Proverbs 14:3 Commentary and Bible Study

We must always look at the entire proverb to understand its meaning. There is an economy of words in these word pictures and frequently one side of the comparison only gives part of the picture and the missing part must be discovered by seeing its opposite in the other side. Here the idea of preservation is found in the second half and therefore its opposite, destruction, should be read back into the first half, though it is not mentioned explicitly. The phrase ‘rod of pride’ is also very truncated. Some versions translate this ‘a rod for his back’, but this is not what the Hebrew says and is an interpretation. Interpretation however is the task of the preacher and not of the translator. The translator needs to take care that in his efforts to make the meaning clear he does not take too great a liberty in departing from the original. If he gives us an interpretation rather than a translation, the danger is that it will be an incorrect interpretation, which now hides the possibility in English of any alternative interpretation. The Hebrew word ‘rod’ means ‘branch’ or ‘twig’; it is the same word used of the rod or stem of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1. It is different to the word for a rod used to beat someone, but means a stem marking the beginnings of growth. The comparison then is between one whose speech is under the control of ever increasing pride, and another whose words are governed by wisdom. It is not that the first speaker is using his words to beat others, nor that he is injured by his own words, but that pride has put down roots in his heart and will certainly show itself in his speech. Consequently he will make hasty, rapid assessments without allowing time for careful consideration; he will betray an overconfident and arrogant attitude in his heart; he will be prone to boasting, however much subtlety he uses to disguise it. His mouth will eventually bring him into danger and finally to destruction. But the wise man is protected by the Lord through the wisdom given to him. It is not that his mind is first and foremost on his own protection, but that in following the path of righteousness, protection comes to him as an added benefit. Self-restraint will prevent them from saying many things that their fallen nature suggests to them, and positively they will speak words of manifest honesty, goodness, and kindness to all around them. They will therefore avoid many of the evils that come from a quarrelsome spirit, and have an understanding that protects them.