Proverbs 8:5

8:5 You who are naive, discern ¹  wisdom!

And you fools, understand discernment! ² 

Proverbs 9:6

9:6 Abandon your foolish ways ³  so that you may live, ⁴ 

and proceed ⁵  in the way of understanding.”

Proverbs 14:18

14:18 The naive inherit ⁶  folly,

but the shrewd ⁷  are crowned ⁸  with knowledge.

Proverbs 27:12

27:12 A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself,

but the naive keep right on going ⁹  and suffer for it.

[8:5]  ¹ tn The imperative of בִּין (bin) means “to understand; to discern.” The call is for the simple to understand what wisdom is, not just to gain it.

[8:5]  ² tn Heb “heart.” The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) often functions metonymically for wisdom, understanding, discernment.

[9:6]  ³ tn There are two ways to take this word: either as “fools” or as “foolish ways.” The spelling for “foolishness” in v. 13 differs from this spelling, and so some have taken that as an indicator that this should be “fools.” But this could still be an abstract plural here as in 1:22. Either the message is to forsake fools (i.e., bad company; cf. KJV, TEV) or forsake foolishness (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).

[9:6]  ⁴ tn The two imperatives are joined with vav; this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is expressed.

[9:6]  ⁵ tn The verb means “go straight, go on, advance” or “go straight on in the way of understanding” (BDB 80 s.v. אָשַׁר).

[14:18]  ⁵ tc G. R. Driver, however, proposed reading the verb as “are adorned” from הלה (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 181). A similar reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[14:18]  ⁶ tn Or “prudent” (KJV, NASB, NIV); NRSV, TEV “clever.”

[14:18]  ⁷ tn The meaning of יַכְתִּרוּ (yakhtiru, Hiphil imperfect of כָּתַר, katar) is elusive. It may not mean “to be crowned” or “to crown themselves,” but “to encircle” or “to embrace.” BDB 509 s.v. כָּתַר Hiph suggests “to throw out crowns” (throw out knowledge as a crown) or “to encompass knowledge,” i.e., possess it (parallel to inherit).

[27:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “go on”; the word “right” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning: The naive person, oblivious to impending danger, meets it head on.