Proverbs 18:15 (DRB)

Passage

A wise heart shall acquire knowledge: and the ear of the wise seeketh instruction.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:13 He that answereth before he heareth, sheweth himself to be a fool, and worthy of confusion.

Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man upholdeth his infirmity: but a spirit that is easily angered, who can bear?

Proverbs 18:15 A wise heart shall acquire knowledge: and the ear of the wise seeketh instruction.

Proverbs 18:16 A man's gift enlargeth his way, and maketh him room before princes.

Proverbs 18:17 The just is first accuser of himself: his friend cometh, and shall search him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wise", "heart", "shall", "acquire", "knowledge", "seeketh", and "instruction". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wise" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "The spirit of a man upholdeth his..." into verse 16's "A man's gift enlargeth his way and...", so "wise" and "heart" 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 "wise" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.