KJV ORIGINAL
A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
A wise person is careful and stays away from evil, but a fool gets angry and acts overconfident.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse is contrasting how wise people are cautious and avoid wrongdoing, while foolish people are reckless and overconfident in their bad choices.
📚 Historical Context
This proverb comes from the collection traditionally attributed to King Solomon, written around 950-700 BC during Israel's golden age of wisdom literature. In ancient Hebrew culture, 'fear' in this context meant having a healthy respect and caution, not being terrorized. The contrast between the wise and the fool was a common teaching method used to help people understand right living.
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