Proverbs 12:23

A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

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

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
prudent	עָ֭רוּם 'A.rum	H6175	cunning (usually in a bad sense) · adjective, masculine singular absolute
man	אָדָ֣ם 'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · noun, common masculine singular absolute
concealeth	כֹּ֣סֶה Ko.seh	H3680	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
knowledge	דָּ֑עַת Da.'at	H1847	knowledge · noun, common feminine singular absolute
heart	וְלֵ֥ב ve.Lev	H3820	the heart · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct
fools	כְּ֝סִילִ֗ים ke.si.Lim	H3684	properly · adjective, masculine plural absolute
proclaimeth	יִקְרָ֥א yik.Ra'	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
foolishness	אִוֶּֽלֶת 'i.Ve.let	H200	silliness · 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 13:16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
Proverbs 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
Proverbs 10:14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Ecclesiastes 10:3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:23

Note, 1. He that is wise does not affect to proclaim his wisdom, and it is his honour that he does not. He communicates his knowledge when it may turn to the edification of others, but he conceals it when the showing of it would only tend to his own commendation. Knowing men, if they be prudent men, will carefully avoid every thing that savours of ostentation, and not take all occasions to show their learning and reading, but only to use it for good purposes, and then let their own works praise them. Ars est celare artem - The perfection of art is to conceal it. 2. He that is foolish cannot avoid proclaiming his folly, and it is his shame that he cannot: The heart of fools, by their foolish…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:23

concealeth--by his modesty (Pro 10:14; Pro 11:13). heart . . . proclaimeth--as his lips speak his thoughts (compare Ecc 10:3).

John Gill on Proverbs 12:23

A prudent man concealeth knowledge,.... Of things natural or divine, which he is furnished with; not but that he is willing to communicate it, as he should, at proper times, in proper places, and to proper persons; but he does not needlessly and unseasonably speak of it; he does not make a show of it, or boast and brag of it: he modestly forbears to speak of what he knows, but when there is a necessity for it, even of that which may be lawfully divulged; which is a point of prudence and modesty; otherwise it is criminal to reveal secrets, or publish what should be kept private or should not be known. Aben Ezra interprets it of a wise man's hiding his knowledge in his heart, that he may not f…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:23

23 A prudent man conceals knowledge, And a heart-fool proclaims imbecility. In 23a Pro 12:16 is repeated, only a little changed; also 16a corresponds with 23a, for, as is there said, the fool knows not how to keep his anger to himself, as here, that a heart-fool (cf. the lying mouth, 22a) proclaims (trumpets forth), or as Pro 13:16 says, displays folly without referring to himself the si tacuisses. To this forward charlatan blustering, which intends to preach wisdom and yet proclaims in the world mere folly, i.e., nonsense and imbecility, and thereby makes itself troublesome, and only to be laughed at and despised, stands in contrast the relation of the אדם ערוּם, homo callidus, who possesse…

The Church Fathers

And the heart of fools proclaims foolishness. When they either desire to know more than they should, and leap to thinking that foolishness is wisdom; or certainly when trying to teach others who cannot yet understand, they provoke them to greater foolishness, and like forcing the sun's light on small eyes, they take away the little light they seemed to see.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

A shrewd man conceals knowledge. Shrewd in this place is understood in a good sense, that is, wise and prudent, who sometimes conceals his knowledge out of prudence: for two reasons, either not being able to speak to weak listeners as to spiritual ones, but as to carnal ones, or being unwilling to give what is holy to the dogs, nor to cast pearls before swine.
— 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

Heart, Character Of The Unrenewed · Foolish — Foolish
Prudence · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Speaking · FOLLY IN — FOLLY IN

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 12:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:23

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:23

John Gill on Proverbs 12:23

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:23

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 12:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:23

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:23

John Gill on Proverbs 12:23

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:23

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 12:17

Rashi on Proverbs 12:23