Proverbs 13 Study Notes: Wise Instruction and Honest Gain
Sayings on heeding a father’s instruction open the chapter, followed by lessons on guarding speech, diligence, pretended riches, and honest gain. It speaks of delayed hope, the influence of companions, a good person’s legacy, and a parent’s loving discipline, ending with the righteous satisfied and the wicked hungry.
General
What does 13:4 say about the lazy person's desires compared with the diligent person's?
Answer: The lazy long for much and get nothing; the diligent are satisfied
The slacker wants things badly but ends up with nothing, while the diligent person is richly satisfied (13:4), and the chapter closes on a similar note: the righteous eat until satisfied while the wicked go hungry (13:25). Desire alone accomplishes nothing without effort. Proverbs says the lazy person's cravings kill him since he refuses to lift a hand (21:25), describes the slacker who skips plowing and finds an empty field at harvest (20:4), and pictures him turning over in bed like a door swinging on its hinges (26:14).
- Proverbs 13:4 (BSB)“The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.”The slacker's empty craving is contrasted with the diligent person's satisfaction.
- Proverbs 13:25 (BSB)“A righteous man eats to his heart’s content, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.”The chapter closes by contrasting the satisfied righteous with the hungry wicked.
- Proverbs 21:25 (BSB)“The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work.”The slacker's craving destroys him because he will not work.
- Proverbs 20:4 (BSB)“The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.”The slacker who does not plow in season finds nothing at harvest.
- Proverbs 26:14 (BSB)“As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.”The slacker is pictured turning on his bed like a door on its hinges.
Theological
What contrast does 13:4 draw between the appetite of the sluggard and that of the diligent?
Answer: The lazy long for much and get nothing; the diligent are satisfied
13:4 contrasts the sluggard's appetite, which craves and obtains nothing, with the diligent soul, which is abundantly satisfied; the chapter ends with a parallel contrast between the well-fed righteous and the hungry wicked (13:25). Desire divorced from labor is barren. Proverbs develops the sluggard as a stock figure: his unmet cravings become deadly (21:25), his failure to plow leaves him empty at harvest (20:4), and his only motion is turning in bed (26:14).
- Proverbs 13:4 (BSB)“The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.”The slacker's empty craving is contrasted with the diligent person's satisfaction.
- Proverbs 13:25 (BSB)“A righteous man eats to his heart’s content, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.”The chapter closes by contrasting the satisfied righteous with the hungry wicked.
- Proverbs 21:25 (BSB)“The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work.”The slacker's craving destroys him because he will not work.
- Proverbs 20:4 (BSB)“The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.”The slacker who does not plow in season finds nothing at harvest.
- Proverbs 26:14 (BSB)“As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed.”The slacker is pictured turning on his bed like a door on its hinges.
General
True or False: 13:11 says that money gained dishonestly tends to grow, while money earned by hard work slowly disappears.
Answer: False
This is false. The saying says the reverse: wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but what is gathered through steady labor grows (13:11). Shortcuts and dishonesty do not last, while honest labor builds something that endures. Proverbs says ill-gotten treasure brings no real gain (10:2), that an inheritance gained in haste ends up unblessed (20:21), and that a fortune made by lying vanishes like mist (21:6).
- Proverbs 13:11 (BSB)“Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.”Wealth gained dishonestly is contrasted with what is gathered by labor.
- Proverbs 10:2 (BSB)“Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.”Treasure gained by wickedness brings no lasting profit.
- Proverbs 20:21 (BSB)“An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.”An inheritance grabbed quickly ends without blessing.
- Proverbs 21:6 (BSB)“Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.”A fortune made by lying is fleeting and deadly.
Theological
True or False: According to 13:11, dishonest gain increases while wealth gathered by labor diminishes.
Answer: False
This is false. 13:11 affirms the opposite: dishonest wealth dwindles, while what is earned by honest toil increases. The saying reflects the ordinary course of God's moral order. The same conviction appears in the verdicts on ill-gotten treasure (10:2), an inheritance gained in haste (20:21), and fortunes built on lies (21:6).
- Proverbs 13:11 (BSB)“Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.”Wealth gained dishonestly is contrasted with what is gathered by labor.
