Proverbs 14:15

Proverbs 14:15, in plain English

A naive person accepts everything they hear without thinking, but someone with wisdom carefully considers their steps and their sources.

Why it's here

In Solomon's time, as in ours, information spreads quickly and people are hungry to hear the next thing. The simple person believes it all — every rumor, every claim, every assertion. The prudent person, though, asks questions and evaluates.

Who's speaking

Solomon, protecting you from one of the easiest ways to be misled

Where it sits in the story

This is practical wisdom about discernment. Even in Scripture, Paul commends the Bereans for checking whether what they were taught actually matched the Word. Wisdom includes the ability to evaluate what you're hearing.

The scholarly reading

The naive person uncritically accepts whatever claims are presented to him, while the prudent person maintains vigilant discernment about his actions and beliefs.

Language and setting

The פתי (peti, 'simple one' or 'naïve person')—appearing frequently in Proverbs as the educable but undiscerning audience—is characterized by יאמן (ya'amin, 'believes'), a verb denoting credulous acceptance without verification. The ערום (arum, 'prudent' or 'shrewd') person, by contrast, שמר (shamar, 'watches' or 'guards') his צעדים (tsa'adim, 'steps' or 'actions'), maintaining critical distance from claims and examining consequences. This verse describes two epistemological stances: one receptive to the point of gullibility, the other critically engaged.

Voice

The wisdom teacher, instructing young people about the necessity of discernment in a world full of competing claims.

Significance

This prefigures Jesus's warnings about false prophets and deceivers, and Paul's exhortation to 'test everything' (1 Thessalonians 5:21). It also anticipates the Reformation principle of semper reformanda—always examining, never merely accepting without scrutiny.

13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in sorrow.

14The backslider in heart receives the fill of his own ways, but a good man is rewarded for his ways.

15The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.

16A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.

17A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a devious man is hated.

Read all of Proverbs 14 — In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence. The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.