Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 14:33 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, and is even made known in the inward part of fools. "
Proverbs 14:33
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
32 The wicked is brought down in his calamity, but in death, the righteous has a refuge.
33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding, and is even made known in the inward part of fools.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
35 The king’s favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.
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Modesty is the mark of wisdom. A truly wise person hides his treasure, meaning he does not boast about what he knows (Matthew 13:44). Yet he does not hide his talent in a bad sense, as if he should not use it. He keeps his wisdom in his heart, digests what he has learned, and is ready to use it when needed. He does not rush to speak of it at the wrong time or make a show of it. The heart is where the affections live, and wisdom must stay there in the form of practical love, not just float around in the mind.
By contrast, openness and showiness are signs of folly. If foolish people have only a little knowledge, they grab every chance to display it, even when the topic has little to do with it. They force it into the conversation, as if by main strength. In this way, the folly inside fools becomes clear through their eagerness to talk. Many foolish people work harder to display their foolishness than wise people think it worth working to display their wisdom.
From This Chapter
Proverbs 14:1
"Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands."
Proverbs 14:2
"He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him."
Proverbs 14:3
"The fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them."
Proverbs 14:4
"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox."
Proverbs 14:5
"A truthful witness will not lie, but a false witness pours out lies."
Proverbs 14:6
"A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person."
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