16:23 A wise person’s heart 1 makes his speech wise 2
and it adds persuasiveness 3 to his words. 4
18:15 The discerning person 5 acquires knowledge,
and the wise person 6 seeks 7 knowledge.
1 tn Or “mind” (cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT).
2 tn Heb “makes wise his mouth,” with “mouth” being a metonymy of cause for what is said: “speech.”
3 sn Those who are wise say wise things. The proverb uses synthetic parallelism: The first line asserts that the wise heart ensures that what is said is wise, and the second line adds that such a person increases the reception of what is said.
4 tn Heb “to his lips.” The term “lips” functions as a metonymy of cause for what is said.
5 tn Heb “discerning heart.” The term “heart” is a synecdoche of part (= heart) for the whole (= person); cf. TEV, NLT “intelligent people.” By paralleling “heart” and “ear” the proverb stresses the full acquisition of knowledge. The “ear” listens to instruction, and the heart considers what is heard to acquire knowledge.
6 tn Heb “the ear of the wise.” The term “ear” is a synecdoche of part (= ear) for the whole (= person): “wise person.”
7 sn This line features a mixed metaphor: The “ear” is pictured “seeking.” The “ear of the wise” actually means the wise person’s capacity to hear, and so the wise are seeking as they hear.
8 tn The Greek text reads here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos). The term is generic referring to any person.
9 tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“his evil treasury”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
10 sn The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45).