Proverbios 15

VBL · Chapter 15/31

1Una respuesta amable evitará la ira, pero las palabras hirientes aumentarán el enojo.

2Las palabras de los sabios despertarán interés por el conocimiento; pero los necios hablarán sin sentido.

3El Señor lo ve todo, y observa el bien y el mal.

4Las palabras amables son Fuente de vida, pero el decir mentiras causa gran daño.

5Solo un necio aborrece la instrucción de su padre; pero el prudente acepta la corrección.

6Hay abundante tesoro donde en la vivienda de los justos; pero el salario de los malvados es causa de tribulación.

7Los sabios comparten su conocimiento, pero los necios no piensan de esta misma manera.

8El Señor aborrece el sacrificio de los malvados, pero le complacen las oraciones de los justos.

9El Señor odia el camino del malvado, pero ama a los que actúan con rectitud.

10Si abandonas el camino del bien, recibirás disciplina. Todo el que aborrece la corrección morirá.

11Los muertos no tienen secretos que el Señor no sepa. ¡Cuanto más conoce nuestros pensamientos!

12Los burladores no aprecian la corrección, por lo tanto no van donde los sabios para pedir consejo.

13Si estas feliz por dentro, tu rostro lucirá alegre; pero si estas triste, lucirás derrotado.

14Una mente inteligente busca el conocimiento; pero los necios se alimentan de ignorancia.

15La vida de los pobres es dura, pero si permaneces alegre, la vida es una fiesta sin final.

16Es mejor respetar al Señor y tener poco, que tener abundancia de dinero y además los problemas que le acompañan.

17Mejor una cena de vegetales donde hay amor, que comer carne con odio.

18Los irascibles provocan los problemas, pero los que tardan en enojarse ayudan a sosegar los conflictos.

19El camino de los perezosos está lleno de espinas, pero el camino de los justos es una autopista abierta.

20Un hijo sabio trae alegría a su padre; pero un hombre necio aborrece a su madre.

21La necedad alegra a los tontos, pero los prudentes hacen lo recto.

22Los planes se caen sin el buen consejo, pero hay éxito donde hay muchos consejeros.

23Una buena respuesta trae alegría a sus oyentes. ¡Cuán bueno es oír la palabra acertada en el momento correcto!

24El camino de la vida para los justos va hacia arriba, para que pueden evitar caer en la tumba que esta debajo.

25El Señor derriba la casa de los orgullosos, pero protege los límites de la casa de la viuda.

26El Señor odia los pensamientos de los malvados, pero honra las palabras de los puros.

27Los que codician las ganancias ilícitas acarrean problemas para sus familias. Pero los que aborrecen el soborno, vivirán.

28Los justos piensan en la mejor forma de responder a una pregunta, pero los tontos hablan con maldad.

29El Señor guarda distancia con los malvados, pero escucha las oraciones de los justos.

30Los ojos brillantes producen alegría, y las buenas noticias mejoran el ánimo.

31Si atiendes el buen consejo serás uno más entre los sabios.

32Si ignoras la instrucción, te aborreces a ti mismo; pero si escuchas la corrección, obtendrás entendimiento.

33El respeto por el Señor enseña sabiduría; la humildad viene antes de la honra.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Proverbs teaches that a soft answer turns away wrath, while a harsh word stirs up anger. The chapter highlights that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, and that a cheerful heart is like a continual feast.

Explanation

The opening verse ("a soft answer turneth away wrath") is one of the book's most practical and often-quoted principles of communication, teaching that the tone of a reply — not just its content — determines whether a conflict escalates or is resolved. The statement that "the eyes of the LORD are in every place" (verse 3) reinforces divine omniscience as a constant ethical motivation, even in private situations where no one else is watching. Application for today: consciously choosing a calm tone when responding to provocation is a practical skill that prevents many needless conflicts.

