Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14 sets two roads side by side: the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked. It shows how each road plays out in the home, in speech, with money, with the poor, and before God. The fear of the LORD is the safe path, and the chapter also warns that a road can look right and still end badly.

Proverbs 14:1

A wise woman builds up her household through care, patience and good judgment. A foolish one, by neglect or harsh words, can pull it down as surely as with her hands. Homes are made or unmade by daily choices.

BSA: builds (“establishes, constructs”): Building a home is steady, lasting work that gives it a firm foundation.

Hebrew: בָּנָה (bānâ, H1129) — “to build.” The same word is used for building a physical house and for building up a family line, so the wise woman is raising a household and a future.

See also: Proverbs 24:3-4.

Proverbs 14:2

How a person lives shows what he really believes about God. Honest living goes with reverence for the LORD. A crooked, twisting life shows contempt for Him, whatever the person says.

BSA: devious (“perverse, twisted”): The picture is a path bent out of shape, the opposite of the straight way of the upright.

Proverbs 14:3

A fool’s proud talk comes back on him like a stick. The lips of the wise guard them from that trouble. Humble, careful speech keeps a person safe.

BSA: rod (“branch”): The word means a young shoot or switch, so the fool’s pride becomes the very stick that beats him.

Hebrew: חֹטֶר (ḥōṭer, H2415) — “shoot, twig.” A twig grows from the fool’s own mouth and becomes the rod that strikes his back. His pride produces its own punishment.

Proverbs 14:4

Oxen mean mess and expense, but they also mean a harvest. A spotless stall may mean nothing is being accomplished. Real work is untidy, and fruitful living often costs something.

BSA: empty (“clean, pure”): The empty manger is clean, but cleanness without any work brings no crop.

Proverbs 14:5

A truthful witness can be trusted not to lie, while a false witness breathes out lies as easily as breath. Character shows in what comes out of a person’s mouth, especially when much is at stake.

BSA: pours forth (“breathes out, utters”): Lies come out of the false witness as naturally as breathing.

See also: Exodus 20:16.

Proverbs 14:6

The mocker wants an answer without humility, so he never finds one. The person who is open to learn finds that understanding comes easily. Attitude matters more than intelligence.

BSA: easily (“is easy to obtain, is readily available”): Knowledge is not hard to reach for the one who is humble and understanding.

Proverbs 14:7

Time spent with a fool is wasted, and it can be harmful. If his talk holds nothing worth learning, step away. The wise choose their company because it shapes them.

BSA: Stay away (“depart, go from the presence”): The advice is to physically leave his company, not just to disagree quietly.

See also: 1 Corinthians 15:33.

Proverbs 14:8

Wisdom for the prudent means thinking about where their life is heading. The fools’ folly is that they fool themselves, thinking they know the way when they do not.

BSA: deceives (“leads astray, cheats”): Folly is self-deception, since the fool is cheated by his own false ideas.

Proverbs 14:9

Fools laugh off guilt and the need to make things right. Among the upright there is goodwill, because they admit wrongdoing and seek to repair it. Honest repentance makes peace possible.

BSA: the making of amends (“atonement for sins, guilt offering”): The word points to dealing seriously with sin, which fools treat as a joke.

Hebrew: אָשָׁם (ʾāšām, H817) — “guilt, guilt offering.” This word names both the guilt and the offering made to set it right. Fools mock the very idea that guilt must be dealt with.

See also: Leviticus 5:15-16.

Proverbs 14:10

No one else fully knows another person’s inner grief or deepest joy. Others see only part of it. This reminds us to be gentle with each other, and that God alone knows the heart completely.

BSA: stranger (“outsider, foreigner, or one unrelated”): Even people close to us can stand outside our deepest feelings.

Proverbs 14:11

A wicked man’s house may look strong, yet it will fall. An upright man’s humble tent will thrive. What lasts is not the grand building but the life lived before God.

BSA: flourish (“sprout, bloom, prosper”): The tent is pictured like a plant that puts out new growth.

See also: Matthew 7:24-27.

Proverbs 14:12

Feeling certain proves nothing. A way can seem right and still lead to death. We need God’s word to test our own judgment, because the end of the road is what counts. The same warning appears in Proverbs 16:25.

