Proverbs 14:18

Pro 14:18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Ver. 18. The simple inherit folly.] Acceperunt per successionem seu haereditario iure, so one renders it; they are as wise as their forefathers, and they are resolved to be no wiser. Me ex ea opinione quam a maioribus accepi de cultu deorum, nullius unquam movebit oratio, said Cicero; I will never forsake that way of divine service that I have received from my forefathers, for any man’s pleasure, or by any man’s persuasion. The monarch of Morocco told the English ambassador for King John that he had recently read St Paul’s epistles, which he liked so well, that were he now to choose his religion he would, before any other, embrace Christianity. But everyone ought, saith he, to die in the religion received from his ancestors, and the leaving of the faith wherein he was born was the only thing that he disliked in that apostle. {a}

But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.] They know that dies diem docet: and therefore are not so wedded to their old principles, superstitions, and fopperies, but that they can, as right reason requires, relinquish and abjure them, glorifying the word, {Act 13:48} and "receiving the truth in love," {2Th 2:10} whereby it soon comes to pass, that they get "good repute and report of all men, as Demetrius had, yea, and of the truth itself," {3Jn 1:12} which is the crown of all commendation, Haud velim Erasmi gloria aut nomine vehi, saith Luther: I care not to be praised as Erasmus is, &c.

{a} Heyl. Geog.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 14:18. The simple inherit folly — Possess it as their inheritance, or portion; holding it fast, improving it, and delighting in it; but the prudent are crowned with knowledge — They place their honour and happiness in a sound, practical, and saving knowledge of God, and of their duty; and therefore earnestly pursue it, and heartily embrace it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14:18 are clothed with foolishness: One’s true nature and heart attitude will eventually show in one’s demeanor.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Note, 1. Sin is the shame of sinners: The simple, who love simplicity, get nothing by it; they inherit folly. They have it by inheritance, so some. This corruption of nature is derived from our first parents, and all the calamities that attend it we have by kind; it was the inheritance they transmitted to their degenerate race, an hereditary disease. They are as fond of it as a man of his inheritance, hold it as fast, and are as loth to part with it. What they value themselves upon is really foolish; and what will be the issue of their simplicity but folly? They will for ever rue their own foolish choice. 2. Wisdom is the honour of the wise: The prudent crown themselves with knowledge, they look upon it as their brightest ornament, and there is nothing they are so ambitious of; they bind it to their heads as a crown, which they will by no means part with; they press towards the top and perfection of knowledge, which will crown their beginnings and progress. They shall have the praise of it; wise heads shall be respected as if they were crowned heads. They crown knowledge (so some read it); they are a credit to their profession. Wisdom is not only justified, but glorified, of all her children.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

inherit--as a portion (compare Pro 3:35).

are crowned--literally, "are surrounded with it," abound in it.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(18) The simple inherit folly.—As weeds spring up in unoccupied soil, so “simple” (Pro_1:22) persons, whose minds are unoccupied with good, often become self-willed; while the knowledge which the “prudent” gain by looking well to their steps (Pro_14:15) adorns them as a crown.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The simple inherit folly,.... It is natural and hereditary to them, they are born like wild asses colts; the foolish sayings and proverbs, customs and practices, of their ancestors, though they have been demonstrated to be mere folly, yet these, their posterity, approve them; they love, like, and retain them as their patrimony, Job 11:12. Such are the foolish traditions, customs, principles, and doctrines, of the church of Rome, handed down from father to son; and because Popery is the religion they have been bred and brought up in, though so foolish and absurd, they will not relinquish it;

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge; natural, civil, and spiritual, especially the latter; evangelical knowledge, the knowledge of Christ, and of God in Christ, and of Gospel truths; they are honoured with an acquaintance with them; and they esteem the knowledge of these above all things else, and reckon all things else but loss and dung in comparison of them; they are as a crown unto them, and the knowledge of them is the way to the crown of life; yea, is itself life eternal, Phi 3:8. Or, they "crown themselves with knowledge" (p); they labour after it, pursue it with eagerness, follow on to know the Lord, and attain to a large share of it; surround, encompass, and lay hold upon it, and gird themselves about with this girdle of truth. Or, "they crown knowledge" (q); do honour to that, by putting it in practice; by adding to it temperance, and every virtue, and by bringing others to it; and are an ornament to it in their lives and conversation; they adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour.

(p) "imponent coronam sibi scientiam", Montanus; "coronant se scientia", Piscator, so Ben Melech. (q) "Coronabunt scientiam", Baynus; "ornant scientiam", Drusius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Crowned - The teacher anticipates the truth, and the paradox, of the Stoic saying, “The wise is the only king.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Inherit folly; they possess it as their inheritance or portion, holding it fast, improving it, delighting and glorying in it. In like manner David took God’s

testimonies for his heritage, Psa 119:111, where the word is the same; withal he may imply that folly is natural and hereditary to them.

Are crowned with knowledge; they place their honour and happiness in a sound, and practical, and saving knowledge of God, and of their own duty, and therefore earnestly pursue after it, and heartily embrace it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. Inherit — Not specifically; rather, acquire, get, gain. Folly is their acquisition.

