He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.
- BSB He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.
- NKJV He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.
- NASB One who gives an answer before he hears, It is foolishness and shame to him.
- NLT Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
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
Answering before truly listening is foolish and shameful. Hasty replies that skip understanding bring disgrace.
Overview
This proverb rebukes the one who responds before he has heard, calling it folly and shame. It commends patient, attentive listening as the foundation of wise speech and fair judgment. James echoes the principle in urging believers to be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19), a humble teachability that honors others and reflects the wisdom of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- John 7:51Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
- Deut 13:14Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;
- Prov 20:25It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.
- Job 29:16I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
- Esth 8:5–17And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:
- Dan 6:9Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
- 2 Sam 16:4Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.
- 2 Sam 19:24–30And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.
- Esth 3:10–15And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.
- Dan 6:14Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
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 18:13 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.