Proverbs 17:16
What doth it avail a fool to have riches, seeing he cannot buy wisdom? He that maketh his house high, seeketh a downfall: and he that refuseth to learn, shall fall into evils.
Open Proverbs 17:16 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Quid prodest stulto habere divitias, cum sapientiam emere non possit ? Qui altum facit domum suam quærit ruinam, et qui evitat discere incidet in mala.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἵνα τί ὑπῆρξεν χρήματα ἄφρονι; κτήσασθαι γὰρ σοφίαν ἀκάρδιος· οὐ δυνήσεται. ὃς ὑψηλὸν ποιεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον ζητεῖ συντριβήν, ὁ δὲ σκολιάζων τοῦ μαθεῖν ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κακά.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- לָמָּה זֶּ֣ה מְחִ֣יר בְּיַד כְּסִ֑יל לִקְנ֖וֹת חָכְמָ֣ה וְלֶב אָֽיִן
Haydock's commentary
He, &c., is not here in Hebrew, though it be equivalently (ver. 19.) where the Septuagint are silent. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part II. Containing Conferences XI-XVII, Chapter XVI. The answer to the effect that bad men cannot possess true knowledge
Nesteros : One who does not carefully weigh every word of the opinions uttered cannot rightly discover the value of the assertion. For we said to begin with that men of this sort only possess skill in disputation and ornaments of speech; but cannot penetrate to the very heart of Scripture and the mysteries of its spiritual meanings. For true knowledge is only acquired by true worshippers of God; and certainly this people does not possess it to whom it is said: “Hear, O, foolish people, thou who hast no heart: ye who having eyes see not, and having ears, hear not.” And again: “Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I also will reject thee from acting as My priest.” For as it is said that in Christ “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid,” how can we hold that he who has scorned to find Christ, or, when He is found blasphemes Him with impious lips, or at least defiles the Catholi …