Are crowned with knowledge — Acquire a crown of knowledge; knowledge attained is their glory, ornament, and power. “They embrace knowledge.” — Zockler. “Crown themselves.” — Furst. Stuart says: “Gather wisdom around them; make a crown of knowledge.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The simple inherit folly. The credulous simpleton naturally falls into possession of folly, feeds upon it, and enjoys it. The LXX regards the simple as communicating their folly to others, and translates, "Fools will divide malice." But the prudent are crowned with knowledge; put on knowledge as a crown of glory, in accordance with the Stoic saying, quoted in the "Speaker"s Commentary," "The wise is the only king." Nowack thinks the above translation and the idea alike belong to later times, and prefers to render, "The prudent embrace knowledge," which is parallel to the sentiment of ver. 6. The word is found only in Psa_142:3, where it is translated either "shall compass me about" or "crown themselves through me." The Vulgate has expectabunt, i.e. "wait for it patiently," as the fruit of labour and perseverance. Septuagint, "The wise shall get possession of (krathsousin ) knowledge."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Inherit - They possess it as their inheritance, holding it fast, and glorying in it. Knowledge - The saving knowledge of God and of their own duty.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

18 The simple have obtained folly as an inheritance;

But the prudent put on knowledge as a crown.

As a parallel word to נחלוּ, יכתּרוּ (after the Masora defective), also in the sense of Arab. âkthar, multiplicare, abundare (from Arab. kathura, to be much, perhaps

(Note: According to rule the Hebr. ש becomes in Arab. ṯ, as in Aram. ת; but kthar might be from ktar, an old verb rarely found, which derivata with the idea of encircling (wall) and of rounding (bunch) point to.)

properly comprehensive, encompassing), would be appropriate, but it is a word properly Arabic. On the other hand, inappropriate is the meaning of the Heb.-Aram. כּתּר, to wait (properly waiting to surround, to go round any one, cf. manere aliquem or aliquod), according to which Aquila, ἀναμενούσιν, and Jerome, expectabunt. Also הכתּיר, to encompass in the sense of to embrace (lxx κρατήσουσιν), does not suffice, since in the relation to נחלו one expects an idea surpassing this. Certainly there is a heightening of the idea in this, that the Hiph. in contradistinction to נחל would denote an object of desire spontaneously sought for. But far stronger and more pointed is the heightening of the idea when we take יכתרו as the denom. of כּרת (Gr. κίταρις, κίδαρις, Babyl. כדר, cudur, cf. כּדּוּר, a rounding, sphaera). Thus Theodotion, στεφθήσονται. The Venet. better actively, ἐστέψαντο (after Kimchi: ישׂימו הדעת ככתר על ראשם), the Targ., Jerome, Luther (but not the Syr., which translates נחלו by "to inherit," but יכתרו by μεριοῦνται, which the lxx has for נחלו). The bibl. language has also (Ps. 142:8) הכתיר in the denom. signification of to place a crown, and that on oneself; the non-bibl. has מכתיר (like the bibl. מעטיר) in the sense of distributor of crowns,

(Note: Vid., Wissenschaft, Kunst, Judenthum (1838), p. 240.)

and is fond of the metaphor כתר הדעת, crown of knowledge. With those not self-dependent (vid., regarding the plur. form of פּתי, p. 56), who are swayed by the first influence, the issue is, without their willing it, that they become habitual fools: folly is their possession, i.e., their property. The prudent, on the contrary, as Pro 14:15 designates them, have thoughtfully to ponder their step to gain knowledge as a crown (cf. העשׁיר, to gain riches, הפריח, 11b, to gain flowers, Gesen. 53, 2). Knowledge is to them not merely an inheritance, but a possession won, and as such remains with them a high and as it were a kingly ornament.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

The simple and the prudent are again contrasted. The child of Adam is born to folly. (Job 11:12 .) That is his inheritance. He "received it by tradition from his fathers" (1Pe 1:18 ): yea, from his first father. (Gen 5:3 . Psa 51:5 .) So long as he remains simple, he confirms his title. Unlike an earthly inheritance, he cannot relinquish it. He holds it in life; and, when he "returns naked to the earth, from whence he came" (Job 1:21 . 1Ti 6:7 ), he still holds it firm in death, and reaps its bitter fruits throughout eternity. Here is no injustice, no just cause of complaint. Sinner! is not wisdom freely offered to thee in asking for it? (Jas 1:5 .) Dost not thou therefore continue simple only by thy willful neglect? If knowledge is at hand, to be satisfied with ignorance, is to throw away a talent of inestimable price. ’I confess’ — says Doctor South — ’God has no need of any man’s learning; but certainly then he has much less need of his ignorance.’†1 The prudent, instructed in heavenly knowledge, are enabled to behold Divine objects in a Divine light. Is not this knowledge therefore their crown, the light, holiness, joy, and glory of life eternal? This is not that religion of eccentric singularities, which obscures the glory of the Divine image. Steady consistency is stamped upon it, such as enthrones its possessor in the conviction and regard even of those, who are unfriendly to his principles. (1Pe 2:12 .) Thus "the wise" in this life "inherit glory." (Pro 3:35 .) What shall be their glory in eternity, sitting on the throne of God, crowned with the hand of God himself!

Footnotes:

†1 1Ki 13:33-34 . Vol. i.

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

v. 18. The simple inherit folly, that is the portion of those who will not learn wisdom, who will not be guided by the experiences of others; but the prudent are crowned with knowledge, they embrace, they accumulate, knowledge as a precious possession.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

make knowledge a crown Heb. יכתרו, they make it a crown for their head, and ultimately...

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.