Bible Strands
Proverbs 18:13
He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text addresses a general audience within a collection of wisdom sayings, positioned between a warning against pride and a reflection on the fragility of the human spirit. It functions as a practical directive on judicial and conversational conduct.
The words — מֵשִׁ֣יב (me.Shiv) means [one who] brings back, and יִשְׁמָ֑ע (yish.Ma') means he listens. Together they frame the action of responding to a דָּ֭בָר (Da.vor, a word or matter) prior to the act of hearing.
The thread — The principle of investigating before condemning appears in Deuteronomy 13:14, which commands thorough inquiry and interrogation, and John 7:51, which questions the legality of convicting without a prior hearing. It also echoes Proverbs 20:25 regarding the danger of rash commitment.
Why it lands — The reader must suspend judgment and refuse to speak until all relevant information is gathered. Premature response guarantees personal folly and public disgrace.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Cross-references
- John 7:51 “Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
- Deuteronomy 13:14 then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you,
- Proverbs 20:25 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.
- Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
- Esther 8:5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.
- 2 Samuel 16:4 So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!”
- 2 Samuel 19:24 Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely.
- Esther 3:10 So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
- Daniel 6:9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
- Daniel 6:14 As soon as the king heard this, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel, and he labored until sundown to rescue him.