Proverbs 29:20

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20) There is more hope of a fool (khesîl) than of him.—The fool is a dull, self-satisfied person, but may learn better; the man who is hasty and ill-advised in his words has a harder task before him in governing his tongue. (Comp. James 3:2 sqq.)

Benson Commentary

Proverbs 29:20. Seest thou a man hasty in his words — Or rather, in his business; who is rash and heady in the management of his affairs? There is more hope of a fool — Who is sensible of his folly, and willing to hearken to the advice of others, than of him — Because he is self-confident, and neither considers things seriously within himself, nor seeks counsel from the wise.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

29:19. Here is an unprofitable, slothful, wicked servant; one that serves not from conscience, or love, but from fear. 20. When a man is self-conceited, rash, and given to wrangling, there is more hope of the ignorant and profligate. 21. Good usage to a servant does not mean indulgence, which would ruin even a child. The body is a servant to the soul; those that humour it, and are over-tender of it, will find it forget its place. 22. An angry, passionate disposition makes men provoking to one another, and provoking to God. 23. Only those who humble themselves shall be exalted and established. 24. The receiver is as bad as the thief. 25. Many are ashamed to own Christ now; and he will not own them in the day of judgment. But he that trusts in the Lord will be saved from this snare.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Servant - i. e., A slave, whose obedience is reluctant. He may "understand" the words, but they produce no good effect. There is still lacking the true "answer" of obedience.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. (Compare Pr 21:5).

hasty in … words?—implying self-conceit (Pr 26:12).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

In his words; or rather, in his business, who is rash and heady in the management of his affairs.

There is more hope of a fool, who is sensible of his folly, and willing to hearken to the advice of others, as this word is used, Proverbs 26:12, though commonly it be meant of a wilful and wicked fool;

than of him, because he is self-confident, and neither considers things seriously within himself, nor seeks counsel from the wise.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words,.... Swift to speak either before God or men; that takes upon him to speak upon a subject, or return an answer to a question, before he has thoroughly thought of it, and well considered it, and digested what he should say; see Ecclesiastes 5:2; or "hasty in matters" (x); in his business; runs rashly and precipitately into things, without duly considering within himself what is right and proper to be done, and without taking the advice of others;

there is more hope of a fool than of him; of one that has not the gift of elocution, or not so much sagacity in business, and yet takes time to think, and advises with others.

(x) "praecipitem in negotiis suis", Vatablus, Piscator; "in rebus suis", Mercerus.

Geneva Study Bible

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. Comp. James 1:26.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 20. - Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? (comp. Proverbs 26:12); Vulgate, velocem ad loquendum; Septuagint, ταχὺν ἐν λόγοις. James 1:19," Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak." "A talkative (γλωσσώδης) man is dangerous in his city; and he that is rash (προπετὴς) in his words shall be hated" (Ecclus. 9:18). We might also translate, "hasty in his matters," "hasty in business," and the gnome would be equally true (see note on Proverbs 19:2). There is more hope era fool than of him. The dull, stupid man (kesil) may be instructed and guided and made to listen to reason; the hasty and ill-advised speaker consults no one, takes no thought before he speaks, nor reflects on the effect of his words; such a man it is almost impossible to reform (see James 3:5, etc.). "Every one that speaks," says St. Gregory, "while he waits for his hearer's sentence upon his words, is as it were subjected to the judgment of him by whom he is heard. Accordingly, he that fears to be condemned in respect of his words ought first to put to the test that which he delivers - that there may be a kind of impartial and sober umpire sitting between the hear and tongue, weighing with exactness whether the heart presents right words, which the tongue taking up with advantage may bring forward for the heater's judgment" ('Moral.,' 8:5, Oxford transl.). Proverbs 29:20

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

20 Seest thou a man hasty in his words?

     The fool hath more hope than he.

Cf. Proverbs 26:12. Such an one has blocked up against himself the path to wisdom, which to the fool, i.e., to the ingenuous, stands open; the former is perfect, of the latter something may yet be made. In this passage the contrast is yet more precise, for the fool is thought of as the dull, which is the proper meaning of כּסיל, vid., under Proverbs 17:24. There is more hope for the fool than for him, although he may be no fool in himself, who overthrows himself by his words. "The προπετὴς ἐν λόγῳ αὐτοῦ (Sir. 9:18) has, in the existing case, already overleaped the thought; the כסיל has it still before him, and comes at length, perhaps with his slow conception, to it" (Hitzig); for the ass, according to the fable, comes at last farther than the greyhound. Hence, in words as well as in acts, the proverb holds good, "Eile mit Weile" [ equals festina lente]. Every word, as well as act, can only be matured by being thought out, and thought over. From this proverb, which finds its practical application to the affairs of a house, and particularly also to the relation to domestics, the group returns to the subject of instruction, which is its ground-tone.