A wise man fears ... a fool is careless (Proverbs 14:16)

‎ Proverbs 14:16 חָכָ֣ם יָ֭רֵא וְסָ֣ר מֵרָ֑ע וּ֜כְסִ֗יל מִתְעַבֵּ֥ר וּבוֹטֵֽחַ׃

Proverbs 14:16 A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. (NASB)

Translation Notes

The NASB seems to have unnecessarily downshifted the sense of yare’ to ‘be cautious. ’ Elsewhere, when used with turning aside from evil, the NASB consistently renders it  ‘fears,’ since it usually has God/Yahweh as the object (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 28:28; Prov. 3:7; 14:16; 16:6).

Further, this is the only place the NASB translates מִתְעַבֵּ֥ר as ‘arrogant,’ following BDB which offers only this passage for that sense. All other clear instances mean “be enraged, full of wrath” (Deut. 3:26; Psa. 78:21, 59, 62; 89:39; Prov. 20:2). Prov. 26:17 could mean this, but there are textual issues there. It seems more reasonable, therefore, to translate it here as ‘full of wrath.’

Keil & Delitzsch reason similarly: “Most interpreters translate 16b: the fool is over-confident (Zöckler), or the fool rushes on (Hitzig), as also Luther: “but a fool rushes wildly through,” i.e., in a daring, presumptuous manner. Butהתעבּר  denotes everywhere nothing else than to fall into extreme anger, to become heated beyond measure, Pro 26:17 (cf. Pro 20:2), Deu 3:26, etc. Thus 16a and 16b are fully contrasted. What is said of the wise will be judged after Job 1:1, cf. Psa 34:15; Psa 37:27 : the wise man has fear, viz., fear of God, or rather, since האלהים is not directly to be supplied, that careful, thoughtful, self-mistrusting reserve which flows from the reverential awe of God; the fool, on the contrary, can neither rule nor bridle his affections, and without any just occasion falls into passionate excitement. But on the other side he is self-confident, regardless, secure; while the wise man avoids the evil, i.e., carefully goes out of its way, and in N.T. phraseology ‘works out his own salvation with fear and trembling.’”

^APB Proverbs 14:16 A wise man fears and turns away from evil, But a fool is wrathful and careless.

Theological Reflection 

Yahweh, what are you teaching me about yourself?

1. The wisdom that comes from you fears. The Holy Spirit is “the spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh” (Isa. 11:2). So, you, by your Spirit, act to produce and inspire a proper respect that leads to obedience. Specifically, wisdom from your Spirit fears your wrath upon evil. It fears the destructive consequences of evil.

2. You are wise and there is no shadow of turning toward evil with you. You praise the one who, like Job, fears you and turns aside from evil, implying that such behavior pleases you.

3. From your perspective it is folly to be wrathful and careless. Care is most needed when wrath’s cup is full. To be careless when one should be careful is to be a fool. So then, the implication is that You, Yahweh, are never careless when wrathful. Praise your name! That gives me great comfort. The arm of omnipotence never flails indiscriminately.

4. Yahweh, you want me to be like you, careful in what I do and say, even when righteously angry. You want any Spirit-sanctioned anger in me to exhibit the wisdom that is from above. Just as Jesus did not overturn the dove cages when he drove the money-changers out of the temple, so your wisdom controls the expression of righteous anger so it never causes “collateral damage.”