outcome is outside the worker's control.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about diligence?

8 sayings

Diligence is planning plus follow-through: the hand that is not slack, the plans of the diligent, the field that is ploughed at the right time. It is explicitly distinguished from mere zeal — haste without knowledge is said to miss the way.

What it tells you to do(1)

Tells you what to do.

  • 27:23–27 Attentive care of flocks is urged, since riches do not last forever.

Patterns it says tend to go well(4)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 10:4 A slack hand is associated with poverty, a diligent hand with wealth.
  • 21:5 Diligent planning leads to abundance; haste to want.
  • 28:19 Working one's land brings plenty; chasing fantasies brings poverty.
  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

What pulls the other way(2)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 6:6–11 The sluggard is sent to the ant; drowsiness is said to bring poverty.
  • 20:4 The sluggard does not plough in season and finds nothing at harvest.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 19:2 Zeal without knowledge is not good; hurrying misses the way.

What Proverbs does not settle

The association between diligence and abundance is presented as a tendency, not a guarantee, and the book's own oppression sayings show it is not a universal rule.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about laziness?

6 sayings

The sluggard is the book's most comic figure: sent to the ant, hinged to his bed like a door, too tired to bring his hand back to his mouth, wiser in his own eyes than seven sensible men. The humour carries the argument — inaction is not restful, it is expensive.

What it warns against(4)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 6:6–11 The sluggard is sent to the ant; drowsiness is said to bring poverty.
  • 20:4 The sluggard does not plough in season and finds nothing at harvest.
  • 20:13 Loving sleep is linked to poverty; open eyes to having enough bread.
  • 24:30–34 A field overgrown through neglect is presented as a lesson about a little sleep.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(2)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 23:20–21 Heavy drinking and gluttony are linked to poverty and drowsiness.
  • 26:13–16 The sluggard's excuses and inertia are described with deliberate comedy.

What Proverbs does not settle

The sluggard sayings are portraits of a character type, not a diagnosis to apply to anyone who is poor, ill or out of work.

Related topics: · · ·

What does Proverbs say about planning?

13 sayings

Proverbs commends planning without treating it as control. Plans succeed with many advisers and fail without them; the diligent plan toward abundance. At the same time a person plans the way while the LORD establishes the steps, and a way can seem right and still end badly.

What it tells you to do(6)

Tells you what to do.

  • 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD rather than one's own understanding is urged in every path.
  • 11:14 Without guidance a people falls; safety is found in many counsellors.
  • 14:15 The simple believe everything; the prudent think about their steps.
  • 15:22 Plans fail without consultation and succeed with many advisers.
  • 16:2 Ways look pure to the one walking them; the LORD weighs motives.
  • 27:23–27 Attentive care of flocks is urged, since riches do not last forever.

What it warns against(2)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 14:12 A way can seem right and still end badly.
  • 27:1 Boasting about tomorrow is warned against.

Patterns it says tend to go well(3)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 21:5 Diligent planning leads to abundance; haste to want.
  • 24:3–4 A house is said to be built by wisdom and established by understanding.
  • 30:24–28 Four small creatures are named as exceedingly wise.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 16:9 A person plans the way; the LORD establishes the steps.
  • 19:2 Zeal without knowledge is not good; hurrying misses the way.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book holds planning and providence together without resolving how they interact. It does not say when a plan should be abandoned.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about seeking advice?

14 sayings

Taking counsel is one of the book's most consistent themes: safety in many advisers, plans failing without consultation, the fool who is right in his own eyes, the person who answers before listening. Even a friend's wounds are treated as more trustworthy than an enemy's kisses.

What it tells you to do(7)

Tells you what to do.

  • 2:1–5 Wisdom is presented as something actively sought, not passively received.
  • 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD rather than one's own understanding is urged in every path.
  • 11:14 Without guidance a people falls; safety is found in many counsellors.
  • 13:10 Insolence breeds strife; wisdom is with those who take advice.
  • 15:22 Plans fail without consultation and succeed with many advisers.
  • 19:20 Listening to advice and accepting instruction is urged for future wisdom.
  • 22:17–21 A new collection opens by asking for attention to the words of the wise.

What it warns against(1)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 18:13 Answering before listening is called folly and shame.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 27:17 Iron sharpening iron is used of one person sharpening another.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(3)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 12:15 A fool's way is right in his own eyes; the wise listen to advice.
  • 17:18 Striking hands in pledge for a neighbour is called a want of sense.
  • 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in airing an opinion.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 14:15 The simple believe everything; the prudent think about their steps.
  • 18:17 The first to state a case seems right until the other is examined.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs commends many counsellors without saying how to weigh them when they disagree, and it commends listening without addressing bad advice given in good faith.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 2

What does Proverbs say about leadership?

7 sayings

Leadership in Proverbs is judged by what it does for those without power. Rulers are warned that drink makes them forget the law, told to open their mouths for the voiceless, and warned against partiality in judgement. Patience is presented as more persuasive with a ruler than force.

What it tells you to do(4)

Tells you what to do.

  • 11:14 Without guidance a people falls; safety is found in many counsellors.
  • 24:23–25 Partiality in judgement is condemned; rebuking the guilty brings blessing.
  • 25:15 Patience persuades a ruler; a soft tongue can break bone.
  • 31:8–9 A ruler is told to speak for the voiceless and judge the poor rightly.

What it warns against(1)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 31:4–5 Rulers are warned that drink can make them forget the law and pervert judgement.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 31:1 A superscription introduces the words of King Lemuel, taught by his mother.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 16:32 Slowness to anger is called better than might; self-rule better than taking a city.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book's political setting is a monarchy, and its counsel is directed at kings and courtiers. Applying it to modern institutions is an act of translation the atlas does not perform for you.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about justice?

15 sayings

Justice is where Proverbs is least proverbial and most direct: false weights are an abomination, robbing the poor because they are poor is forbidden, moving a boundary stone is condemned, and partiality in judgement is denounced. Oppressing the poor is framed as an insult to God himself.

What it tells you to do(5)

Tells you what to do.

  • 11:1 False scales are an abomination; a just weight is a delight.
  • 14:21 Despising a neighbour is sin; being generous to the poor is called blessed.
  • 24:10–12 Rescuing those being taken to death is urged; ignorance is not accepted as an excuse.
  • 24:23–25 Partiality in judgement is condemned; rebuking the guilty brings blessing.
  • 31:8–9 A ruler is told to speak for the voiceless and judge the poor rightly.

What it warns against(4)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 21:13 Closing the ear to the cry of the poor is said to bring an unanswered cry.
  • 22:22–23 Robbing the poor because they are poor is warned against — the LORD pleads their case.
  • 23:10–11 Moving an ancient boundary or entering orphans' fields is warned against.
  • 31:4–5 Rulers are warned that drink can make them forget the law and pervert judgement.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 13:23 Food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it is swept away for want of justice.

What pulls the other way(2)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 14:31 Oppressing the poor insults their Maker; kindness to the needy honours him.
  • 19:17 Generosity to the poor is described as lending to the LORD.

What it qualifies(3)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 16:8 A little with righteousness is called better than large revenues without justice.
  • 18:17 The first to state a case seems right until the other is examined.
  • 24:16 A righteous person falls and rises again; the wicked stumble in calamity.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs states the obligations without providing legal procedure; the surrounding legal material of the Hebrew Bible does that work.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about honesty?

10 sayings

Honesty in Proverbs is concrete before it is abstract: accurate scales, paid debts, no false witness. It is also internal — ways look pure to the one walking them, and concealing wrongdoing is said not to prosper while confessing it finds mercy.

What it tells you to do(4)

Tells you what to do.

  • 3:27–28 Do not withhold good, or defer payment, when it is in your power to give.
  • 11:1 False scales are an abomination; a just weight is a delight.
  • 24:23–25 Partiality in judgement is condemned; rebuking the guilty brings blessing.
  • 28:13 Concealing transgressions does not prosper; confessing and forsaking finds mercy.

What it warns against(2)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 6:16–19 A numerical list names seven things the LORD hates, ending with sowing discord.
  • 30:5–6 God's words are called tested; adding to them is warned against.

Patterns it says tend to go well(2)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 16:8 A little with righteousness is called better than large revenues without justice.
  • 28:6 A poor person of integrity is called better than a rich person who is crooked.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 16:2 Ways look pure to the one walking them; the LORD weighs motives.
  • 30:7–9 Agur asks for neither poverty nor riches, but the food he needs.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book condemns deception without addressing the harder cases in which candour would cause harm.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about friendship?

12 sayings

Proverbs is realistic about friendship: many companions can ruin you, one friend sticks closer than a brother, and the wounds of a friend are called faithful. Company is treated as formative — walking with the wise makes you wise, and befriending a hot-tempered person teaches you their ways.

What it tells you to do(3)

Tells you what to do.

  • 10:12 Hatred stirs conflict; love covers offences.
  • 11:13 A gossip betrays confidence; a trustworthy spirit keeps it.
  • 13:20 Walking with the wise makes wise; the companion of fools suffers harm.

What it warns against(2)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 16:28 A perverse person spreads strife; a whisperer separates close friends.
  • 22:24–25 Befriending a hot-tempered person risks learning their ways.

Patterns it says tend to go well(2)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 17:17 A friend loves at all times; a brother is born for adversity.
  • 27:17 Iron sharpening iron is used of one person sharpening another.

What pulls the other way(2)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 27:5–6 Open rebuke is preferred to hidden love; a friend's wounds are called faithful.
  • 28:23 Rebuking someone eventually finds more favour than flattery.

What it qualifies(3)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 6:1–5 Standing surety for a neighbour's debt is treated as a trap to escape urgently.
  • 15:17 A meal of vegetables with love is preferred to a fattened ox with hatred.
  • 18:24 Many companions can ruin; one friend can stick closer than a brother.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book says friends shape character but does not say how to leave a friendship, or how to tell formative company from merely comfortable company.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about marriage and household?

5 sayings

The household sayings are mostly about atmosphere rather than structure: a dry morsel with quiet beats a house of feasting with strife, and vegetables with love beat a fattened ox with hatred. The closing acrostic praises a woman whose work, trade, speech and provision hold a household together.

