Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Parallel translations
- WEB Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
- BSB The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool invites destruction.
- NKJV Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
- NASB Wise people store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
- NLT Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool invites ruin. The wise prepare and restrain; the fool's reckless words bring disaster.
Overview
Wise people accumulate knowledge for the right moment, while the fool's unrestrained mouth hastens trouble. The contrast is between careful preparation and careless speech. This commends both the gathering of wisdom and the discipline of guarded words, reflecting the value Scripture places on a restrained tongue (Proverbs 17:27-28).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Prov 10:8The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
- Prov 18:7A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
- Prov 13:3He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
- Prov 9:9Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
- Prov 10:10He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
- Matt 12:35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
- Prov 18:15The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
- 2 Cor 4:6–7For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- Matt 13:44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
- Prov 21:23Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
- Matt 13:52Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
- Prov 1:5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
- Prov 18:1Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
- Prov 19:8He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 10:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.