18 Bible Verses about Wise Proverbs
Most Relevant Verses
To understand a proverb and a figure [of speech] or an enigma with its interpretation,
And the words of the wise and their riddles [that require reflection].
Like the legs which are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who cannot learn from its wisdom].
Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man,
So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who remains unaffected by its wisdom].
“But a hollow (empty-headed) man will become intelligent and wise
[Only] when the colt of a wild donkey is born as a man.
That is why those who use proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon,
Let the city of Sihon be built and established.
“For fire has gone out of Heshbon,
A flame from the city of Sihon;
It devoured Ar of Moab
And the lords of the heights of the Arnon.
“Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Moab!
You are destroyed, O people of [the god] Chemosh!
Moab has given his sons as fugitives [that is, survivors of battle],
And his daughters into captivity
To Sihon king of the Amorites.
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“We have shot them down [with arrows];
Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon,
And we have laid them waste as far as Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”
He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.
I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb;
On the lyre I will unfold my riddle.
The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish [stubborn] son [who refuses to learn] is a grief to his mother.
These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:
Furthermore, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered and searched out and arranged many proverbs.
Balaam took up his [first] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram (Syria),
from the mountains of the east, [saying,]
‘Come, curse [the descendants of] Jacob for me;
And come, [violently] denounce Israel.’
Balaam took up his [second] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Rise up, O Balak, and hear;
Listen [closely] to me, son of Zippor.
He took up his [third] discourse (oracle) and said:
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened [at last, to see clearly the purpose and will of God],
He took up his [fourth] discourse (oracle) and said:
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
The oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
Balaam looked at Amalek and took up his [fifth] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Amalek was the first of the [neighboring] nations [to oppose the Israelites after they left Egypt],
But his end shall be destruction.”
And Balaam looked at the Kenites and took up his [sixth] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Strong is your dwelling place,
And you set your nest in the cliff.
Then he took up his [seventh] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Alas, who can live unless God has ordained it?