- Proverbs 10:2 (BSB)“Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.”Treasure gained by wickedness brings no lasting profit.
- Proverbs 20:21 (BSB)“An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.”An inheritance grabbed quickly ends without blessing.
- Proverbs 21:6 (BSB)“Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.”A fortune made by lying is fleeting and deadly.
General
True or False: 13:3 teaches that someone who keeps watch over his speech protects his life, while careless talk can bring ruin.
Answer: True
This is true. Keeping watch over one's words preserves one's life, but speaking carelessly invites ruin (13:3), and good speech yields good things for the speaker (13:2). Words have consequences that come back on the speaker. Proverbs says a guarded tongue spares a person distress (21:23), David prayed for the LORD to post a guard at his lips (Psalm 141:3), and James says that anyone who never stumbles in speech is able to keep his whole body in check (James 3:2).
- Proverbs 13:2-3 (BSB)“From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence. He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.”Good things come from good words, and guarding the mouth preserves life.
- Proverbs 21:23 (BSB)“He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.”Keeping watch over mouth and tongue keeps a person out of distress.
- Psalm 141:3 (BSB)“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.”David asks the LORD to set a guard over his mouth and lips.
- James 3:2 (BSB)“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.”James says that mastering one's speech shows the ability to control the whole person.
Theological
True or False: 13:3 links guarding one's mouth with preserving one's life and rash speech with ruin.
Answer: True
This is true. 13:3 teaches that vigilance over speech preserves life, while the careless talker courts ruin; 13:2 adds that good words bear good fruit for the speaker. Speech is morally consequential. Proverbs repeats the principle (21:23), David asks the LORD Himself to guard his lips (Psalm 141:3), and James treats control of the tongue as the index of mature self-control (James 3:2).
- Proverbs 13:2-3 (BSB)“From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence. He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.”Good things come from good words, and guarding the mouth preserves life.
- Proverbs 21:23 (BSB)“He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.”Keeping watch over mouth and tongue keeps a person out of distress.
- Psalm 141:3 (BSB)“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.”David asks the LORD to set a guard over his mouth and lips.
- James 3:2 (BSB)“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.”James says that mastering one's speech shows the ability to control the whole person.
General
How do 13:1, 13:13, and 13:18 contrast those who accept correction with those who reject it?
Answer: Those who heed it are honored; those who scorn it pay a price
A wise son pays attention to his father's discipline, while a mocker shrugs off every rebuke (13:1). Looking down on instruction brings a penalty, while honoring a command brings reward (13:13). Neglecting discipline leads to need and disgrace, while accepting correction leads to honor (13:18). Proverbs opens with a call to hear a father's instruction and a mother's teaching (1:8), notes that a mocker resents rebuke while a wise man loves the one who gives it (9:7-8), and calls the one who accepts correction prudent (15:5).
- Proverbs 13:1 (BSB)“A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”The wise son who listens to his father is contrasted with the mocker.
- Proverbs 13:13 (BSB)“He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.”Despising instruction brings a penalty; respecting a command brings reward.
- Proverbs 13:18 (BSB)“Poverty and shame come to him who ignores discipline, but whoever heeds correction is honored.”Ignoring discipline leads to poverty and shame; heeding correction brings honor.
- Proverbs 1:8 (BSB)“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.”The book opens with a call to hear a father's instruction and a mother's teaching.
- Proverbs 9:7-8 (BSB)“He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.”A mocker resents rebuke, while a wise man loves the one who corrects him.
- Proverbs 15:5 (BSB)“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.”Rejecting a father's discipline is folly; heeding correction is prudence.
Theological
What outcomes do 13:1, 13:13, and 13:18 attach to receiving or rejecting instruction?
Answer: Those who heed it are honored; those who scorn it pay a price
13:1, 13:13, and 13:18 set the teachable against the scornful: the wise son heeds a father's discipline while the scoffer ignores rebuke; contempt for instruction incurs a penalty while reverence for the commandment is rewarded; neglect of discipline ends in poverty and disgrace while receptivity to correction brings honor. Proverbs opens with a father's appeal to hear (1:8), observes that rebuke only provokes the scoffer but endears the wise (9:7-8), and equates heeding correction with prudence (15:5).
