Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- BSB Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- NKJV Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- NASB Do you see a person who is hasty with his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- NLT There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.
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 person hasty and careless in speech is in worse condition than a fool.
Overview
Proverbs repeatedly warns against rash words, and here the hasty talker is judged more hopeless even than the fool, because his self-confidence leaves no room for correction. Reckless speech reveals a heart that does not pause to weigh truth before God. The wise instead bridle the tongue, reflecting the patience and measured words modeled perfectly by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Prov 26:12Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
- Jas 1:19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
- Prov 14:29He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
- Eccl 5:2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
- Prov 29:11A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
- Prov 21:5The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
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 29:20 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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