Proverbs 20:15

There is gold, and an abundance of rubies, but ¹  words of knowledge ²  are like ³  a precious jewel.

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.

Wise speech is rarer and more valuable than gold and rubies.

Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems.

There is gold and a store of corals: but the lips of knowledge are a jewel of great price.

There is gold, and abundance of costly stones; but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel.

There is gold and a multitude of rubies, But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

There is gold, and an abundance of rubies, but ¹  words of knowledge ²  are like ³  a precious jewel.

¹ tn The verse is usually taken as antithetical parallelism: There may be gold and rubies but the true gem is knowledge. However, C. H. Toy arranges it differently: “store of gold and wealth of corals and precious vessels – all are wise lips” (Proverbs [ICC], 388). But this uses the gems as metaphors for wise speech, and does not stress the contrast between wealth and wisdom.

² tn Heb “lips of knowledge.” The term “lips” is a metonymy for speaking, and “knowledge” could be either an attributive genitive or objective genitive: “knowledgeable lips.” Lips that impart knowledge are the true jewel to be sought.

³ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.