Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- KJV Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
- NKJV Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- NASB Do you see a person wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- NLT There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.
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
There is more hope for a fool than for someone wise in his own eyes. Self-conceit is worse than open folly.
Overview
This climactic verse of the fool section warns that pride which presumes its own wisdom is the most hopeless condition of all, since it cannot be taught. Such self-deception resists the very correction that brings life (Prov 3:7; Rom 12:16). The gospel calls instead for humble dependence on God's wisdom rather than our own (1 Cor 1:18-25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 1 Cor 3:18–19Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
- Prov 29:20Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- Prov 26:5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
- Prov 28:11A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.
- Rom 12:16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited.
- Rev 3:17You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
- Luke 18:11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
- Prov 3:7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
- Matt 21:31Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
- Prov 26:16The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
- Luke 7:44And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
- Prov 22:29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
- 2 Cor 8:1–2Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 26:12 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.