10:32 The lips of the righteous know 1 what is pleasing, 2
but the speech 3 of the wicked is perverse.
18:15 The discerning person 4 acquires knowledge,
and the wise person 5 seeks 6 knowledge.
1 sn The verb “know” applied to “lips” is unusual. “Lips” is a metonymy for what the righteous say; and their words “know” (a personification) what is pleasing, i.e., they are acquainted with.
2 sn The righteous say what is pleasing, acceptable, or delightful; but the wicked say perverse and destructive things.
3 tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause for what is said.
4 tn Heb “discerning heart.” The term “heart” is a synecdoche of part (= heart) for the whole (= person); cf. TEV, NLT “intelligent people.” By paralleling “heart” and “ear” the proverb stresses the full acquisition of knowledge. The “ear” listens to instruction, and the heart considers what is heard to acquire knowledge.
5 tn Heb “the ear of the wise.” The term “ear” is a synecdoche of part (= ear) for the whole (= person): “wise person.”
sn The wise continually seek more knowledge. D. Kidner says, “Those who know most know best how little they know” (Proverbs [TOTC], 129).
6 sn This line features a mixed metaphor: The “ear” is pictured “seeking.” The “ear of the wise” actually means the wise person’s capacity to hear, and so the wise are seeking as they hear.