What it warns against(1)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 5:3–5 The seductive speech of the outsider woman is said to end bitterly.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 21:9 A corner of the housetop is preferred to sharing a house with constant quarrelling.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 15:17 A meal of vegetables with love is preferred to a fattened ox with hatred.
  • 17:1 A dry morsel with quiet is preferred to a house full of feasting with strife.

What Proverbs does not settle

Several household sayings are voiced from a husband's perspective in an ancient setting, and the atlas presents them as such rather than as timeless instruction about who quarrels.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about sexuality?

4 sayings

Chapters 5 to 9 return repeatedly to a young man being persuaded by speech he cannot answer. The warnings are about seduction and self-deception, and they are framed as instruction from a parent rather than as legislation.

What it warns against(3)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 5:3–5 The seductive speech of the outsider woman is said to end bitterly.
  • 7:6–23 A narrated scene shows a naive young man led along by persuasion.
  • 9:13–18 Folly is personified as a loud woman calling to the same passers-by Wisdom addressed.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 30:18–19 Four things too wonderful to understand are listed, ending with a man and a young woman.

What Proverbs does not settle

The material addresses a young male audience through a female figure whose identity — outsider, foreigner, or a personification of folly — is itself debated. The atlas records the debate rather than settling it.

Related topics: · ·

What does Proverbs say about raising children?

4 sayings

Instruction and correction are treated as inseparable from love: the parent who withholds discipline is portrayed as failing the child, not sparing them. The book's most quoted parenting line — train up a child in the way he should go — is also its most contested.

What it tells you to do(2)

Tells you what to do.

  • 1:8–9 A child is told to keep a father's instruction and a mother's teaching.
  • 13:24 Withholding correction is framed as a failure of love, not restraint.

Patterns it says tend to go well(1)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 31:1 A superscription introduces the words of King Lemuel, taught by his mother.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 22:6 A child is to be trained according to the way appropriate to him.

What Proverbs does not settle

Whether 22:6 promises an outcome or describes a tendency is genuinely disputed, and the atlas models it as a tension rather than resolving it. The book's disciplinary language reflects its own era.

Related topics: ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about discipline?

8 sayings

Discipline in Proverbs is both received and exercised: accepting correction is called loving knowledge, and a person without self-control is compared to a city whose walls are broken. Guarding the heart is presented as guarding the source of everything else.

What it tells you to do(5)

Tells you what to do.

  • 1:8–9 A child is told to keep a father's instruction and a mother's teaching.
  • 3:11–12 The LORD's correction is framed as a father's discipline of a loved son.
  • 4:23 The heart is to be guarded, because life flows from it.
  • 12:1 Loving discipline is loving knowledge; hating reproof is called brutish.
  • 13:24 Withholding correction is framed as a failure of love, not restraint.

What it warns against(2)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 25:28 A person without self-control is compared to a city with broken walls.
  • 29:1 Repeated reproof stiffly refused is said to end in sudden breaking.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 22:6 A child is to be trained according to the way appropriate to him.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book commends discipline without distinguishing formative correction from harm, a distinction later readers have to supply.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

What does Proverbs say about being corrected?

10 sayings

How a person handles correction is the book's clearest test of character: the wise love the one who reproves them, the scoffer only resents it, and the fool returns to folly like a dog to its vomit. Rebuke is said to win more favour eventually than flattery.

What it tells you to do(4)

Tells you what to do.

  • 3:11–12 The LORD's correction is framed as a father's discipline of a loved son.
  • 12:1 Loving discipline is loving knowledge; hating reproof is called brutish.
  • 19:20 Listening to advice and accepting instruction is urged for future wisdom.
  • 28:13 Concealing transgressions does not prosper; confessing and forsaking finds mercy.

What it warns against(1)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 29:1 Repeated reproof stiffly refused is said to end in sudden breaking.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 26:11 A fool repeating folly is compared to a dog returning to its vomit.

What pulls the other way(2)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 27:5–6 Open rebuke is preferred to hidden love; a friend's wounds are called faithful.
  • 28:23 Rebuking someone eventually finds more favour than flattery.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 9:7–8 Correcting a scoffer earns abuse; correcting a wise person earns love.
  • 24:16 A righteous person falls and rises again; the wicked stumble in calamity.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs describes how different people receive correction; it does not teach how to give it well, and it says a righteous person may fall repeatedly and still rise.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 2

What does Proverbs say about pride?

6 sayings

Pride is consistently presented as a leading indicator: disgrace arrives with it, destruction goes before a fall, strife comes from insolence, and boasting about tomorrow is warned against because tomorrow is not yours to describe.

What it tells you to do(1)

Tells you what to do.

  • 27:2 Praise is to come from another mouth, not one's own.

What it warns against(3)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 11:2 Pride arrives with disgrace; wisdom with the humble.
  • 16:18 Pride is said to go before destruction.
  • 27:1 Boasting about tomorrow is warned against.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(2)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 13:10 Insolence breeds strife; wisdom is with those who take advice.
  • 29:23 Pride brings a person low; humility obtains honour.

What Proverbs does not settle

The book names the pattern without defining where confidence ends and pride begins.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about humility?

6 sayings

Humility in Proverbs is practical rather than self-deprecating: let someone else praise you, admit what you have done wrong, do not celebrate an enemy's fall. Honour is repeatedly said to arrive by that route rather than by pursuit.

What it tells you to do(2)

Tells you what to do.

  • 27:2 Praise is to come from another mouth, not one's own.
  • 28:13 Concealing transgressions does not prosper; confessing and forsaking finds mercy.

What it warns against(1)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 16:18 Pride is said to go before destruction.

Patterns it says tend to go well(2)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 11:2 Pride arrives with disgrace; wisdom with the humble.
  • 29:23 Pride brings a person low; humility obtains honour.

What it qualifies(1)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 24:17–18 Rejoicing when an enemy falls is warned against.

What Proverbs does not settle

The sayings link humility with honour as a tendency; the book does not claim the connection is invariable.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about reputation?

4 sayings

A good name is explicitly preferred to great riches, and reputation is treated as something built by conduct and confirmed by others rather than asserted by oneself. The closing poem ends with a woman praised at the city gate for what she has done.

What it tells you to do(2)

Tells you what to do.

  • 22:1 A good name is preferred to great riches.
  • 27:2 Praise is to come from another mouth, not one's own.

Patterns it says tend to go well(2)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 29:23 Pride brings a person low; humility obtains honour.
  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs values reputation without addressing unjust reputations, or what to do when a good name is lost through no fault of one's own.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about alcohol?

4 sayings

Wine is personified as a mocker and strong drink as a brawler; heavy drinking is linked to poverty, and one extended passage describes the disorientation and repetition of it with unusual realism. Rulers in particular are warned that drink makes them forget the law.

What it warns against(3)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 20:1 Wine and strong drink are personified as mocker and brawler.
  • 23:29–35 An extended scene describes the sorrow and disorientation of heavy drinking.
  • 31:4–5 Rulers are warned that drink can make them forget the law and pervert judgement.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(1)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 23:20–21 Heavy drinking and gluttony are linked to poverty and drowsiness.

What Proverbs does not settle

Proverbs targets drunkenness and its consequences rather than issuing a blanket prohibition, and the closing Lemuel passage complicates the picture further.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say wisdom is?

20 sayings

Wisdom in Proverbs is skill in living rather than accumulated information: it builds houses, hears advice, sees consequences early and starts with the fear of the LORD. It is also personified as a woman who calls publicly, builds a house and sets a table.

What it tells you to do(10)

Tells you what to do.

  • 1:7 Reverence toward the LORD is where knowledge starts; only fools despise instruction.
  • 2:1–5 Wisdom is presented as something actively sought, not passively received.
  • 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD rather than one's own understanding is urged in every path.
  • 4:23 The heart is to be guarded, because life flows from it.
  • 9:1–6 Wisdom builds a house and invites the simple to leave folly.
  • 9:10 The fear of the LORD is called the beginning of wisdom.
  • 13:20 Walking with the wise makes wise; the companion of fools suffers harm.
  • 19:20 Listening to advice and accepting instruction is urged for future wisdom.
  • 22:17–21 A new collection opens by asking for attention to the words of the wise.
  • 30:5–6 God's words are called tested; adding to them is warned against.

Patterns it says tend to go well(5)

Reports how things tend to go well.

  • 8:1–11 Wisdom is personified calling publicly, offering her words as better than jewels.
  • 8:22–31 Wisdom speaks of being present at the founding of the world.
  • 24:3–4 A house is said to be built by wisdom and established by understanding.
  • 25:1 A superscription states these are Solomon's proverbs copied by Hezekiah's men.
  • 30:1 A superscription introduces the words of Agur son of Jakeh.

What it qualifies(5)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 14:12 A way can seem right and still end badly.
  • 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine; a crushed spirit dries the bones.
  • 17:27–28 Restraint of words marks knowledge; even a fool silent is thought wise.
  • 30:18–19 Four things too wonderful to understand are listed, ending with a man and a young woman.
  • 30:24–28 Four small creatures are named as exceedingly wise.

What Proverbs does not settle

The relationship between the personified figure of chapters 1 to 9 and the practical sayings that follow is a matter of interpretation, and the meaning of Wisdom's presence at creation in 8:22-31 is genuinely disputed.

Related topics: · · · ·

What does Proverbs say about folly?

17 sayings

Folly in Proverbs is not low intelligence; it is a settled relationship to correction. The book distinguishes several types — the naive who believes anything, the dullard who repeats his mistakes, the fool who despises instruction, and the scoffer who punishes anyone who offers it.

What it tells you to do(2)

Tells you what to do.

  • 12:1 Loving discipline is loving knowledge; hating reproof is called brutish.
  • 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you become like him.

What it warns against(6)

Names a risk in order to change course.

  • 1:7 Reverence toward the LORD is where knowledge starts; only fools despise instruction.
  • 7:6–23 A narrated scene shows a naive young man led along by persuasion.
  • 9:7–8 Correcting a scoffer earns abuse; correcting a wise person earns love.
  • 9:13–18 Folly is personified as a loud woman calling to the same passers-by Wisdom addressed.
  • 13:20 Walking with the wise makes wise; the companion of fools suffers harm.
  • 20:1 Wine and strong drink are personified as mocker and brawler.

