Proverbs 10:13

In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
lips	בְּשִׂפְתֵ֣י be.sif.Tei	H8193	the lip (as a natural boundary) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
understanding	נָ֭בוֹן Na.Von	H995	to separate mentally (or distinguish) · verb, niphal active participle, masculine singular absolute
wisdom	חָכְמָ֑ה chokh.mah	H2451	wisdom (in a good sense) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
found	תִּמָּצֵ֣א ti.ma.Tze'	H4672	properly · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
rod	וְ֝שֵׁ֗בֶט ve.She.vet	H7626	a scion · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
back	לְגֵ֣ו le.Gev	H1460	the back · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
void	חֲסַר cha.sar-	H2638	lacking · adjective, masculine singular construct
understanding	לֵֽב Lev	H3820	the heart · noun, common masculine 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 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
Proverbs 6:32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth mor…
Psalms 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near un…
Proverbs 10:10-11 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Proverbs 10:31 The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 10:13

Observe, 1. Wisdom and grace are the honour of good men: He that has understanding, that good understanding which those have that do the commandments, wisdom is found in his lips, that is, it is discovered to be there, and consequently that he has within a good treasure of it, and it is derived thence for the benefit of others. It is a man's honour to have wisdom, but much more to be instrumental to make others wise. 2. Folly and sin are the shame of bad men: A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding - of him that wants a heart; he exposes himself to the lashes of his own conscience, to the scourges of the tongue, to the censures of the magistrate, and to the righteous judgm…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 10:13

In the lips . . . found--hence, not beaten, as the wicked-speaking fool. void of understanding-- (Pro 6:32; Pro 7:7).

John Gill on Proverbs 10:13

In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found,.... He that has an understanding, especially of divine, spiritual, and evangelic things, which is the pure gift of God; wisdom will be found in his lips, his mouth will speak of it; not of mere natural wisdom, but spiritual wisdom; of the wisdom of God in his works; of Christ, the Wisdom of God; of the Gospel, the hidden wisdom; of inward experience of the grace of God, wisdom in the inward part, Psalm 37:30; from his lips will drop wise sayings, very instructive and informing; which those that seek for and observe may find to their profit and advantage, and to the great credit and honour of the understanding man; while the foolish…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 10:13

There follow now two other proverbs on the use and abuse of speech: On the lips of the man of understanding wisdom is found; And the rod for the back of the fool. With Lwenstein, Hitzig, and others, it is inadmissible to regard ושׁבט as a second subject to תּמּצא. The mouth itself, or the word of the mouth, may be called a rod, viz., a rod of correction (Isa 11:4); but that wisdom and such a rod are found on the lips of the wise would be a combination and a figure in bad taste. Thus 13b is a clause by itself, as Luther renders it: "but a rod belongs to the fool's back;" and this will express a contrast to 13a, that while wisdom is to be sought for on the lips of the man of understanding (cf.…

The Church Fathers

In the lips of the wise is found wisdom, etc. The rod on the back is vengeance on the posterior, that is, in the following life; well expressed by that famous plague by which the Philistines were struck on their buttocks (1 Sam. V). Therefore, whoever does not want to carry the rod on their back, let them carry wisdom in their lips. I will speak the praises of Christ and preach His commandments. However, because it is always suitable to praise God but not always to teach, it is fitting that the wise do not teach everything they know to everyone, rightly adding:
— 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

Poetry — Has been well defined as “the measured language of emotion.” Hebrew poetry deals almost exclusively with the great question of man’s relation to God. “Guilt, condemnation, punishment, pardon,…
Proverbs, Book of — A collection of moral and philosophical maxims of a wide range of subjects presented in a poetic form. This book sets forth the “philosophy of practical life. It is the sign to us that the Bible does…
Fool · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Speaking · WISDOM IN — WISDOM IN
Wisdom · .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO

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 10:13

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 10:13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 10:13

John Gill on Proverbs 10:13

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 10:13

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 10:13

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 10:13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 10:13

John Gill on Proverbs 10:13

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 10:13

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 10:13

Rashi on Proverbs 10:13