BSA: way (“seemingly straight, appearing right”): The path looks level and sound, which is exactly why it deceives.

Hebrew: יָשָׁר (yāšār, H3476) — “straight, level, right.” The path looks straight and level to the traveler, yet it ends in death. The word for what seems right is the same word used for what truly is upright.

See also: Proverbs 16:25.

Proverbs 14:13

Laughter can cover a hurting heart, and even joy fades into sorrow. Outward cheer is not proof of inner peace. This is a call to compassion toward those who smile while they struggle.

BSA: ache (“pain, grieve”): The heart can be in real pain while the face shows nothing.

Proverbs 14:14

The one whose heart turns away from God will be filled with the results of his own choices. The good man is satisfied with the fruit of his. Each person eats what he has planted.

BSA: backslider (“one who turns away”): The picture is of someone who once faced God and has turned back from Him.

Hebrew: סוּג (sûg, H5472) — “to turn back, fall away.” The word describes a heart that turns back and withdraws from the right path, so the problem begins inside, before any outward act.

See also: Galatians 6:7.

Proverbs 14:15

The simple person swallows whatever he hears. The prudent one stops and thinks about where each step leads. Faith in God is not gullibility, and careful thought guards the believer.

BSA: simple (“naive, easily influenced”): This is someone with no firm footing, who is pushed along by whoever speaks last.

Hebrew: פֶּתִי (petî, H6612) — “simple, open-minded, gullible.” The root suggests being open or easily enticed. The simple person is not wicked, but he is easily led, and that makes him vulnerable.

See also: 1 John 4:1.

Proverbs 14:16

The wise take evil seriously, so they fear it and turn away. The fool charges ahead overconfident and reckless. Healthy fear keeps us safe, and false confidence drags us into danger.

BSA: reckless (“without thought, acting too quickly”): The fool acts before thinking about the consequences.

Hebrew: מִתְעַבֵּר (mitʿabbēr, H5674) — “overflowing, heated, arrogantly raging.” The word carries the sense of overflowing or boiling over, a picture of a person who cannot be held back.

Proverbs 14:17

A hot-tempered man does foolish things he later regrets. A scheming man earns hatred. Both show a lack of self-control, and wisdom means mastering the heart before it masters us.

BSA: devious (“crafty, with wicked devices”): This man makes plans to harm, and people sense it and turn from him.

See also: James 1:19-20.

Proverbs 14:18

The simple end up with folly as their inheritance, since it is all they have taken in. The prudent are crowned with knowledge as a mark of honor. We receive what we gather.

BSA: crowned (“surrounded, enclosed”): Knowledge surrounds the prudent like a crown encircling the head.

Proverbs 14:19

In the end the evil bow before the good. Justice and goodness often win respect even from those who opposed them. The gate was the place of city life and judgment, so this is a picture of right finally being recognized.

BSA: gates (“city entrances, points of access”): The city gate was where elders judged cases, so the picture is of honor given in public.

See also: Philippians 2:10-11.

Proverbs 14:20

The poor are often avoided, and the rich gather many friends. The proverb simply states how people treat one another. It is no model to follow, and the next verse shows the better way.

BSA: hated (“intensely disliked, felt hostile towards”): Even the poor man’s neighbor, who should be closest, turns away from him.

Proverbs 14:21

Looking down on a neighbor is sin, and showing kindness to the poor brings blessing. God cares how we treat people with little power. Mercy toward them is a real source of joy.

BSA: blessed (“truly happy, fortunate”): Kindness to the needy brings a deep happiness, not a mere reward.

See also: Proverbs 19:17.

Proverbs 14:22

People who plan evil lose their way. Those who plan good meet steady love and faithfulness, from God and from people. Goodness must be intended and worked at, and the faithful find it repaid.

BSA: loving devotion (“kindness, mercy”): This is the covenant kindness that stays true to others and is returned to the one who plans good.

Hebrew: חֶסֶד (ḥesed, H2617) — “loyal love, steadfast kindness.” This word is often used of God’s faithful love. It means love that keeps its promises, not a passing feeling.

Proverbs 14:23

Honest work brings a gain, however small. Mere talk, with big plans and no effort, leads to want. Diligence is a quiet way of obeying God.

BSA: labor (“toil, hard work”): This is real toil, as opposed to empty promises.

