GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SolomonIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation
ESVWhoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
NIVWhoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
NASBOne who loves discipline loves knowledge, But one who hates rebuke is stupid.
CSBWhoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.
NLTTo learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
KJVWhoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
NKJVWhoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.
Life is filled with trial and error. Most people learn from their mistakes. A bruised knee is adequate motivation for a child learning to ride a bicycle. He gains the desire to practice more, so he can balance properly. A student learns from mistakes in homework assignments and exams what is wrong and what is right. A child receives correction from a parent for misbehaving, and he changes the misbehavior. Everyone faces a learning process when starting a new job, learning what performance is acceptable. He goes on to correct what is unacceptable and to do what is expected.
Those are all natural and beneficial ways of responding to the "discipline" implied here by Solomon. A wise person takes correction and criticism under consideration. The contrast to this is the one who refuses to hear those corrections. Such a reaction marks the person as "stupid." The term used here implies someone with an animal's uncontrolled and simplistic mind. Those who refuse to be corrected are like unreasoning animals (2 Peter 2:12). They may be highly intelligent, and well-educated, but the person who refuses to be corrected is inarguably "stupid," in that sense.
The use of the terms "love" and "hate" here must be understood in their ancient contexts. Solomon is not primarily speaking about emotions. Rather, this implies an extreme contrast between preferences. The point is not that godly people "enjoy" being corrected. Rather, it's that they welcome constructive criticism and seek to apply it. Those who ignore those lessons have chosen to "hate" them and are acting stupidly.
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THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.