- Proverbs 13:1 (BSB)“A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”The wise son who listens to his father is contrasted with the mocker.
- Proverbs 13:13 (BSB)“He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.”Despising instruction brings a penalty; respecting a command brings reward.
- Proverbs 13:18 (BSB)“Poverty and shame come to him who ignores discipline, but whoever heeds correction is honored.”Ignoring discipline leads to poverty and shame; heeding correction brings honor.
- Proverbs 1:8 (BSB)“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.”The book opens with a call to hear a father's instruction and a mother's teaching.
- Proverbs 9:7-8 (BSB)“He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself. Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.”A mocker resents rebuke, while a wise man loves the one who corrects him.
- Proverbs 15:5 (BSB)“A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.”Rejecting a father's discipline is folly; heeding correction is prudence.
General
In 13:12, what effect does a long-delayed hope have, and what is a fulfilled desire compared to?
Answer: It sickens the heart; a fulfilled desire is like a life-giving tree
When hope is postponed again and again, the heart grows sick, but when a longing is finally met, it is like a tree that gives life (13:12). A few verses later the thought returns: a desire that comes true brings sweetness to the soul (13:19). Proverbs is honest about the ache of waiting. David asked the LORD how long he must wrestle with sorrow (Psalm 13:1-2), and Paul teaches that Christian hope is for what is not yet seen, so believers wait for it with patience (Romans 8:24-25).
- Proverbs 13:12 (BSB)“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”A long-delayed hope sickens the heart, while a fulfilled desire is life-giving.
- Proverbs 13:19 (BSB)“Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools.”A fulfilled desire is sweet, though fools refuse to turn from evil.
- Psalm 13:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?”David voices the ache of waiting and asks the LORD how long his sorrow will last.
- Romans 8:24-25 (BSB)“For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.”Paul teaches that Christian hope is for what is not yet seen and waits patiently.
Theological
What does 13:12 say about deferred hope and fulfilled desire?
Answer: It sickens the heart; a fulfilled desire is like a life-giving tree
13:12 names the emotional reality of delay: deferred hope sickens the heart, while a satisfied longing is like a life-giving tree; 13:19 repeats that fulfilled desire is sweet. Scripture does not deny the pain of waiting, as David's repeated cry of how long shows (Psalm 13:1-2). Christian hope, Paul says, is by nature directed to what is unseen and so is borne with patient endurance (Romans 8:24-25).
- Proverbs 13:12 (BSB)“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”A long-delayed hope sickens the heart, while a fulfilled desire is life-giving.
- Proverbs 13:19 (BSB)“Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools.”A fulfilled desire is sweet, though fools refuse to turn from evil.
- Psalm 13:1-2 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?”David voices the ache of waiting and asks the LORD how long his sorrow will last.
- Romans 8:24-25 (BSB)“For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.”Paul teaches that Christian hope is for what is not yet seen and waits patiently.
General
What contrast does 13:22 draw between a good man and a sinner regarding wealth?
Answer: A good man provides for grandchildren; a sinner's wealth passes to the righteous
A good person leaves an inheritance that blesses even his grandchildren, while the wealth a sinner stores up eventually ends up with the righteous (13:22). The saying describes the long reach of a faithful life and God's rule over who finally keeps what. It is a general pattern, not a promise that every believer will grow wealthy. Job says the wicked may pile up silver and clothing, but the righteous end up wearing his clothes (Job 27:16-17); Proverbs says wealth gathered by usury is saved up for someone generous to the poor (28:8); and Ecclesiastes says God assigns the sinner to gather wealth that goes to the one pleasing to Him (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
- Proverbs 13:22 (BSB)“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.”A good man's legacy is contrasted with the sinner's wealth passing to the righteous.
- Job 27:16-17 (BSB)“Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay, what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.”Job says the wicked man's piled-up silver and clothing end up with the righteous and innocent.
- Proverbs 28:8 (BSB)“He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.”Wealth gained by usury ends up with one who is kind to the poor.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26 (BSB)“To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.”God gives the sinner the task of gathering wealth to hand over to one who pleases Him.
Theological
What does 13:22 affirm about the legacy of the good and the fate of the sinner's wealth?
