Proverbs 14

Leggi questo capitolo con intenzione

Proverbs 14 gathers sayings about the difference between wisdom and folly as it shows up in houses, hearts, words, work, and nations. It contains one of the book's most sobering lines, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death," and some of its most tender: the heart knows its own bitterness, even in laughter the heart may ache, a tranquil heart is life to the body. It insists that how a people treat the poor is how they treat their Maker, and that righteousness exalts a nation.

Apri commento del capitolo

Proverbs 14 opens with a house built by a wise woman and torn down by a foolish one, and it keeps returning to what builds and what destroys. The fool's proud speech brings a rod to his back; the wise are protected by their lips. The empty manger is clean, but the harvest comes through the strength of the ox, a proverb that has consoled everyone who has ever cleaned up after productive work. Then the chapter goes somewhere Proverbs rarely goes, inside the heart. It knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. Even in laughter it may ache. And in the middle sits the line that the book repeats later because it matters so much: there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. The chapter's closing verses are its heaviest. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life and a refuge for one's children. A patient person has great understanding. A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker. Righteousness exalts a nation. Read it slowly, one saying at a time, the way it was written to be read, and let the contrasts do their work.

Passi chiave

Proverbs 14:1-4 Proverbs 14:10-13 Proverbs 14:26-31 Proverbs 14:34 Proverbs 16:25

Historical and literary context

The chapter belongs to the Solomonic collection of two-line proverbs in chapters 10 to 22, teaching material for young Israelites learning to live well in family, trade, court, and kingdom. Its references to the manger and the ox, the witness in court, the king and his subjects, and the poor at the gate reflect an agrarian society governed by elders and a monarch. Its sayings were meant to be memorized and turned over, not read once.

How the chapter unfolds

Like its neighbors, the chapter is a sequence of contrasts without a strict outline, but themes cluster. Verses 1 to 9 concern the wise and the fool in house, speech, and work, including the empty manger that comes with no oxen. Verses 10 to 15 turn inward to the heart: its private bitterness, laughter that hides ache, the way that seems right, the simple who believe everything. Verses 16 to 25 contrast prudence with rashness, the poor with the rich, and truthful with lying witnesses. Verses 26 to 35 gather the chapter's weightiest sayings on the fear of the LORD, patience, a tranquil heart, the poor and their Maker, refuge in death, and the righteousness that exalts a nation.

Why this chapter matters

Proverbs 14:12 is one of the most quoted verses in the book, repeated word for word in 16:25, and it names the central danger wisdom exists to address: sincere self-confidence on a path that ends in death. The chapter also offers rare psychological realism for its age, acknowledging private grief no one else can share and joy that ends in sorrow. Verse 31, "Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker," grounds social justice in the doctrine of creation, and verse 34 has been quoted about nations for centuries. Verse 26 promises that the fear of the LORD gives security not only to a person but to their children.

Interpretive tension to watch

Verse 20 observes that the poor are hated even by their neighbors while the rich have many friends, and the next verse calls despising a neighbor a sin. Is Proverbs describing how the world works or prescribing how it should? The book does both, often in adjacent lines, and the reader has to notice the shift. Reading verse 20 as diagnosis and verse 21 as instruction is the wisdom the chapter is trying to teach.

Domande per questo capitolo

Verse 12 warns of a way that seems right and ends in death. What makes a wrong path feel right, and what does the chapter offer as a check?
Verses 10 and 13 admit that hearts carry bitterness and ache that others cannot see. How should that shape the way you treat people who seem fine?
Verse 31 says oppressing the poor taunts their Maker. What follows from that for how a community treats its most vulnerable?

Study with context

Use this as a chapter guide, then press deeper into the text itself. The goal is to slow down observation, notice structure, and ask better questions before jumping to conclusions.

