20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words,.... Swift to speak either before God or men; that takes upon him to speak upon a subject, or return an answer to a question, before he has thoroughly thought of it, and well considered it, and digested what he should say; see Ecclesiastes 5:2; or "hasty in matters" (x); in his business; runs rashly and precipitately into things, without duly considering within himself what is right and proper to be done, and without taking the advice of others;
there is more hope of a fool than of him; of one that has not the gift of elocution, or not so much sagacity in business, and yet takes time to think, and advises with others.
(x) "praecipitem in negotiis suis", Vatablus, Piscator; "in rebus suis", Mercerus.
When a man is self-conceited, rash, and given to wrangling, there is more hope of the ignorant and profligate.
(Compare Proverbs 21:5).
hasty in . . . words?--implying self-conceit (Proverbs 26:12).
20 Seest thou a man hasty in his words?
The fool hath more hope than he.
Cf. Proverbs 26:12. Such an one has blocked up against himself the path to wisdom, which to the fool, i.e., to the ingenuous, stands open; the former is perfect, of the latter something may yet be made. In this passage the contrast is yet more precise, for the fool is thought of as the dull, which is the proper meaning of כּסיל, vid., under Proverbs 17:24. There is more hope for the fool than for him, although he may be no fool in himself, who overthrows himself by his words. "The προπετὴς ἐν λόγῳ αὐτοῦ (Sir. 9:18) has, in the existing case, already overleaped the thought; the כסיל has it still before him, and comes at length, perhaps with his slow conception, to it" (Hitzig); for the ass, according to the fable, comes at last farther than the greyhound. Hence, in words as well as in acts, the proverb holds good, "Eile mit Weile" [= festina lente]. Every word, as well as act, can only be matured by being thought out, and thought over. From this proverb, which finds its practical application to the affairs of a house, and particularly also to the relation to domestics, the group returns to the subject of instruction, which is its ground-tone.
Hasty - Who is rash and heady in the management of his affairs.
*More commentary available at chapter level.