Proverbs 17:28

Even a fool who remains silent is considered ¹  wise, and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning. ² 

Job 13:5; Pr 15:2; Ec 5:3; Ec 10:3,14

¹ tn The imperfect tense here denotes possibility: One who holds his tongue [may be considered] discerning.

² tn The Niphal participle is used in the declarative/estimative sense with stative verbs: “to be discerning” (Qal) becomes “to be declared discerning” (Niphal). The proverb is teaching that silence is one evidence of wisdom, and that even a fool can thereby appear wise. D. Kidner says that a fool who takes this advice is no longer a complete fool (Proverbs [TOTC], 127). He does not, of course, become wise – he just hides his folly.