Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Template:Sfn The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard Solomon as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period.Template:Sfn This chapter is a part of the second collection of the book.Template:Sfn

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text of Proverbs 14 with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse	Hebrew	English translation (JPS 1917)
1	Template:Script/Hebrew	Every wise woman buildeth her house; But the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
2	Template:Script/Hebrew	He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD; But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth Him.
3	Template:Script/Hebrew	In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride; But the lips of the wise shall preserve them. .
4	Template:Script/Hebrew	Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; But much increase is by the strength of the ox.
5	Template:Script/Hebrew	A faithful witness will not lie; But a false witness breatheth forth lies.
6	Template:Script/Hebrew	A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not; But knowledge is easy unto him that hath discernment.
7	Template:Script/Hebrew	Go from the presence of a foolish man, for thou wilt not perceive the lips of knowledge.
8	Template:Script/Hebrew	The wisdom of the prudent is to look well to his way; But the folly of fools is deceit.
9	Template:Script/Hebrew	Amends pleadeth for fools; But among the upright there is good will.
10	Template:Script/Hebrew	The heart knoweth its own bitterness; And with its joy no stranger can intermeddle.
11	Template:Script/Hebrew	The house of the wicked shall be overthrown; But the tent of the upright shall flourish.
12	Template:Script/Hebrew	There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.
13	Template:Script/Hebrew	Even in laughter the heart acheth; And the end of mirth is heaviness.
14	Template:Script/Hebrew	The dissembler in heart shall have his fill from his own ways; And a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
15	Template:Script/Hebrew	The thoughtless believeth every word; But the prudent man looketh well to his going.
16	Template:Script/Hebrew	A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil; But the fool behaveth overbearingly, and is confident.
17	Template:Script/Hebrew	He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly; And a man of wicked devices is hated.
18	Template:Script/Hebrew	The thoughtless come into possession of folly; But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19	Template:Script/Hebrew	The evil bow before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20	Template:Script/Hebrew	The poor is hated even of his own neighbour; But the rich hath many friends. .
21	Template:Script/Hebrew	He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth; But he that is gracious unto the humble, happy is he.
22	Template:Script/Hebrew	Shall they not go astray that devise evil? But mercy and truth shall be for them that devise good.
23	Template:Script/Hebrew	In all labour there is profit; But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
24	Template:Script/Hebrew	The crown of the wise is their riches; But the folly of fools remaineth folly.
25	Template:Script/Hebrew	A true witness delivereth souls; But he that breatheth forth lies is all deceit.
26	Template:Script/Hebrew	In the fear of the LORD a man hath strong confidence; And his children shall have a place of refuge.
27	Template:Script/Hebrew	The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
28	Template:Script/Hebrew	In the multitude of people is the king’s glory; But in the want of people is the ruin of the prince.
29	Template:Script/Hebrew	He that is slow to anger is of great understanding; But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
30	Template:Script/Hebrew	A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh; But envy is the rottenness of the bones.
31	Template:Script/Hebrew	He that oppresseth the poor blasphemeth his Maker; But he that is gracious unto the needy honoureth Him.
32	Template:Script/Hebrew	The wicked is thrust down in his misfortune; But the righteous, even when he is brought to death, hath hope.
33	Template:Script/Hebrew	In the heart of him that hath discernment wisdom resteth; But in the inward part of fools it maketh itself known.
34	Template:Script/Hebrew	Righteousness exalteth a nation; But sin is a reproach to any people.
35	Template:Script/Hebrew	The king’s favour is toward a servant that dealeth wisely; But his wrath striketh him that dealeth shamefully.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).Template:Sfn Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q103 (4QProvTemplate:Sup; 30 BCE – 30 CE) with extant verses 5–10, 12–13, 31–35.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; $𝔊$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: $𝔊$^S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; $𝔊$^A; 5th century).Template:Sfn

Analysis

This chapter belongs to a section regarded as the second collection in the book of Proverbs (comprising Proverbs 10:1–22:16), also called "The First 'Solomonic' Collection" (the second one in Proverbs 25:1–29:27).Template:Sfn The collection contains 375 sayings, each of which consists of two parallel phrases, except for Proverbs 19:7 which consists of three parts.Template:Sfn

Verse 1

Every wise woman builds her house,

but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

• "Every wise woman”: from the Hebrew construct phrase Template:Lang, khakhmot nashim, "wise ones of women”; with the plural noun Template:Lang, nashim, functions in a distributive sense ("every"), as this is followed by a singular feminine verb Template:Lang, banetah ("builds").

This verse contrasts the wise and foolish women (cf. Proverbs 7:10–23; 31:10–31), but may also be making much the same point as the personified Wisdom building her house in Proverbs 9:1 as the antithesis of Folly and her house in 9:14.Template:Sfn Alternative wording is found in the Good News Translation:

Homes are made by the wisdom of women, but are destroyed by foolishness.

Verse 30

A sound heart is the life of the flesh:

but envy the rottenness of the bones.

• "Sound": an attributive adjective from the Hebrew genitive noun Template:Lang, marpeʾ, which may be one meaning of two homonyms:

• 1 "healing", from the root Template:Lang, raphaʾ, "to heal";
• 2 "calmness, gentleness”, from the root Template:Lang, raphah, "to be slack, loose".

• "Envy": from the Hebrew term Template:Lang, qinʾah, "passion" (NRSV), “jealousy” (NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT), a fairly general word for deep emotion of passionate zeal, including envy and jealousy (Proverbs 6:34; 27:4) as well as anger. In a positive sense, it can be a zeal to defend the institutions of the sanctuary, but in a negative sense it can be an 'intense and sometimes violent excitement and desire that is never satisfied'.

This saying correlates the effect of one's state of the mind on the health of one's whole body (cf. Proverbs 3:8).Template:Sfn

See also

• Related Bible parts: Proverbs 9, Proverbs 16, Proverbs 31

Sources

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External links

• Jewish translations:
  • Mishlei - Proverbs - Chapter 14 (Judaica Press) translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
• Christian translations:
  • Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
• Book of Proverbs Chapter 14 King James Version
• Template:Librivox book Various versions