Patterns it says tend to go badly(5)

Reports how things tend to go badly.

  • 12:15 A fool's way is right in his own eyes; the wise listen to advice.
  • 12:16 A fool shows annoyance at once; the prudent overlooks an insult.
  • 14:15 The simple believe everything; the prudent think about their steps.
  • 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in airing an opinion.
  • 26:11 A fool repeating folly is compared to a dog returning to its vomit.

What pulls the other way(2)

Pulls against the topic's dominant voice.

  • 9:1–6 Wisdom builds a house and invites the simple to leave folly.
  • 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he becomes wise in his own eyes.

What it qualifies(2)

Narrows or conditions what the other sayings claim.

  • 17:27–28 Restraint of words marks knowledge; even a fool silent is thought wise.
  • 29:20 There is said to be more hope for a fool than for one hasty in words.

What Proverbs does not settle

English translations flatten these terms into 'fool' and 'simple'. The distinctions are real in Hebrew, but the boundaries between them are debated, and the atlas does not present them as a fixed ladder.

Related topics: · · · ·

Tensions on this topic: 1

Topic assignment is editorial. Each link records how the saying relates to the topic, so a topic never reduces to a single slogan.

When Proverbs pulls both ways

Some sayings genuinely pull against each other. Rather than deleting one side, these show the apparent conflict, the distinction that makes sense of it, and what stays unresolved.

Answer a fool — or don't?

Rhetorical contrastDisputed interpretationModerate

Do not answer a fool according to his folly (26:4)

  • 26:4
    Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Answer a fool according to his folly (26:5)

  • 26:5
    Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
The apparent conflict
Two consecutive verses give opposite instructions using almost identical wording. Read as rules, they cannot both be followed.
The distinction
Each line states the risk of the opposite course. Answering on the fool's terms means adopting his frame; refusing to answer at all leaves him confirmed in his own estimate. The pair is placed deliberately side by side.
How they hold together
The most common reading is that the juxtaposition is the teaching: it shows that these sayings are situational judgements rather than rules, and that discerning which risk is live is the reader's work.

What stays unresolved

The text supplies no criterion for deciding which verse applies to a given situation, and readings that assign each verse to a different kind of fool are inferences rather than statements of the text.

▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 26:4Biblical textHigh
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

Proverbs 26:5Biblical textHigh
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Why are people poor?

Difference of scopeEditorial synthesisModerate

A slack hand makes poor; the diligent hand makes rich (10:4, 28:19)

  • 10:4
    He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
  • 28:19
    He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

Food is in the poor's fallow ground and swept away for want of justice (13:23, 14:31, 22:22-23)

  • 14:31
    He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
  • 22:22–23
    Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
  • 13:23
    Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.
The apparent conflict
Read alone, the diligence sayings suggest poverty is self-inflicted. Read alone, the oppression sayings suggest it is imposed.
The distinction
The two sets address different causes, not the same case. The book states both without ranking them, and it commands defence of the poor regardless of how they became poor.
How they hold together
Both are true observations about different situations. Taking either set as a complete account of poverty misreads the genre — and taking the diligence sayings as a verdict on poor people is the specific misreading the book itself blocks by including the others.

What stays unresolved

Proverbs never tells you which cause is operating in a particular case, and it offers no method for finding out.

▸Evidence(5)
Proverbs 10:4Biblical textHigh
He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 28:19Biblical textHigh
He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 14:31Biblical textHigh
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 22:22-23Biblical textHigh
Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 13:23Biblical textHigh
Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Is wealth a blessing?

Contextual counterbalanceEditorial synthesisModerate

The LORD's blessing makes rich; the generous gain (10:22, 11:24-25)

  • 10:22
    The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
  • 11:24–25
    There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

Riches take wings; a little with the fear of the LORD is better (11:28, 23:4-5, 30:7-9)

  • 11:28
    He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
  • 23:4–5
    Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
  • 30:7–9
    Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
The apparent conflict
One set treats prosperity as blessing; the other treats it as unreliable and potentially corrosive.
The distinction
The sayings address different questions: whether wealth can be good, and whether it can be trusted. Agur's request for neither poverty nor riches states the tension inside a single prayer.
How they hold together
The book affirms that provision is good and denies that it is secure or ultimate. Neither set is the exception to the other.

What stays unresolved

Proverbs does not say how much is enough, and it gives no threshold at which provision becomes accumulation.

▸Evidence(5)
Proverbs 10:22Biblical textHigh
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Sources: Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 11:24-25Biblical textHigh
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

Sources: Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 11:28Biblical textHigh
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

Sources: Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 23:4-5Biblical textHigh
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Sources: Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Proverbs 30:7-9Biblical textHigh
Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

Sources: Wealth and Poverty: System and Contradiction in Proverbs (Hebrew Studies) (National Association of Professors of Hebrew)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Speak up or stay quiet?

Contextual counterbalanceEditorial synthesisModerate

Restraining words shows knowledge; many words invite transgression (10:19, 17:27-28)

  • 17:27–28
    He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
  • 10:19
    In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

Open rebuke is better than hidden love; a friend's wounds are faithful (27:5-6, 28:23)

  • 27:5–6
    Open rebuke is better than secret love.
  • 28:23
    He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.
The apparent conflict
The restraint sayings commend silence; the rebuke sayings treat silence as a failure of friendship.
The distinction
Restraint is counselled about volume and speed; rebuke is counselled about substance and relationship. They are answers to different questions.
How they hold together
Both stand: say less, and say the hard thing. The book leaves the reader to judge when a silence has stopped being restraint.

What stays unresolved

No criterion is given for the point at which withholding a rebuke becomes 'hidden love'.

▸Evidence(4)
Proverbs 17:27-28Biblical textHigh
He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 10:19Biblical textHigh
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 27:5-6Biblical textHigh
Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 28:23Biblical textHigh
He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Do plans work?

Complementary maximsEditorial synthesisModerate

The plans of the diligent lead to abundance; plans succeed with counsel (21:5, 15:22)

  • 21:5
    The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
  • 15:22
    Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

A person plans the way, but the LORD establishes the steps (16:9, 27:1)

  • 16:9
    A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.
  • 27:1
    Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
The apparent conflict
One set makes planning effective; the other makes it subordinate to something outside the planner's control.
The distinction
These are complementary rather than competing: the first is about the quality of planning, the second about its status.
How they hold together
Plan carefully and hold the plan loosely. The book commends both without treating the second as a reason to skip the first.

What stays unresolved

Proverbs does not explain how divine establishment and human planning interact, and the atlas does not supply an explanation it does not have.

▸Evidence(4)
Proverbs 21:5Biblical textHigh
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

Proverbs 15:22Biblical textHigh
Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

Proverbs 16:9Biblical textHigh
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

Proverbs 27:1Biblical textHigh
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Does 22:6 promise an outcome?

Apparent tensionDisputed interpretationContested

Train up a child in the way he should go; when he is old he will not depart from it (22:6)

  • 22:6
    Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Repeated reproof stiffly refused ends in sudden breaking; discipline is urged, not guaranteed (13:24, 29:1)

  • 13:24
    He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
  • 29:1
    He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
The apparent conflict
Read as a promise, 22:6 guarantees that good parenting produces a lasting result — which the book's own warnings about people who refuse correction do not support.
The distinction
The saying may state a general pattern rather than a guarantee, and the phrase rendered 'the way he should go' is itself read in more than one way — as the right way, or as the child's own bent.
How they hold together
This is genuinely unresolved. The atlas records the readings and their consequences rather than choosing between them, because the choice materially changes what the verse promises a parent.

What stays unresolved

The Hebrew phrase is ambiguous, and no reading can claim the text settles it. Readers who have followed the instruction and seen a different outcome are not being told the text failed them.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 22:6Biblical textHigh
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) · Proverbs (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (Baker Publishing Group)

Proverbs 13:24Biblical textHigh
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) · Proverbs (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (Baker Publishing Group)

Proverbs 29:1Biblical textHigh
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Sources: The Book of Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) · Proverbs (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (Baker Publishing Group)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Whose account do you believe?

Contextual counterbalanceEditorial synthesisModerate

Answering before listening is folly and shame (18:13)

  • 18:13
    He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

The first to state a case seems right until the other is examined (18:17)

  • 18:17
    He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
The apparent conflict
Not a conflict so much as a pair that is frequently split: the first is quoted at people who interrupt, the second at people who judge quickly.
The distinction
Both address the same failure from different angles — forming a conclusion on partial information.
How they hold together
Read together they form a single procedure: hear it out, then hear the other side.

What stays unresolved

Proverbs does not address cases where only one account is available.

▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 18:13Biblical textHigh
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 18:17Biblical textHigh
He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Let it go, or address it?

Difference of scopeEditorial synthesisModerate

Good sense overlooks an offence; love covers offences (19:11, 10:12)

  • 19:11
    The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
  • 10:12
    Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Open rebuke is better than hidden love; rebuking the guilty brings blessing (27:5-6, 24:23-25)

  • 27:5–6
    Open rebuke is better than secret love.
  • 24:23–25
    These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
The apparent conflict
One set makes overlooking a virtue; the other makes confronting an obligation.
The distinction
The overlooking sayings concern personal slights; the rebuke sayings concern guilt and judgement, including in formal settings.
How they hold together
The scope differs. Overlooking a personal offence and failing to name a wrong are not the same act.

What stays unresolved

The boundary between a slight and a wrong is exactly what Proverbs leaves to judgement, and it is where this pair is most often misapplied.

▸Evidence(4)
Proverbs 19:11Biblical textHigh
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 10:12Biblical textHigh
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 27:5-6Biblical textHigh
Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 24:23-25Biblical textHigh
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

These are not listed as contradictions. Where a saying and its counterpart pull apart, the atlas records the relationship and what remains open.

Wisdom topic matrix

Every topic against the kinds of teaching Proverbs gives on it. Each cell opens the verses behind it.

Each number is the count of indexed sayings. Select a cell to see them.

  • Speech

  • Anger

  • Conflict

  • Money

  • Debt & borrowing

  • Wealth

  • Poverty

  • Generosity

  • Work

  • Diligence

  • Laziness

  • Planning

  • Counsel

  • Leadership

  • Justice

  • Honesty

  • Friendship

  • Marriage

  • Sexuality

  • Parenting

  • Discipline & self-control

  • Correction & criticism

  • Pride

  • Humility

  • Reputation

  • Alcohol

  • Wisdom

  • Foolishness

Counts reflect the sayings indexed in this atlas, not every verse in the book.

