Proverbs 12:8

A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
man	אִ֑ישׁ 'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
commended	יְהֻלַּל ye.hu.lal-	H1984	to be clear (orig. of sound · verb, pual imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
according	לְֽפִי le.fi.Si-	H6310	the mouth (as the means of blowing) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
wisdom	שִׂ֭כְלוֹ Sikh.lov	H7922	intelligence · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
perverse	וְנַעֲוֵה ve.na.'a.veh-	H5753	to crook · conjunction + verb, niphal active participle, masculine singular construct
heart	לֵ֝֗ב Lev	H3820	the heart · noun, common masculine singular absolute
despised	לָבֽוּז la.Vuz	H937	disrespect · preposition + 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 3:35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
2 Corinthians 10:18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
Malachi 2:8-9 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hos…
Matthew 27:4-5 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But…
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make mani…
Genesis 41:39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
Psalms 132:18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:8

We are here told whence to expect a good name. Reputation is what most have a high regard to and stand much upon. Now it is certain, 1. The best reputation is that which attends virtue and serious piety, and the prudent conduct of life: A man shall be commended by all that are wise and good, in conformity to the judgment of God himself, which we are sure is according to truth, not according to his riches or preferments, his craft and subtlety, but according to his wisdom, the honesty of his designs and the prudent choice of means to compass them. 2. The worst reproach is that which follows wickedness and an opposition to that which is good: He that is of a perverse heart, that turns aside to…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:8

despised--as opposed to commended (Pro 11:12). perverse heart--or, "wicked principles," as opposed to one of wisdom.

John Gill on Proverbs 12:8

A man shall be commended according to his wisdom,.... Not according to his birth and pedigree; not according to his riches and wealth; not according to the places of honour and trust he may be in; but according to his wisdom, which he discovers in his words and actions, in his life and conversation: not according to the wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and devilish; not according to the wisdom of the world, which comes to nought, either natural or civil; especially that which lies in sophistry and subtlety, in wicked craft and cunning, whereby men trick, overreach, and defraud one another; but according to that which is spiritual and evangelical; which lies in the knowledge of Christ, and of…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:8

8 According to the measure of his intelligence is a man praised, And whoever is of a perverse mind is despised. Everywhere in the Mishle שׂכל has no other meaning than intellectus. The praise which is given to a man measures itself לפי שׂכלו (punctuate לפי־שׂכלו, according to Torath Emeth, p. 41, Accentssystem, xx. 1), i.e., according to the measure (so לפי is used in the oldest form of the language) of his intelligence, or as we may also say, of his culture; for in these proverbs, which make the fear of God the highest principle, שׂכל means also understanding of moral excellence, not merely the intellectual superiority of natural gifts. הלּל is here a relative conception of manifold gradati…

The Church Fathers

However, he who is vain and foolish, etc. Because he himself despises having the strength of manly courage.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

A man will be known by his doctrine. Scripture usually calls those endowed with divine virtues men. Hence the Apostle: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men (I Cor. XVI). Therefore, a man is known by his doctrine, because if he teaches correctly and also fulfills it with deeds, he is understood to be holy.
— 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 · Perverse — Perverse
Prudence · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
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 12:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:8

John Gill on Proverbs 12:8

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 12:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 12:8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 12:8

John Gill on Proverbs 12:8

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 12:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 12:8

Rashi on Proverbs 12:8