Answer: A good man provides for grandchildren; a sinner's wealth passes to the righteous
13:22 contrasts the good man, whose inheritance reaches his children's children, with the sinner, whose accumulated wealth is finally transferred to the righteous. The saying affirms God's providential rule over the ultimate destination of wealth and the enduring fruit of a godly life, without promising material prosperity to every believer in this life. Job 27:16-17, Proverbs 28:8, and Ecclesiastes 2:26 express the same providential reversal, in which what the wicked hoard passes to those who please God.
- Proverbs 13:22 (BSB)“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.”A good man's legacy is contrasted with the sinner's wealth passing to the righteous.
- Job 27:16-17 (BSB)“Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay, what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.”Job says the wicked man's piled-up silver and clothing end up with the righteous and innocent.
- Proverbs 28:8 (BSB)“He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.”Wealth gained by usury ends up with one who is kind to the poor.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26 (BSB)“To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.”God gives the sinner the task of gathering wealth to hand over to one who pleases Him.
General
According to 13:24, how does a father's love for his son show itself?
Answer: He takes care to discipline him
The rod here is the instrument of a parent's correction, and the verse goes so far as to say that holding it back amounts to hating one's son, while the father who loves his son is careful to discipline him (13:24). The saying's point is that genuine love does not leave a child uncorrected; the parent who withholds discipline is not being kind. Proverbs also gives correction's purpose: it drives folly away from a child's heart (22:15). This mirrors God's own way with His children: the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father does a son he delights in (3:12). Discipline brings rest and delight to a parent later (29:17), and Hebrews says that discipline hurts while it lasts yet later produces righteousness and peace (Hebrews 12:11).
- Proverbs 13:24 (BSB)“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”Withholding discipline is called hating a son; loving him means disciplining him diligently.
- Proverbs 3:12 (BSB)“for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”The LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father does a son he delights in.
- Proverbs 29:17 (BSB)“Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.”Disciplining a son brings rest and delight to the parent.
- Hebrews 12:11 (BSB)“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”Discipline is painful at the time but later yields righteousness and peace.
- Proverbs 22:15 (BSB)“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”Correction is said to drive folly far from a child.
Theological
How does 13:24 relate a father's love to discipline?
Answer: He takes care to discipline him
13:24 defines love by its willingness to correct: to withhold the rod is, in effect, to hate one's son, while love expresses itself in diligent discipline. The saying contrasts loving correction with indulgent neglect, and Proverbs names its aim: correction drives folly out of a child's heart (22:15). It mirrors the LORD's own fatherly discipline of those He loves (3:12), anticipates the fruit of rest and delight that discipline yields (29:17), and fits the teaching of Hebrews that discipline, though painful, trains its recipients in righteousness and peace (Hebrews 12:11).
- Proverbs 13:24 (BSB)“He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”Withholding discipline is called hating a son; loving him means disciplining him diligently.
- Proverbs 3:12 (BSB)“for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”The LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father does a son he delights in.
- Proverbs 29:17 (BSB)“Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.”Disciplining a son brings rest and delight to the parent.
- Hebrews 12:11 (BSB)“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.”Discipline is painful at the time but later yields righteousness and peace.
- Proverbs 22:15 (BSB)“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”Correction is said to drive folly far from a child.
General
What does 13:7 observe about how people present their wealth?
Answer: Some fake riches they lack; others hide riches they have
One person acts wealthy yet owns nothing, while another plays poor though he owns a great deal (13:7). Outward appearance can mislead. Jesus rebuked a church that boasted of its riches while being spiritually poor and blind (Revelation 3:17), while Paul described himself and his fellow servants of God as seeming poor while enriching many, owning nothing yet holding all things (2 Corinthians 6:10).
- Proverbs 13:7 (BSB)“One pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”Some pretend to wealth they lack; others hide wealth they have.
- Revelation 3:17 (BSB)“You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”Jesus rebukes a church that claimed to be rich but was spiritually poor.
- 2 Corinthians 6:10 (BSB)“sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”Paul describes himself and his fellow servants of God as outwardly poor yet truly rich.
Theological
What does 13:7 reveal about the gap between apparent and actual wealth?
