Proverbs 15:2

The tongue of the wise ¹  treats knowledge correctly, ²  but the mouth of the fool spouts out ³  folly.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.

The wise person makes learning a joy; fools spout only foolishness.

Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.

Knowledge is dropping from the tongue of the wise; but from the mouth of the foolish comes a stream of foolish words.

The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

The tongue of the wise ¹  treats knowledge correctly, ²  but the mouth of the fool spouts out ³  folly.

¹ sn The contrast is between the “tongue of the wise” and the “mouth of the fool.” Both expressions are metonymies of cause; the subject matter is what they say. How wise people are can be determined from what they say.

² tn Or “makes knowledge acceptable” (so NASB). The verb תֵּיטִיב (tetiv, Hiphil imperfect of יָטַב [yatav, “to be good”]) can be translated “to make good” or “to treat in a good [or, excellent] way” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 303). M. Dahood, however, suggests emending the text to תֵּיטִיף (tetif) which is a cognate of נָטַף (nataf, “drip”), and translates “tongues of the sages drip with knowledge” (Proverbs and Northwest Semitic Philology, 32-33). But this change is gratuitous and unnecessary.

³ sn The Hiphil verb יַבִּיעַ (yabia’) means “to pour out; to emit; to cause to bubble; to belch forth.” The fool bursts out with reckless utterances (cf. TEV “spout nonsense”).