Compare two sayings

Put two sayings side by side to see what they share, where they differ, and whether they stand in tension.

First saying

Proverbs 26:4
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you become like him.

Copied by Hezekiah's men
Form
Admonition
Kind of statement
Instruction

Second saying

Proverbs 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Answer a fool according to his folly, or he becomes wise in his own eyes.

Copied by Hezekiah's men
Form
Admonition
Kind of statement
Instruction
Shared topics
Conflict, Foolishness, Speech
Different emphasis
None recorded
Hebrew terms
kesil

Comparison is generated from the indexed data — shared topics, forms and recorded tensions — not from a prose judgement about the pair.

Promise, principle or observation?

Proverbs is read badly when its sayings are treated as guarantees. This classifies each indexed saying by what kind of statement it is making — and never at high confidence, because that judgement is interpretive.

Is this a promise?

There is deliberately no category called 'promise'. Proverbs offers wisdom for judgement rather than a mechanical guarantee that every maxim produces the same outcome in every circumstance.

Theological assertion(14)

A claim about God and how he relates to human conduct, rather than a piece of practical advice.

  • 1:7 Reverence toward the LORD is where knowledge starts; only fools despise instruction.
  • 6:16–19 A numerical list names seven things the LORD hates, ending with sowing discord.
  • 8:1–11 Wisdom is personified calling publicly, offering her words as better than jewels.
  • 8:22–31 Wisdom speaks of being present at the founding of the world.
  • 9:10 The fear of the LORD is called the beginning of wisdom.
Show all (9)
  • 10:22 The LORD's blessing is said to enrich without added sorrow.
  • 11:1 False scales are an abomination; a just weight is a delight.
  • 14:31 Oppressing the poor insults their Maker; kindness to the needy honours him.
  • 16:2 Ways look pure to the one walking them; the LORD weighs motives.
  • 16:9 A person plans the way; the LORD establishes the steps.
  • 18:21 Death and life are placed in the power of the tongue.
  • 19:17 Generosity to the poor is described as lending to the LORD.
  • 28:13 Concealing transgressions does not prosper; confessing and forsaking finds mercy.
  • 30:5–6 God's words are called tested; adding to them is warned against.

Instruction(24)

A direct command or charge — do this, avoid that. Instruction tells you what to do; it does not by itself promise what will follow.

  • 1:8–9 A child is told to keep a father's instruction and a mother's teaching.
  • 2:1–5 Wisdom is presented as something actively sought, not passively received.
  • 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD rather than one's own understanding is urged in every path.
  • 3:9–10 Honouring the LORD with one's produce is linked to plenty.
  • 3:11–12 The LORD's correction is framed as a father's discipline of a loved son.
Show all (19)
  • 3:27–28 Do not withhold good, or defer payment, when it is in your power to give.
  • 4:23 The heart is to be guarded, because life flows from it.
  • 9:1–6 Wisdom builds a house and invites the simple to leave folly.
  • 13:24 Withholding correction is framed as a failure of love, not restraint.
  • 14:21 Despising a neighbour is sin; being generous to the poor is called blessed.
  • 19:20 Listening to advice and accepting instruction is urged for future wisdom.
  • 22:6 A child is to be trained according to the way appropriate to him.
  • 22:17–21 A new collection opens by asking for attention to the words of the wise.
  • 24:10–12 Rescuing those being taken to death is urged; ignorance is not accepted as an excuse.
  • 24:17–18 Rejoicing when an enemy falls is warned against.
  • 24:23–25 Partiality in judgement is condemned; rebuking the guilty brings blessing.
  • 25:21–22 Feeding a hungry enemy is urged rather than retaliation.
  • 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you become like him.
  • 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he becomes wise in his own eyes.
  • 27:2 Praise is to come from another mouth, not one's own.
  • 27:23–27 Attentive care of flocks is urged, since riches do not last forever.
  • 28:27 Giving to the poor is linked to not lacking; hiding one's eyes to many curses.
  • 30:7–9 Agur asks for neither poverty nor riches, but the food he needs.
  • 31:8–9 A ruler is told to speak for the voiceless and judge the poor rightly.

Warning(30)

A statement of risk. It names where a course of action tends to end, in order to change the course.

  • 5:3–5 The seductive speech of the outsider woman is said to end bitterly.
  • 6:1–5 Standing surety for a neighbour's debt is treated as a trap to escape urgently.
  • 6:6–11 The sluggard is sent to the ant; drowsiness is said to bring poverty.
  • 7:6–23 A narrated scene shows a naive young man led along by persuasion.
  • 9:13–18 Folly is personified as a loud woman calling to the same passers-by Wisdom addressed.
Show all (25)
  • 11:15 Going surety for a stranger is said to bring harm; refusing the pledge is safe.
  • 11:28 Trusting in riches is said to fail, while the righteous flourish.
  • 14:12 A way can seem right and still end badly.
  • 16:18 Pride is said to go before destruction.
  • 16:28 A perverse person spreads strife; a whisperer separates close friends.
  • 17:18 Striking hands in pledge for a neighbour is called a want of sense.
  • 18:10–11 The LORD's name is a strong tower; the rich imagine their wealth as a wall.
  • 20:1 Wine and strong drink are personified as mocker and brawler.
  • 20:4 The sluggard does not plough in season and finds nothing at harvest.
  • 20:13 Loving sleep is linked to poverty; open eyes to having enough bread.
  • 21:13 Closing the ear to the cry of the poor is said to bring an unanswered cry.
  • 22:22–23 Robbing the poor because they are poor is warned against — the LORD pleads their case.
  • 22:24–25 Befriending a hot-tempered person risks learning their ways.
  • 22:26–27 Striking hands in pledge for another's debt is warned against.
  • 23:4–5 Wearing oneself out to be rich is discouraged; riches take wings.
  • 23:10–11 Moving an ancient boundary or entering orphans' fields is warned against.
  • 23:20–21 Heavy drinking and gluttony are linked to poverty and drowsiness.
  • 23:29–35 An extended scene describes the sorrow and disorientation of heavy drinking.
  • 24:30–34 A field overgrown through neglect is presented as a lesson about a little sleep.
  • 25:28 A person without self-control is compared to a city with broken walls.
  • 26:13–16 The sluggard's excuses and inertia are described with deliberate comedy.
  • 27:1 Boasting about tomorrow is warned against.
  • 29:1 Repeated reproof stiffly refused is said to end in sudden breaking.
  • 29:20 There is said to be more hope for a fool than for one hasty in words.
  • 31:4–5 Rulers are warned that drink can make them forget the law and pervert judgement.

General observation(26)

An observation about how life tends to go. It reports a pattern the sages saw; it is not a rule and not a guarantee.

  • 9:7–8 Correcting a scoffer earns abuse; correcting a wise person earns love.
  • 10:4 A slack hand is associated with poverty, a diligent hand with wealth.
  • 11:24–25 One who scatters gains more; one who withholds unduly comes to want.
  • 12:15 A fool's way is right in his own eyes; the wise listen to advice.
  • 13:23 Food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it is swept away for want of justice.
Show all (21)
  • 16:24 Gracious words are compared to honey — sweet and healing.
  • 17:17 A friend loves at all times; a brother is born for adversity.
  • 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine; a crushed spirit dries the bones.
  • 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in airing an opinion.
  • 18:17 The first to state a case seems right until the other is examined.
  • 18:24 Many companions can ruin; one friend can stick closer than a brother.
  • 21:5 Diligent planning leads to abundance; haste to want.
  • 21:9 A corner of the housetop is preferred to sharing a house with constant quarrelling.
  • 22:7 The rich rule the poor; the borrower is called servant to the lender.
  • 24:16 A righteous person falls and rises again; the wicked stumble in calamity.
  • 25:1 A superscription states these are Solomon's proverbs copied by Hezekiah's men.
  • 25:11 A word fitly spoken is compared to gold apples in silver settings.
  • 26:11 A fool repeating folly is compared to a dog returning to its vomit.
  • 27:17 Iron sharpening iron is used of one person sharpening another.
  • 28:19 Working one's land brings plenty; chasing fantasies brings poverty.
  • 28:23 Rebuking someone eventually finds more favour than flattery.
  • 30:1 A superscription introduces the words of Agur son of Jakeh.
  • 30:18–19 Four things too wonderful to understand are listed, ending with a man and a young woman.
  • 30:24–28 Four small creatures are named as exceedingly wise.
  • 31:1 A superscription introduces the words of King Lemuel, taught by his mother.
  • 31:10–31 An acrostic poem portrays a capable woman whose work, trade and speech are praised.

Wisdom principle(33)

A general principle for judgement. It holds broadly and is meant to be applied with discernment, not executed mechanically.

  • 10:12 Hatred stirs conflict; love covers offences.
  • 10:19 Many words invite transgression; restraint is called prudent.
  • 11:2 Pride arrives with disgrace; wisdom with the humble.
  • 11:13 A gossip betrays confidence; a trustworthy spirit keeps it.
  • 11:14 Without guidance a people falls; safety is found in many counsellors.
Show all (28)
  • 12:1 Loving discipline is loving knowledge; hating reproof is called brutish.
  • 12:16 A fool shows annoyance at once; the prudent overlooks an insult.
  • 12:18 Rash words wound like a sword; the tongue of the wise heals.
  • 13:3 Guarding the mouth guards life; opening it wide brings ruin.
  • 13:10 Insolence breeds strife; wisdom is with those who take advice.
  • 13:20 Walking with the wise makes wise; the companion of fools suffers harm.
  • 14:15 The simple believe everything; the prudent think about their steps.
  • 14:29 Slowness to anger shows understanding; a hasty temper exalts folly.
  • 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath; a harsh word stirs it up.
  • 15:16 Little with the fear of the LORD is called better than great treasure with turmoil.
  • 15:17 A meal of vegetables with love is preferred to a fattened ox with hatred.
  • 15:22 Plans fail without consultation and succeed with many advisers.
  • 16:8 A little with righteousness is called better than large revenues without justice.
  • 16:32 Slowness to anger is called better than might; self-rule better than taking a city.
  • 17:1 A dry morsel with quiet is preferred to a house full of feasting with strife.
  • 17:27–28 Restraint of words marks knowledge; even a fool silent is thought wise.
  • 18:13 Answering before listening is called folly and shame.
  • 19:2 Zeal without knowledge is not good; hurrying misses the way.
  • 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger; overlooking an offence is called glory.
  • 21:23 Guarding mouth and tongue keeps one from trouble.
  • 22:1 A good name is preferred to great riches.
  • 24:3–4 A house is said to be built by wisdom and established by understanding.
  • 25:15 Patience persuades a ruler; a soft tongue can break bone.
  • 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without a whisperer, quarrelling stops.
  • 27:5–6 Open rebuke is preferred to hidden love; a friend's wounds are called faithful.
  • 28:6 A poor person of integrity is called better than a rich person who is crooked.
  • 29:11 A fool gives full vent to anger; the wise holds it back.
  • 29:23 Pride brings a person low; humility obtains honour.

