Proverbs 20:16

"There is gold and abundance of rubies, but the lips of knowledge are a rare jewel."

Key Reflection

Proverbs 20:16 encourages us to value wisdom over material wealth by comparing it to a "rare jewel." This comparison highlights that true knowledge and understanding, which can be gained through instruction and experience (Prov 1:5), are far more valuable than gold or precious gems. In ancient Near Eastern culture, materials like gold and rubies were highly prized, making the metaphor particularly striking and emphasizing the superior worth of wisdom in one's life.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The warning against suretiship and lust are here repeated and combined (compareProverbs 27:13). The judge tells the creditor to seize the goods of the surety who has been weak enough to pledge himself for those who are alien to him, instead of those of the actual debtor. The reading of the the King James Version recalls in the second clause the history of TamarGenesis 38:17-18. The Hebrew text, however, gives “strangers” in the masculine plural, and is probably right, the feminine being the reading of the margin, probably adopted fromProverbs 27:13.

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