The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.
The words of a man's mouth are like deep waters: the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream.
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the well-spring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
The words of a man's mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook.
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters; the wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.
The words of a man's mouth - That is, the wise sayings of a wise man are like deep waters; howsoever much you pump or draw off, you do not appear to lessen them.
The well-spring of wisdom - Where there is a sound understanding, and a deep, well-informed mind, its wisdom and its counsels are an incessant stream, מקור חכמה mekor chochmah, "the vein of wisdom," ever throwing out its healthy streams: but מקור חיים mekor chaiyim, "the vein of Lives," is the reading of eight of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., and is countenanced by the Septuagint, πηγη ζωης, "the fountain of life." And so the Arabic. This is the more likely to be the true reading, because the figure of the heart propelling the blood through the great aorta, to send it to all parts of the animal system, is a favourite with Solomon, as it was with his father, David. See the note on Psalm 36:9; Proverbs 10:11, etc.
The parallelism of the two clauses is probably one of contrast. If so, the proverb is a comparison between all teaching from without and that of the light within. "The words of a man's mouth" are dark as the "deep waters" of a pool, or tank ("deep waters" being associated in the Old Testament with the thought of darkness and mystery; compare Proverbs 20:5; Psalm 69:2; Ecclesiastes 7:24); but "the wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook," bright and clear. The verse presents a contrast like that of Jeremiah 2:13.
18:4 A man's - A wise man's. As a brook - That wisdom which is in his heart is continually pouring forth wise and good counsels.