ModerateNever asserted at high confidence: the genre force of an individual saying is an interpretive judgement.

Wisdom and folly, side by side

The book's central contrast, dimension by dimension, with the verses for each side.

  • Correction & criticism

    The wise

    • 3:11–12 The LORD's correction is framed as a father's discipline of a loved son.
    • 12:1 Loving discipline is loving knowledge; hating reproof is called brutish.
    • 19:20 Listening to advice and accepting instruction is urged for future wisdom.
    • 28:13 Concealing transgressions does not prosper; confessing and forsaking finds mercy.

    The foolish

    • 26:11 A fool repeating folly is compared to a dog returning to its vomit.
    • 29:1 Repeated reproof stiffly refused is said to end in sudden breaking.

  • Counsel

    The wise

    • 2:1–5 Wisdom is presented as something actively sought, not passively received.
    • 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD rather than one's own understanding is urged in every path.
    • 11:14 Without guidance a people falls; safety is found in many counsellors.
    • 13:10 Insolence breeds strife; wisdom is with those who take advice.

    The foolish

    • 12:15 A fool's way is right in his own eyes; the wise listen to advice.
    • 17:18 Striking hands in pledge for a neighbour is called a want of sense.
    • 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in airing an opinion.
    • 18:13 Answering before listening is called folly and shame.

  • Speech

    The wise

    • 6:16–19 A numerical list names seven things the LORD hates, ending with sowing discord.
    • 10:19 Many words invite transgression; restraint is called prudent.
    • 12:16 A fool shows annoyance at once; the prudent overlooks an insult.
    • 12:18 Rash words wound like a sword; the tongue of the wise heals.

    The foolish

    • 11:13 A gossip betrays confidence; a trustworthy spirit keeps it.
    • 16:28 A perverse person spreads strife; a whisperer separates close friends.
    • 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in airing an opinion.
    • 29:20 There is said to be more hope for a fool than for one hasty in words.

  • Anger

    The wise

    • 14:29 Slowness to anger shows understanding; a hasty temper exalts folly.
    • 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath; a harsh word stirs it up.
    • 16:32 Slowness to anger is called better than might; self-rule better than taking a city.

    The foolish

    • 22:24–25 Befriending a hot-tempered person risks learning their ways.
    • 25:28 A person without self-control is compared to a city with broken walls.
    • 29:11 A fool gives full vent to anger; the wise holds it back.

  • Planning

    The wise

    • 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD rather than one's own understanding is urged in every path.
    • 11:14 Without guidance a people falls; safety is found in many counsellors.
    • 14:15 The simple believe everything; the prudent think about their steps.
    • 15:22 Plans fail without consultation and succeed with many advisers.

    The foolish

    • 14:12 A way can seem right and still end badly.
    • 27:1 Boasting about tomorrow is warned against.

  • Work

    The wise

    • 10:4 A slack hand is associated with poverty, a diligent hand with wealth.
    • 24:3–4 A house is said to be built by wisdom and established by understanding.
    • 27:23–27 Attentive care of flocks is urged, since riches do not last forever.
    • 28:19 Working one's land brings plenty; chasing fantasies brings poverty.

    The foolish

    • 6:6–11 The sluggard is sent to the ant; drowsiness is said to bring poverty.
    • 20:4 The sluggard does not plough in season and finds nothing at harvest.
    • 20:13 Loving sleep is linked to poverty; open eyes to having enough bread.
    • 24:30–34 A field overgrown through neglect is presented as a lesson about a little sleep.

  • Money

    The wise

    • 3:9–10 Honouring the LORD with one's produce is linked to plenty.
    • 3:27–28 Do not withhold good, or defer payment, when it is in your power to give.
    • 6:1–5 Standing surety for a neighbour's debt is treated as a trap to escape urgently.
    • 10:22 The LORD's blessing is said to enrich without added sorrow.

    The foolish

    • 11:15 Going surety for a stranger is said to bring harm; refusing the pledge is safe.
    • 11:28 Trusting in riches is said to fail, while the righteous flourish.
    • 17:18 Striking hands in pledge for a neighbour is called a want of sense.
    • 18:10–11 The LORD's name is a strong tower; the rich imagine their wealth as a wall.

  • Sexuality

    The wise

    —

    The foolish

    • 5:3–5 The seductive speech of the outsider woman is said to end bitterly.
    • 7:6–23 A narrated scene shows a naive young man led along by persuasion.
    • 9:13–18 Folly is personified as a loud woman calling to the same passers-by Wisdom addressed.

  • Friendship

    The wise

    • 10:12 Hatred stirs conflict; love covers offences.
    • 11:13 A gossip betrays confidence; a trustworthy spirit keeps it.
    • 13:20 Walking with the wise makes wise; the companion of fools suffers harm.
    • 17:17 A friend loves at all times; a brother is born for adversity.

    The foolish

    • 16:28 A perverse person spreads strife; a whisperer separates close friends.
    • 22:24–25 Befriending a hot-tempered person risks learning their ways.

  • Humility

    The wise

    • 11:2 Pride arrives with disgrace; wisdom with the humble.
    • 27:2 Praise is to come from another mouth, not one's own.
    • 28:13 Concealing transgressions does not prosper; confessing and forsaking finds mercy.
    • 29:23 Pride brings a person low; humility obtains honour.

    The foolish

    • 16:18 Pride is said to go before destruction.

  • Justice

    The wise

    • 11:1 False scales are an abomination; a just weight is a delight.
    • 13:23 Food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but it is swept away for want of justice.
    • 14:21 Despising a neighbour is sin; being generous to the poor is called blessed.
    • 24:10–12 Rescuing those being taken to death is urged; ignorance is not accepted as an excuse.

    The foolish

    • 21:13 Closing the ear to the cry of the poor is said to bring an unanswered cry.
    • 22:22–23 Robbing the poor because they are poor is warned against — the LORD pleads their case.
    • 23:10–11 Moving an ancient boundary or entering orphans' fields is warned against.
    • 31:4–5 Rulers are warned that drink can make them forget the law and pervert judgement.

  • Alcohol

    The wise

    —

    The foolish

    • 20:1 Wine and strong drink are personified as mocker and brawler.
    • 23:20–21 Heavy drinking and gluttony are linked to poverty and drowsiness.
    • 23:29–35 An extended scene describes the sorrow and disorientation of heavy drinking.
    • 31:4–5 Rulers are warned that drink can make them forget the law and pervert judgement.

These are the book's own literary types, not psychological categories or a way of classifying people you know.

The figures of Proverbs

The recurring figures — and the interpretive cautions that keep them from being flattened into stereotypes.

Four kinds of fool

English uses one or two words where Proverbs uses several. These are distinct terms with distinct emphases — but the boundaries between them are debated, and this is not a fixed ladder from bad to worse.

The dullard (kesîl)

כְּסִיל — kesîl

The most frequent fool in the book: not stupid so much as impervious, repeating the same mistakes and enjoying the sound of his own opinion.

How they speak:
Airs opinions rather than seeking understanding; gives full vent to anger.
Expected outcome:
Compared to a dog returning to its vomit; folly recurs rather than being learned from.

Interpretive caution: kesîl is one of several distinct Hebrew words that English renders 'fool'. The categories overlap and their boundaries are debated.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 26:4-5Textual observationModerate
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 26:11Textual observationModerate
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 29:11Textual observationModerate
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The fool (ʾĕwîl)

אֱוִיל — ʾĕwîl

Characterised by contempt for instruction — the fool of 1:7 who despises wisdom and discipline.

How they speak:
Shows annoyance immediately; is right in his own eyes.
Expected outcome:
Associated with the moral rather than merely intellectual consequences of refusing correction.

Interpretive caution: The distinction between ʾĕwîl and kesîl is real but not sharp, and no scholarly consensus fixes it precisely.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:7Textual observationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 12:15Textual observationModerate
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 12:16Textual observationModerate
A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The simple (petî)

פֶּתִי — petî

The naive or open-minded young person — not yet a fool, but believing everything and taking no thought for the next step. Both Wisdom and Folly address this figure directly.

How they speak:
Persuadable; the target of every invitation in chapters 1 to 9.
Expected outcome:
Presented as genuinely open: the simple can still become wise, which is what makes the book's instruction urgent.

Interpretive caution: petî describes an unformed condition rather than a settled character, and it is the one category in the book that is explicitly still open.

▸Evidence(4)
Proverbs 1:22Textual observationModerate
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 7:7Textual observationModerate
And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 9:4Textual observationModerate
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 14:15Textual observationModerate
The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The scoffer (lēṣ)

לֵץ — lēṣ

The figure defined by his response to correction: he does not merely ignore reproof, he punishes the person who offers it.

How they speak:
Mocking; makes correcting him costly.
Expected outcome:
The book's advice is unusually blunt — do not reprove him, because he will hate you for it.

Interpretive caution: The scoffer is the one figure Proverbs advises disengaging from, which is a judgement about futility rather than about worth.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 9:7-8Textual observationModerate
He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 13:1Textual observationModerate
A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 21:24Textual observationModerate
Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Lady Wisdom

חָכְמָה — ḥokmâ

Wisdom personified as a woman who calls in the streets, builds a house, sets a table and invites the simple to leave folly and live.

