Proverbs 14:3; Proverbs 14:8; Proverbs 14:16
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): Lord Francis Bacon renders this verse thus: “A wise man is wary of his way; a cunning fool seeks evasion.” “There be two sorts of wisdom,” says he; “the one true and sound, the other counterfeit and false;” which last Solomon hesitates not to call folly. He who applies himself to the former takes heed to his own ways and footings; foreseeing dangers, studying remedies, using the assistance of good men, and fortifying himself against the wicked: wary how he enters upon a business, and not unprepared for a handsome retreat: attentive to advantages, courageous against impediments, with innumerable other things relating to the government of his own ways and actions. But that other kind is made up altogether of fallacies and cunning devices, and relies wholly upon the hopes of circumventing others, and framing them as it lists.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): The wit of ungodly men, which, though they account their wisdom, is really their folly, is employed only in finding out ways of overreaching and deceiving others, and themselves too.
WILLIAM JAY (1769-1853): It is distrustful conduct.
THOMAS COKE: This wisdom the parable rejects, not only as wicked, but as foolish; for, first, it is not in the number of things which are in our own power, nor is it directed by any constant rule; but new stratagems must be every day devised, the old failing and growing useless. And secondly, as soon as a man hath got the name and opinion of a cunning crafty companion, he hath deprived himself utterly of the principal instrument for the management of his affairs; which is, trust; and so he will find, by experience, all things go cross to his desires: for, lastly, these arts and shifts, however they promise fair, and much please such as practise them; yet they are commonly frustrated, and, which is worse, end sadly.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): He passes from sin to sin like a madman, and yet persuades himself that all shall do well.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): He puts a cheat upon himself. He does not rightly understand his way; he thinks he does, and so misses his way, and goes on in his mistake: “The folly of fools is deceit;” it cheats them into their own ruin.
MATTHEW POOLE: The fool—the wicked man; for such are commonly and justly called fools every where in Scripture, and that purposely to meet with their false, yet, common, conceit of themselves, as if they were the only wise men, and all others were fools.
CHARLES BRIDGES (1794-1869): His character is here drawn to life: He “rageth, and is confident.” Such a fool was Rehoboam, when his self-willed confidence rejected the counsel of wisdom and experience, 2 Chronicles 10.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): His speech betrays him―As the words may be rendered, “he goes on confidently,” nothing can stop him; he pushes on, regardless of the laws of God or men, of the advices and counsels of his friends.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): The lips only utter what the mind conceives.
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): Matthew 12:34: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh;” agreeably to the old proverb, which declared the tongue to be the index of the mind. And, indeed, whatever hidden and crooked recesses may exist in the heart of man, and whatever may be the amazing contrivances by which every man conceals his vices, yet the Lord extorts from each of them some kind of confession, so that they discover by the tongue their natural disposition and hidden feelings.
JOHN TRAPP: What is in the well will be in the bucket―so what is in the heart will be in the mouth.
MATTHEW HENRY: See here a proud fool exposing himself. Where there is pride in the heart, and no wisdom in the head to suppress it, it commonly shows itself in the words: In the mouth there is pride, proud boasting, proud censuring, proud scorning, proud commanding and giving law; this is the rod, or branch of pride―it grows from that root of bitterness which is in the heart; it is a rod from that stem. The root must be plucked up, or we cannot conquer this branch, or it is meant of a smiting beating rod, a rod of pride which strikes others. The proud man with his tongue lays about him and deals blows at pleasure, but it will in the end be a rod to himself; the proud man shall come under an ignominious correction by the words of his own mouth, not cut as a soldier, but caned as a servant; and he will be beaten with his own rod, Psalm 64:8.
THOMAS COKE: Fools often bring upon themselves, by their ungoverned tongues, the correction due to their crimes, their pride, and arrogance.
CHARLES BRIDGES: “The mouth of fools poureth out foolishness,” Proverbs 15:2. There is a time for everything—the wise man elsewhere writes—“a time to keep silence, and a time to speak,” Ecclesiastes 3:7. It is a mark of true wisdom to discern the times. Indeed the want of discipline, upon the “little member,” is a sound test of character. The man, who speaks hastily and with conceit, will be put to shame in his folly.
MATTHEW HENRY: He is a fool, for he acts against his reason and his interest, and his ruin will quickly be the proof of his folly.
CHARLES BRIDGES: He might have been “counted” wise in his silence. But silence is beyond his power—he “uttereth all his mind,” Proverbs 29:11—he tells all he knows, thinks, or intends, and runs on, until he has “poured out all his foolishness.” It is sometimes thought a proof of honesty to utter all our mind. But it is rather a proof of folly. For how many things it would be far better never to speak; indeed to suppress the very thought―Oh! for wisdom to govern the tongue! For want of sound wisdom, fools only open their mouths for their own mischief, in profane rebellion, groveling selfishness, ungodly worldliness, or hateful pride.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): There are some persons who have undergone such a process of self-deception that if the angels of God were to tell them the truth they would not believe it, nor be able to comprehend it.
CHARLES BRIDGES: To be deaf to the voice that would save us from ruin is a most fearful error—the proof of a foolish and unhumbled heart, and the certain forerunner, if not corrected, of irremediable destruction.
