"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him."
Proverbs 26:12
This section of Proverbs (12:1-12) was written to show us the characteristics of a fool. Reading these verses shows that the person who wants to play the fool has little hope of ever “growing and changing.” We are introduced to the “conceited man” in verse 12. We learn that there is more hope for a fool changing than for the self-centered, arrogant man.
“Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him” [2] (Proverbs 26:12, BBE).
“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?”
Here’s a person in real danger. They may or may not be wise, but they think they are. In their opinion, they believe they have a corner on the market of brains, and most everyone else is sadly lacking. They believe they have all the questions figured out, but their pride blinds them to the truth.
“Despite the severe treatment of the fool, Solomon thought of a man in even worse danger – the proud man, the one wise in his own eyes” [3] (EWC).
“The proverbs strongly emphasize the negative aspects of the fool. However, v. 12 changes focus to show that the person who is wise in his own eyes is even worse than the fool” [4] (FSB).
“A fool might respond to corporal punishment or even arguments (23:3, 5), but the self-deluded will not” [5] (CSB).
That haughty spirit will eventually bring down its possessor.
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:18-19).
“There is more hope of a fool than of him.”
When the scriptures tell us a person will never change, that is serious. As bad off as a fool is, he is better off than the “man wise in his own conceits.”
“…the proud man, the one wise in his own eyes. This is a special type of folly, one that will never learn the ways of wisdom” [6] (EWC).
“The writings of Solomon are conspicuous for expressions which stigmatize the absurdity and the guilt of a self-willed, self-sufficient spirit. Here he says that when a man is wise in his own conceit, there is so little hope of his reformation that even a fool would be a more promising subject for moral and intellectual discipline” [7] (TBI).
Believers, we need to think carefully about this.
“The peril is a very subtle one. We are prone to be wise in our own conceits without knowing that we are so. A simple test may be employed. When we fail to seek divine guidance in any undertaking, it is because we do not feel our need of it; In other words, we are wise in our own conceit. There is no safer condition of soul than that self-distrust, that knowledge of ignorance, which drives us persistently to seek for the wisdom which comes from above” [8] (Morgan – EWC).
Quote: “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints” (Proverbs 2:6-8, ESV).
[1] EWC – David Guzik. Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] BBE is the Bible in Basic English version.
[3] EWC, ibid.
[4] FSB, John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Pr 26:7–9.
[5] CSB, David K. Stabnow, “Proverbs,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 994.
[6] EWC, ibid.
[7] TBI – The Biblical Illustrator, the electronic version in eSword.
[8] EWC, ibid.