Proverbs 13:20

20 Go with wise men and be wise: but he who keeps company with the foolish will be broken.

Proverbs 13:20 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 13:20

He that walketh with wise [men] shall be wise
Who is a companion of them that fear the Lord; converses frequently with them in private about spiritual and experimental things, and walks with them in public in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord; he by those means grows wiser and wiser, gains a large stock of spiritual knowledge and experience; for this holds good both in natural and spiritual wisdom, a man of any capacity at all will improve by keeping wise company; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed;
the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "shall become like them"; be a fool as they are, and grow still more and more foolish. The Septuagint version is, "shall be known"; known by the company he keeps to be a fool also: or rather, "shall be broken" F20; ruined and destroyed, "evil communications corrupt good manners", ( 1 Corinthians 15:33 ) , and so bring to ruin and destruction.


FOOTNOTES:

F20 (ewry) "conteretur", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Mercerus, Gejerus; "conquassabitur", Cocceius; "fragetur", Michaelis; "infringetur", Schultens, so Ben Melech.

Proverbs 13:20 In-Context

18 Need and shame will be the fate of him who is uncontrolled by training; but he who takes note of teaching will be honoured.
19 To get one's desire is sweet to the soul, but to give up evil is disgusting to the foolish.
20 Go with wise men and be wise: but he who keeps company with the foolish will be broken.
21 Evil will overtake sinners, but the upright will be rewarded with good.
22 The heritage of the good man is handed down to his children's children; and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the upright man.
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