Proverbs 27:3 (DBY)

Passage

A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's vexation is heavier than them both.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's vexation is heavier than them both.

Proverbs 27:4 Fury is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before jealousy?

Proverbs 27:5 Open rebuke is better than hidden love.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stone", "heavy", "sand", "weighty", "fool's", "vexation", "heavier", and "than". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stone" and "heavy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Let another praise thee and not thine..." into verse 4's "Fury is cruel and anger is outrageous...", so "stone" and "heavy" 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 "stone" and "heavy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.