How they speak:
Public, urgent, and addressed to everyone who will listen — she argues rather than commands.
Expected outcome:
Those who find her are said to find life; those who refuse her call are said to eat the fruit of their own way.

Interpretive caution: The figure is a personification within the book's own poetry. Later Jewish and Christian readers identified her with other realities — pre-existent wisdom, the Torah, the Logos, Christ — and those are interpretations of the figure, not statements the text of Proverbs makes about itself.

▸Evidence(5)
Proverbs 1:20-33Textual observationHigh
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Proverbs 8:1-36Textual observationHigh
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Proverbs 9:1-6Textual observationHigh
Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Proverbs 8:1-11Textual observationHigh
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
Proverbs 8:22-31Christian interpretationContested
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

Sources: Proverbs 8 in early Christian interpretation — Encyclopaedia Britannica (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Woman Folly

Folly personified as a loud, ignorant woman who sits at her door and calls to exactly the same passers-by Wisdom addressed.

How they speak:
Loud and undiscerning; her invitation is nearly identical to Wisdom's, which is the point.
Expected outcome:
Her guests are said to be in the depths; the invitation conceals the outcome.

Interpretive caution: She is a literary counterpart to Lady Wisdom, not a description of any actual woman, and the atlas presents her as such.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 9:13-18Textual observationHigh
A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The wise

חָכְמָה — ḥokmâ

The person who takes correction, seeks advice, sees consequences early and knows when not to speak.

How they speak:
Restrained; answers after listening; values a rebuke.
Expected outcome:
Repeatedly linked with life, honour and stability.

Interpretive caution: 'Wise' in Proverbs is about disposition and skill in living, not intelligence or education.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 9:8-9Textual observationHigh
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 12:15Textual observationHigh
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 13:20Textual observationHigh
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The sluggard

The comic figure of the book: hinged to his bed, too tired to lift food to his mouth, and convinced he is more sensible than seven people who can give a reason.

How they speak:
Excuses — there is a lion in the road.
Expected outcome:
Poverty arriving like a robber; the overgrown field.

Interpretive caution: A satirical portrait of a character type. It is not a description of poor people, ill people, or anyone unable to work.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 6:6-11Textual observationHigh
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 20:4Textual observationHigh
The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 26:13-16Textual observationHigh
The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The righteous (ṣaddîq)

צַדִּיק — ṣaddîq

The person in right relation to God and neighbour, whose stability is contrasted with the wicked's collapse.

How they speak:
Speaks what is fitting; pleads the cause of the poor.
Expected outcome:
Falls seven times and rises; is contrasted with those who stumble in calamity.

Interpretive caution: 'Righteous' and 'wicked' are broad moral categories, and the book uses them typologically rather than as descriptions of actual individuals.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 10:3Textual observationModerate
The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 11:28Textual observationModerate
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 24:16Textual observationModerate
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The wicked (rāšāʿ)

רָשָׁע — rāšāʿ

The counterpart figure: guilty, unstable, and repeatedly contrasted with the righteous.

How they speak:
Flees when no one pursues.
Expected outcome:
Presented as ultimately insecure however things appear in the short term.

Interpretive caution: The contrast is typological. Proverbs elsewhere acknowledges that the pattern does not always hold in visible terms.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 10:3Textual observationModerate
The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 24:16Textual observationModerate
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Proverbs 28:1Textual observationModerate
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The outsider woman

The figure of chapters 2, 5, 6 and 7 whose persuasive speech is the danger, warned about at length in the parental instruction.

How they speak:
Smooth, persuasive, and answered by no argument from the young man.
Expected outcome:
The warnings describe a path that looks direct and ends bitterly.

Interpretive caution: The Hebrew terms are rendered strange, foreign, adulterous or forbidden, and whether the figure is an actual outsider, an adulterous Israelite, or a personification opposite Lady Wisdom is genuinely debated. She is a figure in a warning addressed to young men, not a description of women.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 2:16-19Textual observationModerate
To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 5:3-5Textual observationModerate
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 7:6-23Textual observationModerate
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The woman of strength

The subject of the closing acrostic: a woman who trades, buys land, plants, manufactures, provisions her household, gives to the poor and speaks with wisdom.

How they speak:
Opens her mouth with wisdom; the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Expected outcome:
Praised by her household and at the city gate for what she has done.

Interpretive caution: The Hebrew phrase means something closer to 'a woman of strength or capability' than 'virtuous'. The poem is an acrostic portrait, and reading it as a checklist for individual women runs against its form.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 31:10-31Textual observationHigh
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The king

The ruler addressed and described throughout — weighed by justice, warned about drink, and told to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

How they speak:
Judgement; a divine sentence is said to be on his lips.
Expected outcome:
Established by righteousness rather than by force.

Interpretive caution: The setting is an ancient monarchy. The book does not describe modern political institutions, and applying its counsel to them is interpretation.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 16:10Textual observationHigh
A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

Sources: Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Proverbs 25:1-7Textual observationHigh
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

Sources: Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Proverbs 31:1-9Textual observationHigh
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Sources: Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The parent

The instructing voice of chapters 1 to 9 and the source of Lemuel's charge — both father and mother appear as teachers.

How they speak:
Instruction, charge and warning.
Expected outcome:
The instruction is framed as an inheritance more valuable than property.

Interpretive caution: The disciplinary language of the parental sayings reflects its own era, and the atlas presents it as such rather than as direct instruction about method.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:8-9Textual observationHigh
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 4:1-4Textual observationHigh
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 31:1Textual observationHigh
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The child

The addressee — 'my son' — who is being formed, warned and invited, and who is free to refuse.

How they speak:
Listening, or refusing to listen.
Expected outcome:
Life and honour, or the fruit of one's own way.

Interpretive caution: The address is to a young man in an ancient household. The book assumes the addressee can and might refuse.

▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:8-9Textual observationHigh
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 4:1-4Textual observationHigh
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 13:24Textual observationHigh
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Every figure carries a caution, because these are literary types in an ancient text rather than descriptions of actual people.

The eight collections

Proverbs marks its own divisions. Seven headings plus a closing acrostic, in the book's own words.

  1. 1

    Instruction & Lady Wisdom

    Proverbs 1:1–9:18 · 19 indexed sayings

    Extended parental discourses rather than one-line sayings. Wisdom and Folly are both personified as women calling in the street, and the reader is cast as a young person choosing which invitation to accept.

    Heading at 1:1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

    123456789

  2. 2

    Solomonic sayings

    Proverbs 10:1–22:16 · 61 indexed sayings

    The heart of the book: hundreds of mostly two-line sayings, overwhelmingly antithetical — wise against foolish, righteous against wicked, diligent against slack.

    Heading at 10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

    10111213141516171819202122

  3. 3

    Words of the Wise

    Proverbs 22:17–24:22 · 12 indexed sayings

    A separate collection with a distinct voice, returning to longer admonitions. This is the section most often compared with Egyptian instruction literature.

    Heading at 22:17Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

    On the boundary: Where this collection begins is disputed: some read the heading at 22:17, others treat 22:16 or 22:17a as transitional. The atlas uses 22:17 and records the disagreement.

    222324

  4. 4

    Further words of the Wise

    Proverbs 24:23–34 · 2 indexed sayings

    A short appendix introduced by its own heading, ending with the parable of the overgrown field.

    Heading at 24:23These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

    24

  5. 5

    Copied by Hezekiah's men

    Proverbs 25:1–29:27 · 24 indexed sayings

    Sayings the text itself says were transcribed by the men of Hezekiah — the book's own statement that its material was collected and copied over time.

    Heading at 25:1These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

    2526272829

  6. 6

    The words of Agur

    Proverbs 30:1–33 · 5 indexed sayings

    A distinct voice: confession of limits, a warning against adding to God's words, and a series of numerical sayings about small creatures and unbearable things.

    Heading at 30:1The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

    On the boundary: Agur son of Jakeh is otherwise unknown, and the translation of the opening verse is uncertain enough that even the geographical term in it is read in more than one way.

    30

  7. 7

    The words of King Lemuel

    Proverbs 31:1–9 · 3 indexed sayings

    Instruction a king received from his mother: warnings about drink and about women, and a charge to judge for the voiceless and the poor.

    Heading at 31:1The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

    On the boundary: Lemuel is otherwise unknown, and where his mother's instruction ends — at 31:9, or extending into the acrostic — is debated.

    31

  8. 8

    The woman of strength

    Proverbs 31:10–31 · 1 indexed sayings

    A twenty-two line acrostic, one line per Hebrew letter, portraying a capable woman whose trade, provision, speech and generosity are praised at the city gate.

    No heading — marked by literary form

    31

The collections follow the book's own superscriptions. Where an extent or label is genuinely debated, the record says so.

How the sayings are built

The shape of a saying tells you what kind of claim it is making. Filter the indexed sayings by form.

Antithetical parallelism(53)

Two lines set against each other, usually joined by 'but'. The dominant form of chapters 10 to 15.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 10:4Textual observationModerate
He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 12:1Textual observationModerate
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 14:29Textual observationModerate
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Synonymous parallelism(10)

Two lines saying substantially the same thing, the second sharpening the first.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 16:18Textual observationModerate
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 17:17Textual observationModerate
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 29:1Textual observationModerate
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Comparative saying(7)

A likeness — X is like Y — used to make an abstraction concrete or a fault ridiculous.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 25:11Textual observationModerate
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 26:11Textual observationModerate
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 25:28Textual observationModerate
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Better-than saying(9)

An explicit ranking of one good above another, and the book's main instrument for qualifying its own values.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 15:16Textual observationModerate
Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 16:8Textual observationModerate
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 22:1Textual observationModerate
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Numerical saying(4)

Three things, and four — a counting formula that groups observations and lands on the last item.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 6:16-19Textual observationModerate
These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 30:18-19Textual observationModerate
There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 30:24-28Textual observationModerate
There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Admonition(33)

A direct command or prohibition, often with a stated reason.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 3:5-6Textual observationModerate
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 22:22-23Textual observationModerate
Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 27:1Textual observationModerate
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Parental instruction(6)

Extended address from a parent to a son, characteristic of chapters 1 to 9 and of 31:1-9.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 1:8-9Textual observationModerate
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 4:23Textual observationModerate
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 5:3-5Textual observationModerate
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Personification(7)

A quality given voice and body — Wisdom and Folly as women, wine as a mocker.

