Proverbs 5:12
New International Version
You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!

New Living Translation
You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!

English Standard Version
and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!

Berean Standard Bible
and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!

King James Bible
And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

New King James Version
And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!

New American Standard Bible
And you say, “How I hated instruction! And my heart disdainfully rejected rebuke!

NASB 1995
And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!

NASB 1977
And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof!

Legacy Standard Bible
And you say, “How I have hated discipline! And my heart spurned reproof!

Amplified Bible
And you say, “How I hated instruction and discipline, And my heart despised correction and reproof!

Christian Standard Bible
and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction.

American Standard Version
And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

Contemporary English Version
and shout, "I hated advice and correction!

English Revised Version
And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Oh, how I hated discipline! How my heart despised correction!

Good News Translation
and you will say, "Why would I never learn? Why would I never let anyone correct me?

International Standard Version
and you will say, "How I hated instruction, and my heart rejected correction!

Majority Standard Bible
and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!

NET Bible
And you will say, "How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof!

New Heart English Bible
and say, "How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

Webster's Bible Translation
And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

World English Bible
and say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And have said, “How I have hated instruction, "" And my heart has despised reproof,

Young's Literal Translation
And hast said, 'How have I hated instruction, And reproof hath my heart despised,

Smith's Literal Translation
And thou saidst, How did I hate instruction, and my heart despise reproofs.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Why have I hated instruction, and my heart consented not to reproof,

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Why have I detested discipline, and why has my heart not been quieted by correction?

New American Bible
And you say, “Oh, why did I hate instruction, and my heart spurn reproof!

New Revised Standard Version
and you say, “Oh, how I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And you say, Why did I hate instruction, and my heart despise reproof,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you will say, "Why have I hated instruction and my heart has despised reproof"
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And say: 'How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and thou shalt say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart avoided reproofs!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Avoiding Immorality
11At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent, 12and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! 13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors.…

Cross References
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1:22-23
“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge? / If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.

Proverbs 1:29-31
For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. / They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. / So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 15:5
A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.

Proverbs 19:20
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.

Proverbs 23:23
Invest in truth and never sell it—in wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Proverbs 29:1
A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.

Isaiah 5:24
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 8:9
The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Matthew 7:26-27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Matthew 13:15
For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

Luke 6:46-49
Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? / I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them: / He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ...

John 3:19-20
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.


Treasury of Scripture

And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

how

Proverbs 1:7,22,29,30
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction…

Proverbs 15:5
A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

Psalm 50:17
Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.

and my

Proverbs 1:25
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

Proverbs 6:23
For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

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

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Correction Despised Discipline Hated Heart Instruction Reproof Spurned Teaching Training Value
Proverbs 5
1. Solomon exhorts to wisdom
3. He shows the mischief of unfaithfulness and riot
15. He exhorts to contentedness, generosity, and chastity
22. The wicked are overtaken with their own sins














and you will say
This phrase introduces a moment of regret and self-reflection. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here implies a future realization, a moment when one looks back with a sense of lament. It suggests a prophetic warning, urging the reader to heed wisdom before reaching a point of regret. The structure of this phrase indicates a personal confession, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and the consequences of ignoring wise counsel.

How I hated discipline
The word "hated" in Hebrew is "שָׂנֵאתִי" (saneti), which conveys a strong aversion or intense dislike. Discipline, or "מוּסָר" (musar), is a central theme in Proverbs, often associated with correction and instruction. This phrase highlights the natural human tendency to resist correction and the folly of rejecting guidance. In a historical context, discipline was seen as a path to wisdom and maturity, and to hate it was to reject the very foundation of a righteous life. The phrase serves as a caution against the pride that leads one to disdain the necessary process of growth and learning.

and my heart despised reproof
The heart, or "לֵב" (lev) in Hebrew, is considered the seat of emotions, will, and intellect. To "despise" (בָּזָה, bazah) reproof indicates a deep-seated contempt or scorn for correction. Reproof, or "תּוֹכַחַת" (tokhahat), involves constructive criticism intended to guide one back to the right path. This phrase underscores the internal struggle against accepting correction, a theme prevalent throughout the wisdom literature. Historically, reproof was a vital part of community life, ensuring that individuals remained aligned with communal values and divine commandments. The verse warns against the arrogance that blinds one to the value of reproof, urging a humble acceptance of guidance as a means to personal and spiritual growth.

(12) How have I hated instruction.--The last stage of misery is the remorse which comes too late. (Comp. Matthew 25:30.)

Verse 12. - Self-reproach accompanies the unavailable groaning. And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof! i.e. how could it ever come to pass that I have acted in such a senseless and inexcusable manner, that I have hated instruction (musar, disciplina, παιδεία), the warning voice which dissuaded me from going with the harlot, and in my heart despised, i.e. rejected inwardly, whatever my outward demeanour may have been, the reproof which followed after I had been with her! Despised (naats), as in Proverbs 1:30; comp. also Proverbs 15:5, "A fool despiseth his father's instructions."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and you will say,
וְֽאָמַרְתָּ֗ (wə·’ā·mar·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“How
אֵ֭יךְ (’êḵ)
Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

I hated
שָׂנֵ֣אתִי (śā·nê·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 8130: To hate

discipline,
מוּסָ֑ר (mū·sār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4148: Chastisement, reproof, warning, instruction, restraint

and my heart
לִבִּֽי׃ (lib·bî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

despised
נָאַ֥ץ (nā·’aṣ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5006: To spurn, treat with contempt

reproof!
וְ֝תוֹכַ֗חַת (wə·ṯō·w·ḵa·ḥaṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8433: Chastisement, correction, refutation, proof


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 5:12 And say How I have hated instruction (Prov. Pro Pr)
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