Answer: Some fake riches they lack; others hide riches they have
13:7 observes that appearances of wealth can deceive in both directions: one feigns riches and has nothing, another feigns poverty and has much. The New Testament applies the same reversal spiritually: the Laodicean church thought itself rich while being wretchedly poor (Revelation 3:17), and Paul and his fellow servants of God, outwardly destitute, possessed all things (2 Corinthians 6:10).
- Proverbs 13:7 (BSB)“One pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”Some pretend to wealth they lack; others hide wealth they have.
- Revelation 3:17 (BSB)“You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”Jesus rebukes a church that claimed to be rich but was spiritually poor.
- 2 Corinthians 6:10 (BSB)“sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”Paul describes himself and his fellow servants of God as outwardly poor yet truly rich.
General
What does 13:14 compare the instruction of wise people to?
Answer: A spring of life that turns people away from deadly traps
The instruction of wise people is like a spring that gives life, and it steers a person away from the snares that lead to death (13:14). Proverbs uses the same picture for reverence toward the LORD (14:27) and for the words of righteous people (10:11). Wise teaching gives life because true wisdom comes from God, the one with whom life's source is found (Psalm 36:9).
- Proverbs 13:14 (BSB)“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.”The teaching of the wise is compared to a life-giving spring that turns people from death.
- Proverbs 14:27 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”Reverence for the LORD is described with the same spring-of-life image.
- Proverbs 10:11 (BSB)“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”The speech of the righteous is also called a source of life.
- Psalm 36:9 (BSB)“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”The psalmist confesses that life's source is found with God Himself.
Theological
What image does 13:14 use for the instruction of the wise?
Answer: A spring of life that turns people away from deadly traps
13:14 calls the instruction of the wise a life-giving spring that turns a person away from deadly snares. The image is applied in Proverbs to reverent fear of God (14:27) and to the speech of the righteous (10:11), and its ultimate ground is God Himself, confessed in the Psalms as the source of life (Psalm 36:9); wisdom is life-giving because it derives from Him.
- Proverbs 13:14 (BSB)“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.”The teaching of the wise is compared to a life-giving spring that turns people from death.
- Proverbs 14:27 (BSB)“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”Reverence for the LORD is described with the same spring-of-life image.
- Proverbs 10:11 (BSB)“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”The speech of the righteous is also called a source of life.
- Psalm 36:9 (BSB)“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”The psalmist confesses that life's source is found with God Himself.
General
What does 13:20 teach about the influence of the people we spend time with?
Answer: Walking with the wise makes one wise; fools' company brings harm
The one who keeps company with wise people grows wise, but whoever keeps company with fools will come to ruin (13:20). People tend to become like those they spend time with. Paul warns that keeping bad company corrupts a person's character (1 Corinthians 15:33), Proverbs warns against befriending someone quick to anger lest you pick up his ways (22:24-25), and Psalm 1 blesses the one who refuses to take the advice of the wicked (Psalm 1:1).
- Proverbs 13:20 (BSB)“He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”Companionship shapes character: the wise make one wise, fools bring harm.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.””Paul warns that bad companions corrupt good character.
- Proverbs 22:24-25 (BSB)“Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”Befriending a hot-tempered man risks learning his ways and being ensnared.
- Psalm 1:1 (BSB)“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.”The blessed man refuses the counsel, path, and seat of the wicked.
Theological
What principle of influence does 13:20 state?
Answer: Walking with the wise makes one wise; fools' company brings harm
13:20 states the formative power of companionship: association with the wise produces wisdom, while companionship with fools ends in harm. Character is shaped relationally. Paul cites the maxim that keeping bad company corrupts a person's character (1 Corinthians 15:33), Proverbs warns that friendship with the hot-tempered teaches his ways and ensnares (22:24-25), and the blessed man of Psalm 1:1 separates himself from the counsel and company of the wicked.
- Proverbs 13:20 (BSB)“He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”Companionship shapes character: the wise make one wise, fools bring harm.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.””Paul warns that bad companions corrupt good character.
- Proverbs 22:24-25 (BSB)“Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.”Befriending a hot-tempered man risks learning his ways and being ensnared.
- Psalm 1:1 (BSB)“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.”The blessed man refuses the counsel, path, and seat of the wicked.