Proverbs 14

Solomon’s theme here seems a matter of building a just and holy life.

1. A wise woman builds her house, but the foolish plucks it down with her hands. Back when Israel lived in tents, it was an ancient custom that the women would set up the family tent. It was very much her tent and her domain, though we should expect that servants and children, and perhaps even the husband, would set it up under her personal supervision. The implication here is taking responsibility for domestic operations. The wider effects of her actions can also serve to tear down the very thing she claims to build.

2. He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. The term for “upright” here is a Hebrew word meaning “contextually just.” The assertion is an equivalence, applying both ways. So is the opposite. The image is one who walks around the potholes on the highway versus one who wanders completely off the path.

3. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise shall keep them. The usual Hebrew pun, comparing a stick with a hedge. By your own folly will your arrogant words provide the ammunition for your correction, but observing wise boundaries (“lips”) in your speech will provide a hedge of protection.

4. Where no cattle are, the stall is clean, but much gain is by the strength of the ox. This is no different from the modern, “You can’t have it both ways.” A simple life can be pure and clean, like the vacant stall and feed trough. But if you need stuff, it requires doing the extra work of having the means of production. An ox can pull the plow for you and it’s far more productive than pulling your own plow, but by implication it’s a lot of hassle.

5. A faithful witness will not lie, but a false witness will speak lies. What comes out of your mouth reflects what’s in your heart. The image is one who speaks carefully, trying to get the truth across, verses one whose very breathe (“speak” as in blowing) is the stink of deception.

6. A scorner seeks wisdom, and it is not found, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. Wisdom is invisible to a blind heart. A discerning heart has no trouble recognizing what God intended in any given situation.

7. Go from the before a foolish man when you do not see in him the lips of knowledge. Give people time to manifest their inner nature, but as soon as you discern there is nothing you can do to help someone, stop trying. The image is taking up a position on the opposite side from the fool.

8. The wisdom of the wise is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit. Wise people keep an eye on the road ahead and keep trying to move in the right direction. Fools spend all their time in trying to pull people off that path.

9. Fools laugh at sin, but among the righteous there is favor. This continues the theme of the previous verse. Mocking the idea that some choices are sinful serves to sidetrack people from the Covenant call. Looking beyond the sophistry of semantic wrangling about the Law and keeping your eye on the moral purpose of revelation delights God, and by implication, all of Creation celebrates.

10. The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share in its joy. This is an ancient figure of speech that is more subtle than the words indicate. On the one hand, only you and God can really understand what He exposes to the “mind” of your heart. Your personal sense of fallen nature and repentance is uniquely yours in the Presence of God. However, the joy of redemption can be shared, but not with someone who departs from a common moral commitment.

11. The house of the wicked shall be overthrown, but the tent of the upright shall be blessed. Picturesque imagery here points to the apparent well-planned life of those who reject a higher moral understanding, painting it as a solid stone house. But the storms of life will destroy such a life because it is built in defiance of Creation’s own moral fabric. Meanwhile, those morally upright could face the worst sorrows of life in a mere tent and still be standing when it’s all done.

12. There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death. This is a direct slam on trusting in human talent and intelligence to work out the mysteries of our existence. Reason alone is not enough; it’s a dead end road.

13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that joy is heaviness. Another sample of intentional ambiguity common in Hebrew reasoning. It depends on the context. Life in this fallen realm is painful by default. You can laugh uproariously and try to ignore it, or you can chuckle and make the most of it, but you cannot change the fundamental nature of the Fall.

14. The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways, but a good man from himself. This is the essence of reaping what you sow. The word “backslider” is the image of someone who flinches when things get tough, so they always come up short of what they could have had from God’s blessings.

15. The simple believes every word, but the wise man watches his step. This is about cynicism. It’s not a question of obeying immoral laws and commands from earthly rulers, but a matter of discerning the moral results of what the government is trying to sell, and preparing in your heart to handle the outcome.

16. A wise one fears and departs from evil, but the fool rages and is sure. This echoes the previous verse. At the earliest opportunity a wise person bails out on folly, but the fool loudly convinces himself that he’s a good member of the team — but the wrong team.

17. He who is soon angry acts foolishly, and a man of wicked plots is hated. What difference does it make if you are impulsively stupid or just plain evil? You can apologize for your hasty mistakes, but you can’t apologize for rejecting moral truth. There is no sacrifice for moral rebellion.

18. The simple inherit folly, but the wise are crowned with knowledge. We’ve all met people who believe life can be managed with simple rules and buying into some logical scheme for prosperity. It’s a lot more work to became well acquainted with the moral fabric of reality and keep checking yourself against that divine mirror. Reality itself is a living and moving thing, so the job is never done until life is done.

