One who separates himself seeks his own desire; He quarrels against all sound wisdom.
Parallel translations
- WEB An unfriendly man pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.
- KJV Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
- BSB He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.
- NKJV A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
- NLT Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.
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 person who isolates himself pursues selfish desire and rejects sound wisdom. Willful separation from others reflects a self-centered heart.
Overview
This proverb warns against one who cuts himself off from community to follow his own cravings, quarreling with all wise counsel. The translation is debated, but the main thrust commends accountability and warns against prideful isolation. God designed His people for fellowship (Heb. 10:24-25), and the church embodies this in Christ, where believers grow together rather than in solitary self-will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Eph 5:15–17Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise;
- Prov 20:3It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be quarreling.
- Prov 2:1–6My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;
- Jer 15:17I didn’t sit in the assembly of those who make merry, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of your hand; for you have filled me with indignation.
- Prov 24:21My son, fear Yahweh and the king. Don’t join those who are rebellious:
- Jude 1:19These are they who cause divisions, and are sensual, not having the Spirit.
- Mark 1:35Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there.
- Prov 14:10The heart knows its own bitterness and joy; he will not share these with a stranger.
- Prov 26:17Like one who grabs a dog’s ears is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.
- Exod 33:16For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
- Isa 26:8–9Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.
- Matt 13:44“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
- Prov 17:14The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.
- Mark 4:11He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
- Rom 1:1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God,
- Prov 20:19He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore don’t keep company with him who opens wide his lips.
- Matt 13:11He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.
- 2 Cor 6:17Therefore “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.
- Zech 7:3and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Armies, and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?”
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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 18:1 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.