Amplified Bible
Proverbs 9:8
8Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.
Proverbs 9:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Context of Proverbs 9:8
6Leave [behind] your foolishness [and the foolish] and live, And walk in the way of insight and understanding.” 7He who corrects and instructs a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you. 9Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser; Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. 10The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.
Read all of Proverbs 9Proverbs 9:8 word by word
אַל־תּ֣וֹכַח לֵ֭ץ פֶּן־יִשְׂנָאֶ֑ךָּ הוֹכַ֥ח לְ֝חָכָ֗ם וְיֶאֱהָבֶֽךָּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 9:8
- Proverbs 23:9Do not speak in the ears of a fool, For he will despise the [godly] wisdom of your words.
- Proverbs 29:1He who hardens his neck and refuses instruction after being often reproved (corrected, criticized), Will suddenly be broken beyond repair.
- Numbers 14:6Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes [as a sign of grief],
- 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good news for me, but only evil.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say that [Micaiah only tells bad news].”
- Matthew 7:6“Do not give that which is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, for they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone; they are blind guides [leading blind followers]. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
- Hebrews 4:6Therefore, since the promise remains for some to enter His rest, and those who formerly had the good news preached to them failed to [grasp it and did not] enter because of [their unbelief evidenced by] disobedience,
- Proverbs 13:18Poverty and shame will come to him who refuses instruction and discipline, But he who accepts and learns from reproof or censure is honored.
- Proverbs 28:23He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the tongue.
- Leviticus 19:17‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you may most certainly rebuke your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.
- 2 Samuel 12:7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you as king over Israel, and I spared you from the hand of Saul.
- 1 Kings 1:23The king was told, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
- Psalms 141:5Let the righteous [thoughtfully] strike (correct) me—it is a kindness [done to encourage my spiritual maturity]. It is [the choicest anointing] oil on the head; Let my head not refuse [to accept and acknowledge and learn from] it; For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.
- Galatians 2:11Now when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face [about his conduct there], because he stood condemned [by his own actions].
- 2 Peter 3:15And consider the patience of our Lord [His delay in judging and avenging wrongs] as salvation [that is, allowing time for more to be saved]; just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him [by God],
Commentaries on Proverbs 9:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7-9Verses 7-9 These verses seem somewhat to interrupt the continuity of the invitation which Wisdom utters. The order of thought is, however, this: “I speak to you, the simple, the open ones, for you have yet ears to hear: but from the scorner or evil doer, as such, I turn away.” The words are illustrated by Matthew 13:11 ff.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-9These verses create a break between the invitations of Wisdom and Folly. The purpose might be to warn the simple (Proverbs 9:4) that inviting mockers and the wicked is often pointless. These people have already chosen their path and respond to Wisdom's advice with violence. In contrast, the wise appreciate and benefit from corrective advice.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. shame--(Compare Pr 3:35). a blot--or, "stain on character." Both terms denote the evil done by others to one whose faithfulness secures a wise man's love.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 9:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries