What is the meaning of Proverbs 20:14?

“Worthless, worthless!”

The verse opens with the buyer loudly dismissing the value of the item he wants.

• He belittles the merchandise to pressure the seller into lowering the price, feigning disinterest (Proverbs 11:1; 20:10).

• Scripture repeatedly condemns false weights, false words, and any pretense that manipulates a neighbor (Leviticus 19:11; Ephesians 4:25).

• By calling the item “worthless,” the buyer is lying for selfish gain—echoing Proverbs 21:6, “Acquiring treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor.”

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“says the buyer,”

This phrase highlights who is speaking and why.

• The buyer’s voice carries authority in negotiations, yet Proverbs warns that “the first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).

• The buyer’s tactic is self-serving, contrasting with Christ’s call to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).

• Such bargaining tricks resemble Jacob’s shrewd purchase of Esau’s birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), where immediate advantage trumped fairness.

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“but on the way out,”

Once the exchange is finished, the tone shifts.

• The buyer’s outward modesty ends; the private moment exposes the heart (Luke 12:2-3).

• Proverbs often contrasts public words with private realities (Proverbs 14:9; 26:24-26).

• The phrase suggests distance from accountability—he gloats only after leaving the seller’s hearing.

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“he gloats.”

Now the true motive surfaces.

• Gloating reveals pride: “Do not boast about tomorrow” (Proverbs 27:1) and “All such boasting is evil” (James 4:16).

• Rejoicing in another’s loss is sin: “Do not gloat when your enemy falls” (Proverbs 24:17).

• Love “does not rejoice in unrighteousness” (1 Corinthians 13:6), so the buyer’s celebration exposes a heart unmoved by God’s standard of honesty and neighbor-love.

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summary

Proverbs 20:14 paints a vivid picture of dishonest bargaining: the buyer devalues the product to gain advantage, then privately celebrates his success. The verse warns that God sees through our words to the motives beneath them. True wisdom refuses manipulative speech, chooses integrity over profit, and treasures relationships above momentary gain, knowing that “A righteous man walks with integrity; blessed are his children after him” (Proverbs 20:7).