See also: Colossians 3:23.

Proverbs 14:24

Wealth gained wisely is like a crown to the wise, a sign of their good sense. The fools’ effort produces only more folly. What a person does shows what he is.

Proverbs 14:25

A truthful witness can save an innocent person in court or protect someone from harm. A liar does the opposite. Truth is a form of rescue, and lying can cost lives.

BSA: saves (“rescues, delivers”): Telling the truth can be a real rescue for someone in danger.

See also: Proverbs 12:17.

Proverbs 14:26

Fearing the LORD gives a strong confidence, and even one’s children find shelter in it. A parent’s reverence for God is a gift that protects the next generation.

BSA: refuge (“protection, safety”): God Himself is the safe place that the children can run to.

Hebrew: מַחְסֶה (maḥseh, H4268) — “shelter, refuge.” This is a word for a place to run to in a storm. It is often used of God Himself as the shelter of His people.

See also: Psalm 46:1.

Proverbs 14:27

The fear of the LORD is like a spring that never runs dry. It gives life, and it turns a person away from hidden dangers that lead to death. Reverent trust in God keeps us alive in every sense.

BSA: fountain (“source of life, wellspring”): Life flows continuously from reverence for God, as water from a spring.

Hebrew: מְקוֹר (mĕqôr, H4726) — “spring, source.” The word means a flowing spring, fresh and constant, not a pool that goes stale.

See also: Proverbs 13:14.

Proverbs 14:28

A king’s glory is in the number of his people, and a king with no people has nothing. This reminds rulers that their strength lies in those they serve, and so in caring for them.

BSA: splendor (“glory, honor, adornment”): A thriving people is the king’s real adornment.

Proverbs 14:29

A patient person sees more and understands more. A short temper puts folly on display for everyone. Slowness to anger is a mark of real insight.

BSA: patient (“slow to wrath, longsuffering”): The word pictures a long nose or long breath, one who takes a long time to flare up.

See also: James 1:19.

Proverbs 14:30

A calm heart gives health to the whole person. Envy eats away from the inside, like rot in the bones. Peace of heart and bodily well-being are linked more than we think.

BSA: tranquil (“peaceful, healed”): The word suggests a heart that has been healed and made calm.

Hebrew: מַרְפֵּא (marpēʾ, H4832) — “healing, calm.” The word is related to healing. A tranquil heart is one that has been made whole, and its peace restores the body too.

Proverbs 14:31

The poor are made by the same God as the rich. To oppress them is to insult their Maker, and to be kind to them honors Him. God takes personally how the weak are treated.

BSA: Maker (“Creator, the one who made them”): Every person, rich or poor, belongs to God as His creation.

Hebrew: עֹשֵׂהוּ (ʿōśēhû, H6213) — “his Maker.” The word links the poor man directly to God as his Maker, so an insult to him goes to God.

See also: Proverbs 17:5; Matthew 25:40.

Proverbs 14:32

The wicked are brought down by their own sin. The righteous have a refuge even in death. This is a quiet hope that for those who trust God, death is not the end of safety.

BSA: refuge (“safe place, trust”): The righteous man trusts in God even as he faces death.

See also: Psalm 23:4.

Proverbs 14:33

Wisdom settles quietly in the heart of the one who understands. Even among fools she cannot be completely hidden. Wise living shows itself, even where folly is common.

BSA: rests (“to settle down and remain, to abide”): Wisdom makes her home in the discerning heart, as a guest who stays.

Proverbs 14:34

A nation is lifted up by justice and goodness, and brought low by sin. Moral life is not private only, since it shapes whole peoples. Right living honors a country in the long run.

BSA: exalts (“lifts up, elevates”): Righteousness raises a people to honor, as sin pulls them down.

Hebrew: צְדָקָה (tsĕdāqâ, H6666) — “righteousness, right dealing.” The word covers fair, honest dealing with others, as well as right standing before God. A nation is lifted by both.

Proverbs 14:35

A ruler is pleased with a servant who acts wisely and angry with one who shames him. Wise service earns favor. The verse invites us to be the kind of servant a good master can trust.

BSA: delights (“has pleasure, takes joy”): The king takes real pleasure in a servant who is wise.

See also: Matthew 25:21.