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Contemporary English Version

Proverbs 15:7

Words of wisdom make good sense; the thoughts of a fool make no sense at all.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fool;   Speaking;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Knowledge;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   The Topic Concordance - Foolishness;   Heart;   Knowledge;   Speech/communication;   Wickedness;   Wisdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Missionaries, All Christians Should Be as;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Lip;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge,but not so the heart of fools.
Hebrew Names Version
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; Not so with the heart of fools.
King James Version
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
English Standard Version
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.
New American Standard Bible
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.
New Century Version
Wise people use their words to spread knowledge, but there is no knowledge in the thoughts of fools.
Amplified Bible
The lips of the wise spread knowledge [sifting it as chaff from the grain]; But the hearts of [shortsighted] fools are not so.
World English Bible
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; Not so with the heart of fools.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The lippes of the wise doe spread abroade knowledge: but ye heart of the foolish doth not so.
Legacy Standard Bible
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,But the hearts of fools are not so.
Berean Standard Bible
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.
Complete Jewish Bible
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.
Darby Translation
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but not so the heart of the foolish.
Easy-to-Read Version
Wise people say things that give you new knowledge, but fools say nothing worth hearing.
George Lamsa Translation
The lips of the wise utter knowledge; but the hearts of fools are unjust.
Good News Translation
Knowledge is spread by people who are wise, not by fools.
Lexham English Bible
The lips of the wise will spread knowledge, but the heart of fools, not so.
Literal Translation
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool is not so.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A wyse mouth poureth out knowlege, but ye herte of the foolish doth not so.
American Standard Version
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; But the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
Bible in Basic English
The lips of the wise keep knowledge, but the heart of the foolish man is not right.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; but the heart of the foolish is not stedfast.
King James Version (1611)
The lippes of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish, doeth not so.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The lippes of the wise do sowe knowledge: but the heart of the foolishe do not so.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The lips of the wise are bound by discretion: but the hearts of the foolish are not safe.
English Revised Version
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The lippis of wise men schulen sowe abrood kunnyng; the herte of foolis schal be vnlijc.
Update Bible Version
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; But the heart of the foolish is not so.
Webster's Bible Translation
The lips of the wise diffuse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish [doeth] not so.
New English Translation
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the heart of fools.
New King James Version
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so.
New Living Translation
The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give.
New Life Bible
The lips of the wise spread much learning, but the minds of fools do not.
New Revised Standard
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the minds of fools.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The lips of the wise, scatter abroad knowledge, but, the heart of dullards, is not right.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The lips of the wise shall disperse knowledge: the heart of fools shall be unlike.
Revised Standard Version
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the minds of fools.
Young's Literal Translation
The lips of the wise scatter knowledge, And the heart of fools [is] not right.
THE MESSAGE
Perceptive words spread knowledge; fools are hollow—there's nothing to them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.

Contextual Overview

7 Words of wisdom make good sense; the thoughts of a fool make no sense at all.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lips: Psalms 37:30, Psalms 45:2, Psalms 51:13-15, Psalms 71:15-18, Psalms 78:2-6, Psalms 119:13, Ecclesiastes 12:9, Ecclesiastes 12:10, Song of Solomon 4:11, Matthew 10:27, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 18:9, Acts 18:10, Romans 10:14-17, Romans 15:18-21, Ephesians 4:29, 2 Timothy 2:2

the heart: Proverbs 10:20, Proverbs 10:21, Matthew 12:34, James 3:6

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 6:7 - shalt talk Job 4:3 - Behold Job 33:3 - my lips Proverbs 5:2 - thy lips Proverbs 10:11 - mouth of a Proverbs 10:13 - the lips Proverbs 12:18 - but Proverbs 16:21 - the sweetness Proverbs 20:15 - but Proverbs 22:18 - fitted Matthew 13:52 - which Colossians 4:6 - your

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
The Lord said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:7
but the Lord appeared to Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abram then built an altar there for the Lord .
Genesis 15:2
But Abram answered, " Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own.
Genesis 15:4
The Lord replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his."
Genesis 15:7
The Lord said to Abram, "I brought you here from Ur in Chaldea, and I gave you this land."
Genesis 15:8
Abram asked, " Lord God, how can I know the land will be mine?"
Genesis 15:17
Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal.
Psalms 105:11
when he said, "I'll give you the land of Canaan."
Psalms 105:42
God never forgot his sacred promise to his servant Abraham.
Psalms 105:44
The Lord gave them the land and everything else the nations had worked for.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,.... Scatter it about for the benefit of others; they are communicative and diffusive of it unto others, that fruit may abound to their account: so the first ministers of the Gospel diffused the savour of the knowledge of Christ and his Gospel in every place; their words went into all the earth, and their sound to the end of the world; and so every Gospel minister will speak according to the oracles of God, and according to the abilities and measure of the gift which he has received; and to the utmost of his power feeds souls with knowledge and understanding;

but the heart of the foolish [doth] not so; does not disperse knowledge, for he has no solid substantial knowledge in him: or, "the heart of the foolish [is] not right" x; it is full of folly and wickedness: or "the heart of the foolish [does] not [disperse that which is] right" y; true and right things, and the knowledge of them; but, on the contrary, as in Proverbs 15:2, "pours out foolishness".

x לא כן "non erit rectum", Pagninus, Baynus; "non est rectum", Piscator, Mercerus. y "Spargit quod abest a recto", Junius Tremellius, Amama "eventilant non rectum", Schultens, Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Not so - The word translated “so” is taken by some in its etymological force as “strong,” “firm,” and the passage is rendered “the heart of the fool disperseth (supplied from the first clause) what is weak and unsteady,” i. e., “falsehood and unwisdom.” The Septuagint takes it as an adjective, “the heart of the fool is unstedfast.” The phrase as it stands in the King James Version is, however, of frequent occurrence Genesis 48:18; Exodus 10:11; Numbers 12:7.


 
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