Proverbs 1:22

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
ones	פְּתָיִם֮ pe.ta.Yim	H6612	silly (i.e. seducible) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
love	תְּֽאֵהֲב֫וּ te.'e.ha.Vu	H157	to have affection for (sexually or otherwise) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural
simplicity	פֶ֥תִי Fe.ti	H6612	silly (i.e. seducible) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
scorners	וְלֵצִ֗ים ve.le.Tzim	H3887	properly · conjunction + adjective, masculine plural absolute
delight	חָמְד֣וּ cha.me.Du	H2530	to delight in · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
scorning	לָ֭צוֹן La.tzon	H3944	derision · noun, common masculine singular absolute
fools	וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים u.khe.si.Lim	H3684	properly · conjunction + adjective, masculine plural absolute
hate	יִשְׂנְאוּ yis.ne.'u-	H8130	to hate (personally) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
knowledge	דָֽעַת Da.'at	H1847	knowledge · noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornf…
Proverbs 5:12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repenta…
Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Luke 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine ey…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 1:20–end

Solomon, having shown how dangerous it is to hearken to the temptations of Satan, here shows how dangerous it is not to hearken to the calls of God, which we shall for ever rue the neglect of. Observe, I. By whom God calls to us - by wisdom. It is wisdom that crieth without. The word is plural - wisdoms, for, as there is infinite wisdom in God, so there is the manifold wisdom of God, Eph 3:10. God speaks to the children of men by all the kinds of wisdom, and, as in every will, so in every word, of God there is a counsel. 1. Human understanding is wisdom, the light and law of nature, the powers and faculties of reason, and the office of conscience, Job 38:36. By these God speaks to the childr…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 1:22

simple ones--(Compare Pro 1:4). simplicity--implying ignorance. scorners-- (Psa 1:1) --who despise, as well as reject, truth. fools--Though a different word is used from that of Pro 1:7, yet it is of the same meaning.

John Gill on Proverbs 1:22

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?.... Simple foolish things, agreeably to their character, being weak simple men, men of weak capacities and shallow understandings; and such were the first persons that were called by Christ through the ministry of the word, even effectually; they were babes and sucklings in comparison of others, by whom they were despised as illiterate and ignorant of the law; see Matthew 11:25; though it may respect the Jews in general, who were externally called by Christ, and were a simple and foolish people, addicted to silly customs and usages, to the traditions of the elders, and loved the folly and darkness of them, and to continue in them, rather tha…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 1:22

The poet has now reached that part of his introduction where he makes use of the very words uttered by Wisdom: How long, ye simple, will ye love simplicity, And scorners delight in scorning, And fools hate knowledge? Three classes of men are here addressed: the פּתים, the simple, who, being accessible to seduction, are only too susceptible of evil; the לצים, mockers, i.e., free-thinkers (from לוּץ, Arab. luṣ, flectere, torquere, properly qui verbis obliquis utitur); and the כּסילים, fools, i.e., the mentally imbecile and stupid (from כּסל, Arab. kasal, to be thick, coarse, indolent). The address to these passes immediately over into a declaration regarding them; cf. the same enallage, Pro 1…

The Church Fathers

And fools hate knowledge? etc. It should be inferred from the previous how long, that is, how long will they desire? how long will they hate? They indeed desired harmful things and hated knowledge, who followed the surface of the legal letter, and refused to accept the sacraments of the Gospel, which the letter itself signified.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

How long, O simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long, little ones in the sense of the old covenant's ceremony, as the new one shines forth, will you love it? How long will you prefer Moses to Christ, the Law to the Gospel? How long will you advance the decrees given by a servant to the still immature people over those given by the Son Himself coming to the perfect in mind? He says, How long will you do these things? You have now seen Christ in the flesh, you have now not only spurned, but also killed Him doing miracles and teaching. At least now, love Him risen from the dead and reigning in heaven, and He will forgive the crime you committed.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Blindness · 21:14;22:13,14; — 21:14;22:13,14;
Call Of God, The · Rejection by God — Rejection by God
Fool · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Fools · Hate knowledge — Hate knowledge
Infidelity · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Knowledge · Fools hate — Fools hate
Repentance · 4:29-31;10:16;30:1-3,8-10;32:29; — 4:29-31;10:16;30:1-3,8-10;32:29;
Scoffing · 21:14,15;34:7; — 21:14,15;34:7;
Scorning And Mocking · Those who are addicted to: Delight in — Those who are addicted to: Delight in
Wisdom · .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Young Men · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 1:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 1:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 1:22

John Gill on Proverbs 1:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 1:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 1:22

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 1:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 1:22

John Gill on Proverbs 1:22

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 1:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 1:22

Rashi on Proverbs 1:22