Fun facts

  • The proverb "better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith" (verse 17) is one of the Bible's earliest expressions of the idea that the quality of relationships matters more than material luxury — a theme Jesus later takes up in contexts of hospitality.
  • The phrase "before honour is humility" (verse 33), repeated almost identically in 18:12, forms another matching pair within the book that scholars use to identify themes the compilers considered central.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Proverbios 15:1Notes that a calm answer can defuse an argument, while a harsh word only makes things worse — tone of voice matters as much as content.
  2. Proverbios 15:2Compares the speech of the wise, which enriches knowledge with good word choices, with the mouth of the fool, which spreads nonsense carelessly.
  3. Proverbios 15:3Notes that God sees everything, good and evil, everywhere — nothing anyone does goes unnoticed, even when it seems far removed from any judgment.
  4. Proverbios 15:4Compares healing speech, compared to a tree of life, with perverse speech, which breaks the spirit of whoever hears it — words have the power to heal or to wound deeply.
  5. Proverbios 15:5Contrasts the fool, who despises his father’s correction, with whoever values rebuke, acting more prudently because of it.
  6. Proverbios 15:6Notes that the house of the righteous holds real, stable wealth, while even what the wicked gain comes mixed with trouble and instability.
  7. Proverbios 15:7Compares the lips of the wise, which spread knowledge generously, with the heart of the fool, which lacks that same willingness to share anything of value.
  8. Proverbios 15:8Notes that empty religious rituals, coming from those who do wrong, do not please God, while the sincere prayer of the righteous is what He truly values.
  9. Proverbios 15:9Repeats the previous theme more broadly: the whole way of life of the wicked displeases God, while whoever pursues righteousness receives His love.
  10. Proverbios 15:10Notes that whoever abandons the right path faces harsh correction, and whoever hates being rebuked, in the book’s reasoning, walks straight toward his own ruin.
  11. Proverbios 15:11‘Hell’ here translates Sheol, the Hebrew word for the realm of the dead — it is not the fiery hell of later imagination, but more an idea of depth and mystery, the most hidden place there is. The proverb’s point is that if even that place is visible to God, so is the human heart.
  12. Proverbios 15:12Describes the scoffer as someone who avoids whoever corrects him and also avoids the company of the wise — he stays away from exactly the people who could help him change.
  13. Proverbios 15:13Notes that emotional state shows up on the face — joy brightens it, sorrow weighs it down — linking inner well-being to an outward, visible expression.
  14. Proverbios 15:14Compares whoever has discernment, always seeking more knowledge, with the fool, who is content to feed on his own folly.
  15. Proverbios 15:15Notes that whoever lives oppressed faces constant hardship, while a cheerful heart can turn even ordinary daily life into a kind of continual celebration.
  16. Proverbios 15:16Compares little money lived with reverence for God, which brings peace, with great wealth accompanied by turmoil — the value of peace outweighs that of material abundance alone.
  17. Proverbios 15:17The ‘stalled ox’ was festival meat, reserved for special occasions — the most expensive dish on the table, set against what would be the simplest, cheapest food. The comparison uses that contrast in abundance to talk about the atmosphere of the meal, not the food itself.
  18. Proverbios 15:18Contrasts whoever gets irritated easily, stirring up quarrels, with whoever has patience, able to calm a conflict before it grows.
  19. Proverbios 15:19A ‘hedge of thorns’ was a living fence made of thorny bushes, common for marking off land at the time — walking through one was literally painful and full of obstacles. The image describes how every task looks impossibly hard to someone who has already decided he does not want to do anything.
  20. Proverbios 15:20Repeats the theme already seen in chapter 10: a wise son brings joy to his parents, while the foolish one even shows contempt for his own mother.
  21. Proverbios 15:21Compares whoever lacks judgment, who finds pleasure in his own folly, with whoever has understanding, whose path reflects sounder decisions.
  22. Proverbios 15:22Notes that plans made without consulting anyone tend to fail, while having several counselors helps make decisions more solid — the same idea as in chapter 11.
  23. Proverbios 15:23Describes the satisfaction of giving a good answer in conversation, and highlights the special value of a word spoken at exactly the right moment.
  24. Proverbios 15:24Describes the path of whoever has understanding as an upward trajectory, moving away from what the text calls hell — Sheol — further below, a metaphor of life rising versus death sinking.
  25. Proverbios 15:25Notes that God tears down the house of the proud, but protects and secures the rights of the widow, someone socially vulnerable at the time.
  26. Proverbios 15:26Compares wicked thoughts, rejected by God, with the words of whoever has a clean conscience, which He considers pleasant.
  27. Proverbios 15:27Notes that greed destabilizes the very household of whoever practices it, while whoever refuses to be corrupted by bribes has a more secure life.
  28. Proverbios 15:28Compares the righteous, who think before answering, with the wicked, who blurt out anything without a filter — care in answering is a sign of maturity.
  29. Proverbios 15:29Notes that God distances Himself from the wicked, but listens closely to the prayer of the righteous — spiritual closeness is tied to the character of the one praying.
  30. Proverbios 15:30Describes how good news or a cheerful look brings visible well-being, and how a good reputation also contributes to a person’s health and spirit.
  31. Proverbios 15:31Notes that whoever accepts hearing corrections that help him live better earns a place among the wise.
  32. Proverbios 15:32Compares whoever rejects correction, harming himself out of pride, with whoever accepts rebuke, gaining more discernment as a result.
  33. Proverbios 15:33Closes the chapter by returning to the theme from the beginning of the book, in 1:7 — reverence for God is not just the starting point, it is also what keeps correcting and adjusting a person’s wisdom along the way. The order between humility and honor here is a pattern that repeats in 16:18 and 18:12.

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