Proverbs 17:24

Proverbs 17:24 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
• New International Version (NIV)A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

Context of Proverbs 17:24

22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. 23A wicked person secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth. 25A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. 26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty.

Proverbs 17:24 word by word

אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י מֵבִ֣ין חָכְמָ֑ה וְעֵינֵ֥י כְ֝סִ֗יל בִּקְצֵה־אָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Wisdomחׇכְמָהchokmâh · wisdomH2451
• before him that hath understandingבִּיןbîyn · to understandH995
• before him that hath understandingפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
• but the eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• of a foolכְּסִילkesîyl · foolH3684
• in the endsקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for Proverbs 17:24

• Proverbs 14:6A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.
• Proverbs 15:14A discerning mind seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
• Ecclesiastes 2:14The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.
• Ecclesiastes 8:1Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
• John 7:17If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.
• Proverbs 23:5As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.
• Psalms 119:37Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways.
• Ecclesiastes 6:9Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
• 1 John 2:16For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions — is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Commentaries on Proverbs 17:24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Are in the ends of the earth - Wisdom is within the sight and reach at every man: but he whose desires are scattered abroad, who is always aiming at impossible things, or is of an unsteady disposition, is not likely to find it.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24Before him - Set straight before his eyes as the mark to which they look. Others, following the Septuagint and Vulgate, interpret the verse, Wisdom is seen in the clear, stedfast look of the wise man as contrasted with the wandering gaze of the fool.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24Verse 24 The prudent man keeps the word of God continually in view. But the foolish man cannot fix his thoughts, nor pursue any purpose with steadiness.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24Wisdom is not natural; you must seek it. Wise people work hard to gain wisdom, but fools cannot stay focused.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. Wisdom ... him--ever an object of regard, while a fool's affections are unsettled.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 17:24

• Fool
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Ends of the Earth
• Fine
• Friend
• Glad
• Grief
• Price
• Rule
• Strike
• Eye
• Fool; Folly

Commentaries on Proverbs 17

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings