Proverbs 10:14

Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
– Proverbs 10:14

To lay up means to hide or hoard. It isn’t a mere accumulation of knowledge here. It’s the picture of the wise householder Jesus painted (Matthew 13:52). Those who are wise know to take in knowledge and store it up to be used at the right time. This isn’t a utilitarian view of knowledge but rather a picture of discernment and discretion. The foolish cannot store up knowledge because they speak more than they listen and readily devour foolishness (Proverbs 15:5, 14). Rather than storing up knowledge then, they are near destruction (Proverbs 13:3; 18:7).

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