Posts Tagged: Proverbs 15:14

“The Quest for Knowledge. Feeding on Foolishness, and the Depth of Proverbs, Part 2”

On November 19, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” (Proverbs 15:14, English Standard Version)

“You are what you eat.”  (A common saying.)

“You eat what you are.”  (My own not-so-ancient proverb)

In yesterday’s post I unpacked a bit of what’s going on in the first line of Proverbs 15:14 (the part about the understanding person who continues to seek knowledge).  Today, let’s have a look at the fool.  Sometimes, we all act like fools, so this is an important matter to consider.  If I want to see a fool, I don’t generally need binoculars, just a mirror.  If the mirror fits, wear it!

As with many proverbs—both those in the Bible and others—this proverb is very terse.  The business about the fool feeding on folly involves the mouth, and it might also mean that the fool’s speech is junk food.  (Think of our expression “He’s feeding you a line!”)

Quite likely though, the proverb means that the fool is nourished (sort of) by foolishness.  Hence my flipping of the saying that led off this post: “You are what you eat,” becomes “You eat what you are.”

One of the many problems with acting foolishly is that such acting becomes self-perpetuating.  The more you act foolishly, the more you crave foolishness.  Wisdom may come with age, but only if you are seeking it diligently.  If you act foolishly, you will feed on foolishness.

I say again, mostly to myself but also to you, Dear Reader: Be careful what you do and what you eat!  Because, you and I really are what we eat, and we do eat what we are!

, , ,

“The Quest for Knowledge and the Depth of Proverbs”

On November 18, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

I used to read through the biblical book of Proverbs rapidly. I thought of Proverbs as a nice little book with nice little sayings that were easy to understand and not very deep.  I was so wrong.  Many of these proverbs are much more profound and nuanced than I had dreamt.  Working through them in Hebrew has invited me to slow down and savor them.  Perhaps a lack of depth and nuance in the Bible, (or, for that matter, in my days or in any person that I meet) is simply the result of my not slowing down enough.  Perhaps I should omit the word “Perhaps” from the preceding sentence.

Take Proverbs 15:14 for example.

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

but the mouths of fools feed on folly.” (Proverbs 15:14, English Standard Version)

Does this proverb seem to you to be straightforward?  Slow down and think again!

For one thing, notice that one of the characteristics of the person who has understanding is that she/he puts her/his heart into it.  Be careful here, however.  The Hebrew root (lbb) doesn’t necessarily suggest “emotions” or “love” as our word “heart” does.  More often, the Hebrew word that we translate with our word “heart” suggests what we mean by mind or thought.  Probably our saying, “Get your head in the game!” is closer to what the Hebrew root lbb means than is our saying, “Put your heart into it!”

A second thing to note about the first part of this verse is that the root of the Hebrew word bqš is often translated “seek.”  Some nuances about the meaning of this root are “to strive after something, be busy, be concerned.”  So, this kind of seeking knowledge isn’t as simple as googling a topic in which you have a mild interest!  No, there is an intensity about this kind of seeking.

But wait a minute!  This proverb indicates that it is those who have understanding who seek knowledge.  Isn’t that more than a little strange?  If they already have understanding, why do they have to seek knowledge?

Apparently, for the author of this proverb, the quest for knowledge has no boundary.  And those who have an understanding heart know that.  We may not like it, but there it is.  The person with an understanding heart doesn’t know everything.  He/she doesn’t know what he/she doesn’t know.  But the person with an understanding heart does know this: We are all beginners, and the quest for knowledge is a process, not being zapped by some easy miracle.

Since I’ve used so many words to unpack a proverb (which is only eight words long in Hebrew!), we’ll save the fool for tomorrow.

, , , ,
Follow on Feedly