Aggiungi alle note

1 Istri yang bijak memelihara rumah tangganya. Istri yang bebal menghancurkan keluarganya dengan perbuatannya sendiri. 2 Cara hidup yang benar menunjukkan sikap takut dan hormat akan TUHAN, sedangkan cara hidup yang serong berarti menghina Dia. 3 Perkataan orang bebal mengundang hajaran. Perkataan orang bijak melindungi dirinya dari masalah. 4 Si pemalas tidak mau punya sapi supaya tidak usah membersihkan kandang setiap hari. Namun tanpa sapi, hasil panennya pun sedikit. 5 Saksi yang jujur tidak akan berbohong, tetapi saksi dusta menghembuskan kebohongan belaka. 6 Orang yang suka meremehkan tidak akan pernah belajar menjadi bijak, tetapi orang yang berpikir jernih mudah memperoleh pengetahuan. 7 Jauhilah orang bodoh karena perkataannya tidak akan memberimu pengetahuan. 8 Dengan ketajaman berpikirnya, orang bijak mengerti apa yang harus dia lakukan dalam hidup, tetapi orang bebal ditipu oleh kebodohannya sendiri. 9 Orang bebal meremehkan perlunya menebus kesalahan, tetapi orang jujur ingin setiap masalah dibereskan. 10 Tak ada yang bisa mengerti isi hati seseorang kecuali dirinya sendiri— baik senang maupun susah, orang lain tak dapat merasakannya. 11 Keluarga orang jahat akan dihancurkan. Keluarga orang benar akan semakin sejahtera. 12 Ada pilihan hidup yang tampaknya baik dan benar, namun ternyata berakhir pada kebinasaan. 13 Di balik tawa terkadang ada duka. Suka bisa berakhir dengan luka. 14 Baik orang yang setia kepada TUHAN maupun orang yang menjauhi TUHAN akan menerima upah atas perbuatannya. 15 Orang yang naif percaya pada apa pun yang didengarnya, tetapi orang bijak berpikir dengan hati-hati sebelum bertindak. 16 Orang bijak berhati-hati dan menjauhkan diri dari kejahatan. Orang bebal merasa aman sehingga melangkah dengan gegabah. 17 Orang yang cepat marah akan bertindak bodoh. Orang yang merencanakan kejahatan akan dibenci. 18 Hasil usaha orang naif hanyalah kebodohannya, tetapi orang yang berpikir panjang mendapat pengetahuan yang berharga. 19 Inilah kesudahannya: Orang jahat terpaksa tunduk dan meminta bantuan dari orang benar. 20 Sulit sekali bagi orang miskin mendapat teman, bahkan di antara para tetangganya. Tetapi banyak orang berbondong-bondong untuk menjadi ‘teman’ orang kaya. 21 Bila engkau meremehkan orang miskin, engkau berbuat dosa dan tidak berkenan di mata Allah. 22 Merencanakan hal yang jahat membuatmu tersesat. Rencanakanlah hal-hal yang membawa kebaikan bagi sesama, maka engkau akan mempunyai teman-teman yang setia mengasihimu. 23 Bekerja keras mendatangkan keuntungan. Banyak bicara mendatangkan kemiskinan. 24 Orang bijak dimahkotai dengan kekayaan, tetapi mahkota orang bebal adalah kebodohannya. 25 Saksi yang jujur bisa menyelamatkan nyawa orang yang tidak bersalah, tetapi ada orang yang rela berdusta dan mengkhianati sesamanya demi mendapat bayaran. 26 Orang yang selalu menghormati TUHAN merasa aman karena TUHAN melindungi mereka dan anak cucu mereka. 27 Sikap takut akan TUHAN bagai mata air kehidupan karena sikap itu membuat orang meninggalkan perbuatan jahat yang menjeratnya pada kematian. 28 Kehebatan seorang raja terletak pada jumlah rakyatnya. Apabila rakyatnya sedikit, kekuasaannya tidak akan lama. 29 Orang yang sabar adalah bijaksana, sedangkan orang yang cepat marah menunjukkan bahwa dirinya bebal. 30 Hati yang tenang membuat tubuh sehat, tetapi hati yang penuh iri seperti penyakit membusukkan tulang. 31 Menindas orang miskin berarti menghina Penciptanya. Membantu orang miskin memuliakan TUHAN. 32 Orang jahat akan hancur karena perbuatannya sendiri. Orang benar terlindung karena kejujurannya. 33 Hikmat tinggal di hati orang yang berwawasan, bahkan orang picik pun bisa mengetahuinya. 34 Bangsa yang menegakkan kebenaran akan dihormati, tetapi perbuatan dosa yang merajalela akan mencemarkan nama bangsa. 35 Pegawai yang melayani dengan bijaksana akan disenangi oleh raja, tetapi pegawai yang bertindak bodoh akan dimurkai dan dihukum.

Trasforma la lettura in vero studio

Registrati per salvare versetti, prendere note e studiare con strumenti AI.

Registrati Accedi

Scegli il tuo prossimo passo dopo questo capitolo Continua a leggere, scegli un piano o continua a studiare con l'AI.

Leggi il prossimo capitolo Proverbs 15 in Terjemahan Baru Lama.

Piani di lettura

Scegli un piano se vuoi trasformare questo capitolo in un'abitudine ripetibile.

Chiedi all’IA di questo capitolo

Continua con lo studio AI se il testo solleva domande o va più in profondità di una lettura.

Segui i temi che questo capitolo apre Argomenti correlati per le domande più ampie che questo capitolo potrebbe aver aperto.

Sfoglia tutti gli argomenti