▸Examples(3)
Proverbs 8:1-11Textual observationModerate
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 9:13-18Textual observationModerate
A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 20:1Textual observationModerate
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Acrostic(1)

A poem whose lines begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Proverbs has one, at the close.

▸Examples(1)
Proverbs 31:10-31Textual observationModerate
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Form identification is editorial and follows standard descriptive categories; some sayings carry more than one.

The Hebrew vocabulary of wisdom

English renders several distinct Hebrew words as 'fool'. This explorer shows where the vocabulary is more precise than the translation.

חָכְמָהḥokmâ

wisdom, skill

Practical competence — the same word covers craftsmanship and skilled living, not abstract knowledge.

Rendered in English as: wisdom, skill

Semantic caution: Rendering it 'wisdom' can suggest philosophy; the word's centre of gravity is skill.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:2Textual observationModerate
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 8:1Textual observationModerate
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 24:3Textual observationModerate
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: English 'wisdom' is a fair but narrow rendering.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

יִרְאַת יְהוָהyirʾat YHWHSemantic range debated

the fear of the LORD

Reverent recognition of God as the starting point of knowledge, not terror.

Rendered in English as: fear of the LORD

Semantic caution: 'Fear' in modern English suggests being afraid; the phrase covers reverence, awe and allegiance, and its precise force is debated.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:7Textual observationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 9:10Textual observationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 15:16Textual observationModerate
Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Almost always rendered 'the fear of the LORD', which preserves the ambiguity.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

מוּסָרmûsārSemantic range debated

discipline, instruction, correction

Formative training, including correction — the word spans teaching and the discipline that enforces it.

Rendered in English as: discipline, instruction, correction

Semantic caution: One Hebrew word behind three English ones; readers of an English text cannot see where they are the same word.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:7Textual observationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 3:11Textual observationModerate
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 12:1Textual observationModerate
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered variously as discipline, instruction, correction or chastening.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

בִּינָהbînâ

understanding, discernment

The capacity to distinguish — to tell one thing from another and see what follows.

Rendered in English as: understanding, discernment

Semantic caution: Often paired with ḥokmâ, which can make the two look interchangeable in English when they are not.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 2:3Textual observationModerate
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 9:10Textual observationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 24:3Textual observationModerate
Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered understanding or discernment.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

כְּסִילkesîlSemantic range debated

fool, dullard

The book's most frequent 'fool': impervious rather than unintelligent, repeating mistakes and enjoying his own opinions.

Rendered in English as: fool, dullard

English also uses “fool” for ʾĕwîl, petî.

Semantic caution: English 'fool' merges this with at least two other Hebrew words.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 26:4Textual observationModerate
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 26:11Textual observationModerate
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 29:11Textual observationModerate
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Almost always rendered 'fool'.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

אֱוִילʾĕwîlSemantic range debated

fool

The fool who despises wisdom and instruction — the word used in 1:7.

Rendered in English as: fool

English also uses “fool” for kesîl, petî.

Semantic caution: Rendered 'fool' like kesîl, so the distinction disappears in English translation.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:7Textual observationModerate
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 12:15Textual observationModerate
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 12:16Textual observationModerate
A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered 'fool', occasionally 'foolish'.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

לֵץlēṣSemantic range debated

scoffer, scorner, mocker

The figure defined by hostility to correction; reproving him is said to bring abuse on the reprover.

Rendered in English as: scoffer, scorner, mocker

Semantic caution: Sometimes rendered with words that sound merely rude, which understates the settled hostility.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 9:7Textual observationModerate
He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 13:1Textual observationModerate
A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 21:24Textual observationModerate
Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered scoffer, scorner or mocker depending on the translation.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

פֶּתִיpetîSemantic range debated

simple, naive

The unformed, persuadable young person — open rather than corrupt.

Rendered in English as: simple, naive, fool

English also uses “fool” for kesîl, ʾĕwîl.

Semantic caution: Rendered 'simple' or sometimes 'fool', which wrongly suggests a settled character rather than an open condition.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 1:22Textual observationModerate
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 9:4Textual observationModerate
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 14:15Textual observationModerate
The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered simple, naive or (misleadingly) foolish.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

עָרוּםʿārûmSemantic range debated

prudent, shrewd, crafty

Practical shrewdness, which the book treats positively — though the same root is used of the serpent in Genesis.

Rendered in English as: prudent, shrewd, crafty

Semantic caution: The word carries both approving and disapproving senses depending on context.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 12:16Textual observationModerate
A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 14:15Textual observationModerate
The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 22:3Textual observationModerate
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered prudent or shrewd in Proverbs; crafty elsewhere.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

צַדִּיקṣaddîq

righteous, just

The person in right relation to God and neighbour, contrasted throughout with rāšāʿ.

Rendered in English as: righteous, just

Semantic caution: 'Righteous' can sound like personal piety; the term is strongly relational and social.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 10:3Textual observationModerate
The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 11:28Textual observationModerate
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 24:16Textual observationModerate
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered righteous or just.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

רָשָׁעrāšāʿ

wicked, guilty

The counterpart of ṣaddîq — guilty, in the wrong, including in a legal sense.

Rendered in English as: wicked, guilty

Semantic caution: 'Wicked' suggests villainy; the term can be closer to 'guilty' or 'in the wrong'.

Textual observationModerate
▸Evidence(3)
Proverbs 10:3Textual observationModerate
The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 24:16Textual observationModerate
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Proverbs 28:1Textual observationModerate
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Sources: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brown-Driver-Briggs) (Public domain / Oxford University Press) · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press)

Limits: Rendered wicked or, in legal contexts, guilty.

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Latin Vulgate

Textual observationModerate

The Latin translation through which Proverbs was read in the Western church for centuries.

Limits: Described rather than quoted; no Latin text is committed in this repository.

Sources: The Latin Vulgate — Liber Proverbiorum

Qumran manuscripts

Historical evidenceModerate

Fragmentary Proverbs manuscripts were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, attesting the book's circulation in the Second Temple period.

Limits: The fragments are limited in extent. They establish circulation, not the shape of the whole book at that date.

Sources: The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library

The Instruction of Amenemope

Scholarly reconstructionContestedProverbs 22:17-24:22

An Egyptian instruction text whose content and structure show notable similarities to Proverbs 22:17–24:22, including a reference to sayings numbered thirty.

Limits: A relationship is widely accepted; its direction and mechanism are not settled. Proposals include Proverbs drawing on Amenemope, both drawing on shared material, and a common Near Eastern instruction tradition. The atlas does not assert a direction, and no translation of Amenemope is reproduced here.

Sources: Papyrus containing the Instruction of Amenemope · Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)

Ordering differences in the Greek

Textual observationModerateProverbs 24:23

The Greek tradition arranges some of the later material in a different order from the Hebrew, particularly around the collections following 24:22.

Limits: Described from reference works; the atlas does not reproduce the Greek text or reconstruct its sequence verse by verse.

Sources: The Septuagint — introduction and editions · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)

Glosses come from standard reference lexicons. No morphological or lexical distinction is asserted beyond what those sources support.

Who wrote Proverbs?

Four layers kept visibly apart: what the text says, what tradition concluded, what scholarship reconstructs, and what is simply unknown.

What the text says

A superscription in the book itself.

The text names Solomon

Proverbs opens 'The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel' (1:1), and a second heading at 10:1 reads 'The proverbs of Solomon'.

Applies to: Instruction & Lady Wisdom, Solomonic sayings

Biblical textHigh

Limits: A superscription states an attribution. Whether it claims authorship of everything that follows, or labels a collection, is a separate question the heading itself does not answer.

▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 1:1Biblical textHigh
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Proverbs 10:1Biblical textHigh
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The text names 'the wise'

Headings at 22:17 and 24:23 introduce material as words of the wise, distinct from the Solomonic collections.

Applies to: Words of the Wise, Further words of the Wise

Biblical textHigh

Limits: The wise are unnamed. The text says only that this material comes from them.

▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 22:17Biblical textHigh
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Proverbs 24:23Biblical textHigh
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The text names Hezekiah's men

Proverbs 25:1 states that these are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

Applies to: Copied by Hezekiah's men

Biblical textHigh

Limits: The verse describes copying or transcribing, roughly two centuries after Solomon. It is the book's own statement that its material was transmitted and compiled.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 25:1Biblical textHigh
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The text names Agur

Proverbs 30:1 introduces the words of Agur son of Jakeh.

Applies to: The words of Agur

Biblical textHigh

Limits: Agur is otherwise unknown, and the rest of the verse is difficult enough that translations differ substantially.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 30:1Biblical textHigh
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

The text names Lemuel

Proverbs 31:1 introduces the words of King Lemuel, which his mother taught him.

Applies to: The words of King Lemuel

Biblical textHigh

Limits: Lemuel is otherwise unknown and appears nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 31:1Biblical textHigh
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Sources: The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611/1769) — Proverbs (Public domain (English))

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Traditional interpretation

A long-standing reading of those superscriptions.

Traditional attribution to Solomon

A long interpretive tradition in both Jewish and Christian reading treats Solomon as the author of the book as a whole, drawing on 1:1 and on the accounts of his wisdom elsewhere.

Applies to: The book as a whole

Traditional interpretationContested

Limits: This is a reading of the superscriptions rather than a statement of them, and it has to account for the book's own headings naming other sources — including men working two centuries later.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 1:1Traditional interpretationContested
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Sources: Proverbs, Book of — Jewish Encyclopedia (Jewish Encyclopedia (public domain)) · Book of Proverbs — Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent (public domain))

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Historical reconstruction

An account proposed by scholarship, with sources.

A compiled book of several collections

The headings themselves divide the book into distinct collections, and most critical scholarship reads it as an anthology assembled over time rather than composed at one sitting.

Applies to: The book as a whole

Majority scholarly viewModerate

Limits: This describes the shape of the book; it does not establish who wrote any individual saying, or when.

