The Book of Proverbs Chapter 12

Proverbs 12:1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is
brutish.

brut·ish: 1198

r[b Ba`ar (bah'-ar); Noun Masculine, Strong #: 1198

Pronunciation: \’brü-tish\

Function: adjective

1: Resembling a beast; showing lack of human sensibility; “beastly desires”; “a bestial

nature”; “brute force”; “a dull and brutish man”; “bestial treatment of prisoners”.

2 a: strongly and grossly sensual <brutish gluttony> b: showing little intelligence or

sensibility <a brutish lack of understanding>

Synonyms: Brutal

Antithetic (Contrast) Parallelism

A truth, which is stated in the first clause, is made stronger in the second clause by
contrast with an opposite truth:

Let’s take a look at both statement in the antithetic parallelism in this verse:
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge:

Proverbs 24:5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

but he that hateth reproof is brutish:

Jude But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know
1:10 naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Preach the Word whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable:

II Timothy I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
4:1 judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
II Timothy Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
4:2 with all longsuffering and doctrine.
II Timothy For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
4:3 their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
II Timothy And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
4:4 fables.

Proverbs 12:2 A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices
will he condemn.

Proverbs 12:3 A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the
righteous shall not be moved.

A man shall not be established by wickedness:

Psalm 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.

but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

Psalm 119:43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped
in thy judgments.
Psalm 119:44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
Revelation And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he
3:7 that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth,
and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Revelation I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man
3:8 can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not
denied my name.

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh
ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:

Proverbs House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from
19:14 the LORD.

but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down
14:1 with her hands.
Revelation Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are
3:9 Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship
before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Proverbs 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are
deceit.

Proverbs 12:6 The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the
upright shall deliver them.

Proverbs 12:7 The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous
shall stand.

The wicked; Reserved blackness of darkness for ever:

Jude These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding
1:12 themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds;
trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Jude Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom
1:13 is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

The righteous; Shining lights that glorify God:

Matthew Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
5:14
Matthew Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
5:15 candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Matthew Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
5:16 glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Revelation Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from
3:10 the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that
dwell upon the earth.

Proverbs 12:8 A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a
perverse heart shall be despised.
Steve the martyr explains how Joseph was commended according to his wisdom in
Genesis chapter 41:

Acts And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with
7:9 him,
Acts And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in
7:10 the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all
his house.

but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

Jeremiah Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh
17:5 flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Revelation Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
3:11 crown.

Proverbs 12:9 He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth
himself, and lacketh bread.

Honoring yourself (Boasting) is not good:

James 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Boasting when you have nothing to boast about doesn’t make any sense:

Proverbs A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth
28:3 no food.

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of
the wicked are cruel.

God gave us dominion over all the animals:

Genesis And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them
1:26 have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth.

Being kind to animals is Scriptural. So let’s be kind to animals for our own sakes:

I Corinthians For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of
9:9 the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
I Corinthians Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is
9:10 written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that
thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
Proverbs 12:11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth
vain persons is void of understanding.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread:

II Thessalonians For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any
3:10 would not work, neither should he eat.
II Thessalonians For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly,
3:11 working not at all, but are busybodies.
II Thessalonians Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus
3:12 Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

You don’t work, you don’t eat:

Proverbs The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in
20:4 harvest, and have nothing.

but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

Pr The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them
21:6 that seek death.
Ephesians And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
5:11 reprove them.

Proverbs 12:12 The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous
yieldeth fruit.

The wicked desireth the net of evil men:

Matthew Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the
15:14 blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Proverbs 12:13 The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall
come out of trouble.

The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips:

Romans Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the
3:13 poison of asps is under their lips:
Romans Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
3:14
Romans Their feet are swift to shed blood:
3:15
Romans Destruction and misery are in their ways:
3:16
Romans And the way of peace have they not known:
3:17
Romans There is no fear of God before their eyes.
3:18

Note: The word ‘snare’ is used six times in the New Testament and the word ‘lips’ is
used six times in the new testament.

Proverbs 12:14 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the
recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.

II Corinthians Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your
9:10 food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your
righteousness;)
II Corinthians Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through
9:11 us thanksgiving to God.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto
counsel is wise.

Romans Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but
12:16 condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Proverbs 12:16 A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

Nabal was a fool who’s wrath was presently known during the time that David was
king. Before David was to make war with Nabal, Abigail, his wife, pleaded for the
life of her husband with David. She was a prudent person who attempted to cover
shame. The entire story can be found in I Samuel chapter 25:

I Samuel Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his
25:25 name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine
handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

“NABAL” is a name that signifies or is derived from: “fool”, “senseless”.

Proverbs 12:17 He that speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness: but a false witness
deceit.
Proverbs 12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the
wise is health.

Proverbs 12:19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for
a moment.

Matthew But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
12:36 give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Matthew For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
12:37 condemned.

Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of
peace is joy.

Mark For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
7:21 fornications, murders,
Mark Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
7:22 blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mark All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
7:23

Proverbs 12:21 There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with
mischief.

Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his
delight.

It’s best to deal truly if you are going to open your mouth:

Ecclesiastes When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no
5:4 pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecclesiastes Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and
5:5 not pay.

Jephthah made a vow to God, even though he didn’t have to make a vow to God,
because God’s will would have been done regardless. The first person who came
through Jephthah doors to meet him was his daughter. Jephthah dealt truly and
kept his promise to God and offered her up as a sacrifice:

Judges And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail
11:30 deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
Judges Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet
11:31 me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the
LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.
Proverbs 12:22 also applies to business practices:

Leviticus Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in

19:35 measure.

Justice:

Exodus Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an
23:1 unrighteous witness.

Governing:

Deuteronomy Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither
16:19 take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the
words of the righteous.
Deuteronomy That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and
16:20 inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Choosing counselors or even deacons in the church:

Exodus Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God,
18:21 men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of
thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth
foolishness.

Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under
tribute.

Hosea My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected
4:6 knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou
hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Hosea As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their
4:7 glory into shame.

Proverbs 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh
it glad.

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 12:26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the
wicked seduceth them.
Proverbs 12:27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the
substance of a diligent man is precious.

Proverbs He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
18:9

Proverbs 12:28 In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no
death.

Revelation Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he
3:12 shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the
name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down
out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Revelation He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
3:13

Revelation Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the
20:6 second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thousand years.