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Proverbs 17:27-28
New English Translation
Proverbs 17:27-28
New English Translation
27 The truly wise person[a] restrains[b] his words,
and the one who stays calm[c] is discerning.
28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered[d] wise,
and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:27 tn Heb “the one knowing knowledge.” The cognate accusative underscores the meaning of the participle—this is a truly knowledgeable person.
- Proverbs 17:27 sn The participle חוֹשֵׂךְ (khosekh) means “withholds; restrains; refrains; spares; holds in check,” etc. One who has knowledge speaks carefully.
- Proverbs 17:27 tn Heb “cool of spirit.” This genitive of specification describes one who is “calm” (so NCV, TEV, CEV) or “even-tempered” (so NIV, NLT); he is composed.
- Proverbs 17:28 tn The imperfect tense here denotes possibility: One who holds his tongue [may be considered] discerning.
- Proverbs 17:28 tn The Niphal participle is used in the declarative/estimative sense with stative verbs: “to be discerning” (Qal) becomes “to be declared discerning” (Niphal). The proverb is teaching that silence is one evidence of wisdom, and that even a fool can thereby appear wise. D. Kidner says that a fool who takes this advice is no longer a complete fool (Proverbs [TOTC], 127). He does not, of course, become wise—he just hides his folly.
New English Translation (NET)
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