19. The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. An example of Hebrew parallelism, we know this is not literal, but a figure of speech. When God’s wrath moves in the world, the only refuge is in the shadow of those who welcome His wrath as a cleansing blessing.

20. The poor is hated even by his own neighbor, but the rich has many friends. Typical Hebrew sarcasm and wit, we know that people get tired of the perpetual needy beggar. People will avoid such them. But if you are rich, you’ll never have a moment to yourself. Solitude is expensive one way or another.

21. He who despises his neighbor sins, but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he. A response to the previous verse: On the other hand, if you can’t understand the blessings of family and community, even at the cost of supporting them, you’ll never have much blessing from God. Thus, joy is also expensive, but worth the cost.

22. Do not those who think evil go astray? But mercy and truth shall be to those who think of good. This paints the image of thinking in terms of devising and making plans. If your plans are contrary to the moral character of God, they’ll keep changing and never quite work out. This is typical of people with some rarefied vision of whatever human logic can produce, always bent on something surely possible, if only they can avoid someone who doesn’t get it spoiling their plans. If your plans are to bring God glory and respond to His whims, you can expect His mercy and stability (“truth”).

23. In all labor there is gain, but the talk of the lips tends only to poverty. This is simple enough: Walk the talk. If all you are working is your jaws, nothing will come of it.

24. The crown of the wise is their riches of wisdom; the foolishness of fools is folly. In translating this, Green gets it right. The focus is not on material gain, so while the Hebrew here simply stops at saying “wealth,” it implies the richness of moral discernment. The morally vacant wear their folly like a crown, though it seem more like a dunce cap to others.

25. A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies. The image is the contrast between pulling in or blowing out. A faithful testimony of moral truth will change people’s lives, but a scheming deceiver is a blow-hard who doesn’t accomplish anything.

26. In the fear of the LORD is strong hope, and His sons shall have a place of refuge. This reverberates into the very real difference between Eastern serenity and Western angst. To walk in moral commitment from the heart is due reverence. It promises that you have nothing to fear in this world He made, because His revelation is entirely consistent with how reality works. This kind of inner peace tends to affect everyone in your sphere of influence.

27. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life to turn aside from the snares of death. Continuing the thought in the previous verse, it offers a play on words not obvious in English. The “fountain” is from the root word for a well you dug to preserve life, whereas the snare is trap in the form or a pit. What is the purpose of your digging into this life? Embracing the moral character of God will help you discern which is which as you travel through life.

28. In the multitude of people is the king’s honor, but in the lack of people is the ruin of the prince. The primary difference between Hebrew feudalism and that of the West is that the former considers people the primary store of value. It matters not how much land and resources you own if your rule tends to kill your people. Your people come first; their social stability is the purpose for which God grants the authority to rule. Rule justly and He will provide everything else necessary for life.

29. He who is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exalts folly. This is an ancient truth, expressing the model of the shepherd character. Punishment is what you pull out when all else has failed and there’s nothing left. God advertised this as His own character.

30. A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones. The word “sound” here is the image of medicinal and helpful. A heart committed to giving and solving problems will make your own body healthy, too. A mind given to petty envy and always thinking that life is unfair will kill you from the inside.

31. He who presses the poor curses his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy upon the poor. The image for poverty here emphasizes dependence by necessity, someone who is simply unfortunate in the human context. If your instinct is to take advantage of them in any way, you are poking God in the eye. As He has mercy on you, so shall you extend mercy to others as your first reflex.

32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous has hope in his death. Without an active and intelligent heart ruling your life, death is fearful. If your heart is alive and committed to God’s moral truth, death is just a circumstance.

33. Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but among fools it is made known. Much of this is lost in translation. The image is wisdom soaked deep into the core of someone who embraces moral justice; you might not notice it right away because they tend to act with discernment. However, a fool is empty and their whole existence and nature is fully exposed for all to see.

34. Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a shame to any people. This is a matter of emphasis and context. God’s revealed standard of justice requires starting first and foremost with Ancient Near Eastern feudalism; this is how we are designed. Even a Gentile nation properly organized by that standard and tends to adhere to moral justice is a blessing and destined for greatness; God uses them for His glory. But rejecting divine justice is an insult to our Creator regardless how well organized and resourceful any random group might be.

35. The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, but his wrath is against him who causes shame. Related to the previous verse, the word “king” portrays an office not much like the Western image attached to the word. This tends in Hebrew culture to be the most vigorous elder and implies a capable warlord from your family, clan or tribe. This is the ruling office as vested by God; it is the basic assumption in all His Law Covenants. God backs him up despite his human frailties, so if you embarrass your own blood kin on the throne, you can be sure God is not too happy with you, either.