{"id":1236,"asset_id":"1534","title":"What Does It Mean for a Proverb to be True?","alias":"what-does-it-mean-for-a-proverb-to-be-true","introtext":"<h2>What Does It Mean for a Proverb to be True?<\/h2>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first important point to establish is that a proverb by definition is a generalization. A generalization is considered useful when it is <i>usually<\/i> true. A generalization is not a guarantee or a promise. We know that this is the case with English proverbs. For instance, we consider the proverbial statement, \u201cCrime doesn\u2019t pay,\u201d to be true. Does that mean that there is never an instance in which crime pays? Of course not. The adage is a generalization, and we accept it as that when we recognize it as a proverbial saying.<\/p>\r\n","fulltext":"\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biblical proverbs work in much the same way. Sometimes proverbs seem to present contradictory perspectives. In English consider these pairs: \u201cBirds of a feather flock together.\u201d\/\u201cOpposites attract.\u201d \u201cToo many cooks spoil the broth.\u201d\/\u201cTwo heads are better than one.\u201d \u201cHe who hesitates is lost.\u201d\/\u201cLook before you leap.\u201d Is only one in each set true? It would be better to recognize that each is true in given situations. In other words, sometimes wisdom would counsel, \u201cLook before you leap,\u201d whereas in other situations wisdom would recognize that \u201che who hesitates is lost.\u201d Both are true when wisely applied to the situation at hand. The OT has a similar example. In <a href=\"https:\/\/link.biblegateway.com\/click\/28198684.29134\/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnYXRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9UHJvdi4yNi40LVByb3YuMjYuNQ\/5ef5087d3f8d747b4f7c2923Be0121e8e\" class=\"bibleref\" data-bibleref=\"Prov.26.4-Prov.26.5\">Pr 26:4\u20135<\/a>, the advice is first given to restrain from answering a fool according to his folly, lest you become like him. The very next verse turns it around and says that a fool <i>should<\/i> be answered according to his folly so that he will not become wise in his own eyes. Again, we would have to conclude that both are true. The wise person would know which advice would be best to follow in any given situation. These observations imply that proverbs not only teach wisdom, but require a certain level of wisdom to be used successfully. Wise words must be wisely used by wise people in order to result in wisdom. Proverbs says as much when it observes that \u201clike the useless legs of one who is lame is a proverb in the mouth of a fool\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/link.biblegateway.com\/click\/28198684.29134\/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnYXRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9UHJvdi4yNi43\/5ef5087d3f8d747b4f7c2923Caaf64e7d\" class=\"bibleref\" data-bibleref=\"Prov.26.7\">Pr 26:7<\/a>), and that \u201clike a thornbush in a drunkard\u2019s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/link.biblegateway.com\/click\/28198684.29134\/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmlibGVnYXRld2F5LmNvbS9wYXNzYWdlLz9zZWFyY2g9UHJvdi4yNi45\/5ef5087d3f8d747b4f7c2923Dc6e9d164\" class=\"bibleref\" data-bibleref=\"Prov.26.9\">Pr 26:9<\/a>). We must be careful to interpret proverbs without falling prey to any misconceptions about what they are or about what they seek to accomplish. They promote virtues, expose vices, and advance wisdom as a means of character development that is founded on the fear of the Lord. Taken from <i><a href=\"https:\/\/link.biblegateway.com\/click\/28198684.29134\/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yZS5mYWl0aGdhdGV3YXkuY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL25pdi1jdWx0dXJhbC1iYWNrZ3JvdW5kcy1zdHVkeS1iaWJsZS1yZWQtbGV0dGVyLWVkaXRpb24tYnJpbmdpbmctdG8tbGlmZS10aGUtYW5jaWVudC13b3JsZC1vZi1zY3JpcHR1cmU_dmFyaWFudD0zMjA0NTE3Nzg2NDMyOCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWJnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfZGV2b3Rpb25hbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bml2MzY1\/5ef5087d3f8d747b4f7c2923B6dcb77d1\">NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible<\/a><\/i><\/p>","state":1,"catid":"8","created":"2022-06-28 11:40:48","created_by":"873","created_by_alias":"","modified":"2022-06-29 11:23:47","modified_by":"873","checked_out":"873","checked_out_time":"2022-06-29 11:22:43","publish_up":"2022-06-28 11:40:48","publish_down":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","images":"{\"image_intro\":\"\",\"float_intro\":\"\",\"image_intro_alt\":\"\",\"image_intro_caption\":\"\",\"image_fulltext\":\"\",\"float_fulltext\":\"\",\"image_fulltext_alt\":\"\",\"image_fulltext_caption\":\"\"}","urls":"{\"urla\":false,\"urlatext\":\"\",\"targeta\":\"\",\"urlb\":false,\"urlbtext\":\"\",\"targetb\":\"\",\"urlc\":false,\"urlctext\":\"\",\"targetc\":\"\"}","attribs":"{\"article_layout\":\"\",\"show_title\":\"\",\"link_titles\":\"\",\"show_tags\":\"\",\"show_intro\":\"\",\"info_block_position\":\"\",\"info_block_show_title\":\"\",\"show_category\":\"\",\"link_category\":\"\",\"show_parent_category\":\"\",\"link_parent_category\":\"\",\"show_associations\":\"\",\"show_author\":\"\",\"link_author\":\"\",\"show_create_date\":\"\",\"show_modify_date\":\"\",\"show_publish_date\":\"\",\"show_item_navigation\":\"\",\"show_icons\":\"\",\"show_print_icon\":\"\",\"show_email_icon\":\"\",\"show_vote\":\"\",\"show_hits\":\"\",\"show_noauth\":\"\",\"urls_position\":\"\",\"alternative_readmore\":\"\",\"article_page_title\":\"\",\"show_publishing_options\":\"\",\"show_article_options\":\"\",\"show_urls_images_backend\":\"\",\"show_urls_images_frontend\":\"\"}","version":2,"ordering":"4","metakey":"","metadesc":"","access":"1","hits":"0","metadata":"{\"robots\":\"\",\"author\":\"\",\"rights\":\"\",\"xreference\":\"\"}","featured":"1","language":"*","xreference":"","note":""}