Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool, if he will hold his peace shall be counted wise: and if he close his lips, a man of understanding.
Open Proverbs 17:28 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Stultus quoque, si tacuerit, sapiens reputabitur, et si compresserit labia sua, intelligens.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἀνοήτῳ ἐπερωτήσαντι σοφίαν σοφία λογισθήσεται, ἐνεὸν δέ τις ἑαυτὸν ποιήσας δόξει φρόνιμος εἶναι.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- גַּ֤ם אֱוִ֣יל מַ֭חֲרִישׁ חָכָ֣ם יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב אֹטֵ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֣יו נָבֽוֹן
The Fathers on this verse
St Basil De Spiritu Sancto, Prefatory remarks on the need of exact investigation of the most minute portions of theology
2. If “To the fool on his asking for wisdom, wisdom shall be reckoned,” at how high a price shall we value “the wise hearer” who is quoted by the Prophet in the same verse with “the admirable counsellor”? It is right, I ween, to hold him worthy of all approbation, and to urge him on to further progress, sharing his enthusiasm, and in all things toiling at his side as he presses onwards to perfection. To count the terms used in theology as of primary importance, and to endeavour to trace out the hidden meaning in every phrase and in every syllable, is a characteristic wanting in those who are idle in the pursuit of true religion, but distinguishing all who get knowledge of “the mark” “of our calling;” for what is set before us is, so far as is possible with human nature, to be made like unto God. Now without knowledge there can be no making like; and knowledge is not got without lessons. …
St Basil The Letters, To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons
“ Even a fool,” it is said, “when he asks questions,” is counted wise. But when a wise man asks questions, he makes even a fool wise. And this, thank God, is my case, as often as I receive a letter from your industrious self. For we become more learned and wiser than we were before, merely by asking questions, because we are taught many things which we did not know; and our anxiety to answer them acts as a teacher to us. Assuredly at the present time, though I have never before paid attention to the points you raise, I have been forced to make accurate enquiry, and to turn over in my mind both whatever I have heard from the elders, and all that I have been taught in conformity with their lessons.
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X, Chapter IX. The answer on the understanding of one who asks rightly
Daniel : It belongs to the understanding to discern the distinctions and the drift of questions; and it is a main part of knowledge to understand how ignorant you are. Wherefore it is said that “if a fool asks questions, it will be accounted wisdom,” because, although one who asks questions is ignorant of the answer to the question raised, yet as he wisely asks, and learns what he does not know, this very fact will be counted as wisdom in him, because he wisely discovers what he was ignorant of. …