“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer, but on the way out, he gloats.
Parallel translations
- WEB “It’s no good, it’s no good,” says the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasts.
- KJV It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
- NKJV “It is good for nothing,” cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts.
- NASB “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, But when he goes his way, then he boasts.
- NLT The buyer haggles over the price, saying, “It’s worthless,” then brags about getting a bargain!
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
A buyer disparages goods to drive down the price, then boasts of his bargain afterward. It matters as a sharp observation of dishonest dealing.
Overview
The proverb exposes the deceit common in haggling — pretending the goods are worthless to cheat the seller, then bragging once the deal is done. It quietly condemns such double-dealing, consistent with the chapter's concern for honest weights and integrity (20:10, 23). True wisdom deals truthfully rather than manipulating others for gain.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 1 Th 4:6and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you.
- Hos 12:7–8A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
- Eccl 1:10Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:14 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
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