Tag Archives: Proverbs 17:28

Silence Speaks: Learning Hebrew from a Proverb

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Hebrew Grammar for Beginners
גַּ֤ם אֱוִ֣יל מַ֭חֲרִישׁ חָכָ֣ם יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב אֹטֵ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֣יו נָבֹֽון׃ (Proverbs 17:28) Today’s Hebrew lesson takes us into a poetic proverb. With only a few words, this verse reveals deep wisdom—and teaches us a lot about how Hebrew words and sentences work. English Translation (Plain and Clear) Even a fool, when he is silent, is considered wise; one who shuts his lips is thought discerning. This proverb uses poetic parallelism: it says the same idea two different ways. Let’s dive into the Hebrew step by step.… Learn Hebrew
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“Even a Fool Is Counted Wise When He Holds His Peace”: The Syntax of Silence in Proverbs 17:28

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar
גַּ֤ם אֱוִ֣יל מַ֭חֲרִישׁ חָכָ֣ם יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב אֹטֵ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֣יו נָבֹֽון׃ In the concise and penetrating style characteristic of Mishlei, Mishlei 17:28 delivers a proverb that is as surprising as it is subversive: גַּם אֱוִיל מַחֲרִישׁ חָכָם יֵחָשֵׁב אֹטֵם שְׂפָתָיו נָבוֹן “Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is accounted wise; he who closes his lips is deemed understanding.” Beneath its compact form lies a rich grammatical structure — one that juxtaposes three syntactic pairs to explore the paradoxical value of silence. This verse does not simply praise restraint; it uses parallelism, nominal forms, and verbless clauses to redefine wisdom itself — not by what is said, but by what is withheld.… Learn Hebrew
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