Proverbs 22:3 (ASV)

Passage

A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:1 A [good] name is rather to be chosen than great riches, [And] loving favor rather than silver and gold.

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and the poor meet together: Jehovah is the maker of them all.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; But the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility [and] the fear of Jehovah [Is] riches, and honor, and life.

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns [and] snares are in the way of the perverse: He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prudent", "seeth", "evil", "hideth", "himself", "simple", "pass", and "suffer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prudent" and "seeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "The rich and the poor meet together..." into verse 4's "The reward of humility and the fear...", so "prudent" and "seeth" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "prudent" and "seeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.