A man hasty in his words has less hope of correction than an obvious fool.
The warning of Proverbs 26:12 is echoed with a different target here in Proverbs 29:20: Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him (v. 20).
The man named here speaks before thinking: A man who is hasty in his words. Whatever crosses his mind exits his mouth. He commits to opinions in the moment that he cannot defend ten minutes later.
There is more hope for a fool than for him. The man hasty in words may be more dangerous than an obvious fool because his speed makes his words confident-sounding even when they are wrong. The fool can sometimes be educated; the hasty man's reflexes outrun his teachers. James 1:19, again, applies: be quick to hear and slow to speak. The verse warns the wise to slow their mouth.
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Proverbs 29:20 meaning
The warning of Proverbs 26:12 is echoed with a different target here in Proverbs 29:20: Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him (v. 20).
The man named here speaks before thinking: A man who is hasty in his words. Whatever crosses his mind exits his mouth. He commits to opinions in the moment that he cannot defend ten minutes later.
There is more hope for a fool than for him. The man hasty in words may be more dangerous than an obvious fool because his speed makes his words confident-sounding even when they are wrong. The fool can sometimes be educated; the hasty man's reflexes outrun his teachers. James 1:19, again, applies: be quick to hear and slow to speak. The verse warns the wise to slow their mouth.