Proverbs 18:1
New International Version
An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

New Living Translation
Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense.

English Standard Version
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.

Berean Standard Bible
He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.

King James Bible
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

New King James Version
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.

New American Standard Bible
One who separates himself seeks his own desire; He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

NASB 1995
He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

NASB 1977
He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He breaks out in dispute against all sound wisdom.

Amplified Bible
He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

Christian Standard Bible
One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound wisdom.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.

American Standard Version
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And rageth against all sound wisdom.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
In his idleness one meditates on lust and mocks at good instruction.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
A man who wishes to separate from friends seeks excuses; but at all times he will be liable to reproach.

Contemporary English Version
It's selfish and stupid to think only of yourself and to sneer at people who have sense.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He that hath a mind to depart from a friend seeketh occasions: he shall ever be subject to reproach.

English Revised Version
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, and rageth against all sound wisdom.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A loner is out to get what he wants for himself. He opposes all sound reasoning.

Good News Translation
People who do not get along with others are interested only in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right.

International Standard Version
Whoever isolates himself pursues selfish ends; he resists all sound advice.

JPS Tanakh 1917
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And snarlest against all sound wisdom.

Literal Standard Version
He who is separated seeks [his own] desire, | He interferes with all wisdom.

Majority Standard Bible
He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.

New American Bible
One who is alienated seeks a pretext, with all persistence picks a quarrel.

NET Bible
One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound judgment.

New Revised Standard Version
The one who lives alone is self-indulgent, showing contempt for all who have sound judgment.

New Heart English Bible
An unfriendly man pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.

Webster's Bible Translation
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

World English Bible
A man who isolates himself pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.

Young's Literal Translation
For an object of desire he who is separated doth seek, With all wisdom he intermeddleth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Selfishness of the Unfriendly
1He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment. 2A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in airing his opinions.…

Cross References
Proverbs 3:21
My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

Proverbs 8:14
Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.


Treasury of Scripture

Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom.

seeketh

Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; …

Matthew 13:11,44
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given…

Mark 4:11
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

intermeddleth

Proverbs 14:10
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.

Proverbs 17:14
The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

Proverbs 20:3,19
It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling…

Jump to Previous
Break Desire Estranged Goes Good Intermeddleth Judgment Keeps Pleasure Pretexts Private Purpose Pursues Quarrels Rageth Seeketh Seeks Selfish Selfishness Sense Separate Separated Separates Separateth Sound Vehement Wisdom
Jump to Next
Break Desire Estranged Goes Good Intermeddleth Judgment Keeps Pleasure Pretexts Private Purpose Pursues Quarrels Rageth Seeketh Seeks Selfish Selfishness Sense Separate Separated Separates Separateth Sound Vehement Wisdom
Proverbs 18
1. A fool delights not in understanding














XVIII.

(1) Through desire a man, having separated himself . . .--This should probably be rendered, The separatist seeketh after his own desire, against all improvement he shows his teeth. The man of small mind is here described, who will only follow his own narrow aims, who holds himself aloof from men of wider views than his own, and will not join with them in the furtherance of philanthropic or religious plans, but rather opposes them with all his power, as he can see nothing but mischief in them. (For his temper of mind, comp. John 7:47-49.)

Intermeddleth.--See above on Proverbs 17:14.

Wisdom.--See above on Proverbs 2:7.

Verse 1. - This is a difficult verse, and has obtained various interpretations. The Authorized Version gives, Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom; i.e. a man who has an earnest desire for self-improvement will hold himself aloof from worldly entanglements, and, occupying himself wholly in this pursuit, will become conversant with all wisdom. This gives good sense, and offers a contrast to the fool in ver. 2, who "hath no delight in understanding." But the Hebrew does not rightly bear this interpretation. Its conciseness occasions ambiguity. Literally, For his desire a man who separates himself seeks; in (or against) all wisdom he mingles himself. There is a doubt whether the life of isolation is praised or censured in this verse. Aben Ezra and others of Pharisaic tendencies adopt the former alternative, and explain pretty much as the Authorized Version, thus: "He who out of love of wisdom divorces himself from home, country, or secular pursuits, such a man will mix with the wise and prudent, and be conversant with such." But the maxim seems rather to blame this separation, though here, again, there is a variety of interpretation. Delitzsch, Ewald, and others translate, "He that dwelleth apart seeketh pleasure, against all sound wisdom he showeth his teeth" (comp. Proverbs 17:14). Nowack, after Bertheau, renders, "He who separates himself goes after his own desire; with all that is useful he falls into a rage." Thus the maxim is directed against the conceited, self-willed man, who sets himself against public opinion, delights in differing from received customs, takes no counsel from others, thinks nothing of public interests, but in his mean isolation attends only to his own private ends and fancies (comp. Hebrews 10:25). The Septuagint and Vulgate (followed by Hitzig) read in the first clause, for taavah, "desire," taanah, "occasion;" thus: "He who wishes to separate from a friend seeks occasions; but at all time he will be worthy of censure." The word translated "wisdom" (tushiyah) also means "substance," "existence;" hence the rendering, "at all time," omni existentia, equivalent to omni tempore.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He who isolates himself
נִפְרָ֑ד (nip̄·rāḏ)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6504: To break through, spread, separate

pursues
יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ (yə·ḇaq·qêš)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

selfish desires;
לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה (lə·ṯa·’ă·wāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8378: A longing, a delight

he rebels
יִתְגַּלָּֽע׃ (yiṯ·gal·lā‘)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1566: To expose, lay bare

against all
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

sound judgment.
תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה (tū·šî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8454: Support, ability, help, an undertaking, understanding


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 18:1 An unfriendly man pursues selfishness and defies (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 17:28
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