▸Evidence(7)
Proverbs 1:1Majority scholarly viewModerate
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 10:1Majority scholarly viewModerate
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 22:17Majority scholarly viewModerate
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 24:23Majority scholarly viewModerate
These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 25:1Majority scholarly viewModerate
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 30:1Majority scholarly viewModerate
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Proverbs 31:1Majority scholarly viewModerate
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Editorial activity under Hezekiah

25:1 is commonly read as evidence of deliberate scribal collection at a royal court, which would make Proverbs a book with a documented stage of compilation.

Applies to: Copied by Hezekiah's men

Scholarly reconstructionModerate

Limits: The verse names the activity without describing its scope: what the men of Hezekiah copied, from what, and how much they arranged is not stated.

▸Evidence(1)
Proverbs 25:1Scholarly reconstructionModerate
These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

Sources: Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press) · The Book of Proverbs in Social and Theological Context (Cambridge University Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Agur and Lemuel as outside voices

Both figures are unknown elsewhere, and the terms in their superscriptions have been read as pointing to a non-Israelite origin for their material.

Applies to: The words of Agur, The words of King Lemuel

Disputed interpretationContested

Limits: The reading depends on how a single ambiguous word in each heading is translated, and it is not settled.

▸Evidence(2)
Proverbs 30:1Disputed interpretationContested
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Proverbs 31:1Disputed interpretationContested
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Sources: Proverbs (Anchor Yale Bible commentary series) (Yale University Press) · Proverbs: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) (Westminster John Knox Press)

Quoted from the public-domain translation committed for this locale.

Unknown

Openly undetermined.

The date of most sayings is unknown

Individual proverbs are difficult to date, and proposals for the collections range widely across the monarchy and the post-exilic period.

Applies to: The book as a whole

Scholarly reconstructionContested

Limits: No proposal commands consensus, and the atlas does not present one. Dating a saying and dating the collection it sits in are different problems.

The superscriptions are textual data. Everything built on top of them — including whole-book Solomonic authorship — is interpretation, and is shown as such.

Proverbs and ancient Near Eastern wisdom

Proverbs 22:17–24:22 has long been compared with the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope. The similarities include shared content, a comparable sequence in places, and a reference to sayings numbered thirty.

That some relationship exists is widely accepted. Its direction is not settled: proposals include Proverbs drawing on Amenemope, both drawing on shared material, and a common Near Eastern instruction tradition behind each. The atlas records the comparison and its uncertainty, and reproduces no translation of the Egyptian text.

The book in short

Proverbs collects Israelite wisdom writing into eight sections. The first nine chapters are extended instruction from a parent to a young person, framed by two women — Wisdom and Folly — who call to the same passers-by from opposite doorways. From chapter 10 the texture changes to hundreds of short sayings, most of them two lines set against each other.

The book names several sources for its own contents: Solomon, unnamed 'wise' figures, the men of Hezekiah who copied material long after Solomon's death, Agur, and the mother of King Lemuel. It closes with an acrostic poem about a woman whose competence holds a household and a business together.

What makes Proverbs difficult is not obscurity but genre. Its sayings look like rules and behave like observations, and it repeatedly places sayings next to others that pull the other way.

Read by topic rather than by chapter. A single saying about money or speech is a sample, not a summary, and the book's mind on a subject only appears when the counterbalancing sayings are in view.

Notice the form. A 'better-than' saying is ranking two goods; an antithetical saying is drawing a contrast; a numerical saying is grouping observations toward a final item. The form tells you what kind of claim is being made.

Expect the tension. 26:4 and 26:5 give opposite instructions in consecutive verses. That is not an editorial accident — it is the clearest statement in the book that applying wisdom requires judgement about which saying fits the case in front of you.

The Hebrew word for wisdom covers craftsmanship as readily as insight. Wisdom in Proverbs is competence — the skill of doing a life well, the way an artisan does work well.

The phrase rendered 'the fear of the LORD' opens the book at 1:7 and returns at 9:10 as the beginning of wisdom. It is not presented as terror. Its precise force — reverence, awe, allegiance, or some combination — is genuinely debated, and translations preserve the ambiguity rather than resolving it.

Proverbs is most often misread as a book of guarantees. Read that way, 'train up a child' becomes a contract, diligence becomes a formula for wealth, and anyone whose life did not follow the pattern is left holding a failure.

The book itself blocks that reading. It says food is in the fallow ground of the poor and is swept away for want of justice. It rates a poor person of integrity above a crooked rich one. It says the righteous fall and rise again. These are not exceptions bolted onto a promise system; they are the book stating its own genre.

The atlas therefore classifies each indexed saying by what kind of statement it makes — instruction, wisdom principle, general observation, warning, theological assertion or rhetorical maxim — and never at high confidence, because that judgement is interpretive. There is deliberately no category called 'promise'.

In Jewish interpretation

In Jewish tradition Mishlei is read as instruction in practical and moral wisdom, and the figure of Wisdom is associated in some strands of interpretation with Torah.

The acrostic of 31:10-31 has a liturgical life of its own as Eshet Chayil, sung in many households on the eve of Shabbat — a reception that reads the poem as praise rather than as a checklist.

In Christian interpretation

Christian readers have historically connected the Wisdom figure of chapter 8 — present at the founding of the world — with Christ, and that reading shaped early Christian theological language considerably.

The atlas records this as a Christian interpretation of the figure, held at contested confidence and sourced. It is not presented as what the text of Proverbs states about itself, and it is kept distinct from the textual observation that Wisdom is personified.

What is certain, what is debated

What is certain

  • The book has 31 chapters and is divided by its own superscriptions into distinct collections.
  • The text names Solomon, 'the wise', the men of Hezekiah, Agur and Lemuel in connection with its material.
  • 26:4 and 26:5 give opposite instructions in consecutive verses.
  • The book contains both sayings linking poverty to sloth and sayings linking it to injustice and oppression.
  • 31:10-31 is an acrostic on the Hebrew alphabet.

What is debated

  • Whether the superscriptions claim authorship of the whole book or label collections within it.
  • The date of most individual sayings and of the collections.
  • The exact force of 'the fear of the LORD'.
  • Whether 22:6 states a promise, a general pattern, or something conditioned on the child's own bent.
  • The identity of the outsider woman in chapters 2 to 7.
  • The meaning of Wisdom's presence at creation in 8:22-31, and what later christological readings of it establish.
  • The direction of any literary relationship with the Instruction of Amenemope.
  • The precise boundaries between the Hebrew terms English renders 'fool'.

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Open data

Every dataset behind this page is available as static JSON. No key, no rate limit, no runtime dependency.

How this page was built

Primary text: the Masoretic Hebrew tradition, quoted through the public-domain translation committed for each locale (KJV for English). No Hebrew, Greek or Latin text is reproduced here.

Collections follow the book's own superscriptions at 1:1, 10:1, 22:17, 24:23, 25:1, 30:1 and 31:1, plus the closing acrostic, which is marked by form rather than by a heading. Disputed boundaries carry a note.

Topic assignment is editorial. Each saying is indexed to the life domains it addresses, and each link records HOW the saying relates to that topic — instruction, warning, pattern, counterbalance or qualification — so a topic never reduces to a single slogan.

Tensions are only recorded where the sayings genuinely pull against each other in ordinary reading. They are described as apparent tensions, counterbalances, scope differences or rhetorical contrasts, never as contradictions asserted as fact.

Every claim carries an epistemic type and a confidence grade. A textual observation, a majority scholarly view and a Christian interpretation are shown as different kinds of statement and are never rendered in the same register.

Secondary literature is cited at publisher or organization level. No position is attributed to any named scholar, and no bibliographic detail is stated that has not been verified.

Written and maintained by The Lord Will. Every interpretive claim on this page carries its type, its confidence, its sources and its limits, and every topic answer resolves to verses you can inspect.

Dataset and structure © The Lord Will, offered for reuse with attribution. Biblical text is quoted from public-domain translations committed in this repository.

Dataset version: 2026-08-11

Sources

Questions people ask

Did Solomon write the whole book of Proverbs?

No — and the book itself says otherwise. Solomon is named at 1:1 and 10:1, but the text also credits unnamed 'wise' figures at 22:17 and 24:23, the men of Hezekiah who copied material roughly two centuries after Solomon at 25:1, Agur at 30:1, and the mother of King Lemuel at 31:1. A long tradition reads 1:1 as claiming authorship of the whole; that is an interpretation of the heading, not a statement of it.

Are the proverbs promises from God?

Generally not. Most function as instruction about how to live or as observations about how life tends to go. The book blocks a guarantee reading itself: it says food is in the fallow ground of the poor and is swept away for want of justice, rates a poor person of integrity above a crooked rich one, and says the righteous fall and rise again.

Why do Proverbs 26:4 and 26:5 contradict each other?

They give opposite instructions in consecutive verses, using nearly identical wording, and each states the risk of the opposite course. The most common reading is that the juxtaposition is deliberate and is itself the teaching: these sayings are situational judgements, and working out which risk is live in a given case is the reader's task.

Does Proverbs teach that poor people are lazy?

No. It names several roads into poverty, and injustice is one of them: 13:23 says food is in the fallow ground of the poor and is swept away for want of justice. Alongside the sluggard sayings sit commands to defend the poor, warnings against robbing them because they are poor, and the statement that oppressing them insults their Maker.

Is Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 a reference to Jesus?

Within Proverbs, Wisdom is a personification — a quality given voice and body in the book's own poetry. Many Christian readers have connected the figure of chapter 8 with Christ, and that reading shaped early Christian theology. This atlas records it as a Christian interpretation with sources, held at contested confidence, and keeps it distinct from the textual observation that Wisdom is personified.

How many different Hebrew words does English translate as 'fool'?

Several. This atlas indexes kesîl, ʾĕwîl, petî and lēṣ, which English versions render with 'fool', 'simple', 'scoffer' and similar terms, often interchangeably. The distinctions are real — the petî is open and unformed, the lēṣ punishes anyone who corrects him — but the boundaries between them are debated, and the atlas does not present them as a fixed ladder.

Did Proverbs copy the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope?

Proverbs 22:17–24:22 shows notable similarities to Amenemope, including shared content and a reference to sayings numbered thirty, and some relationship is widely accepted. The direction is not settled: proposals include Proverbs drawing on Amenemope, both drawing on shared material, and a common Near Eastern instruction tradition. The atlas asserts no direction.

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