Proverbs 27:12 (DRB)

Passage

The prudent man seeing evil hideth himself: little ones passing on have suffered losses.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:10 Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not: and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy affliction. Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother afar off.

Proverbs 27:11 Study wisdom, my son, and make my heart joyful, that thou mayst give an answer to him that reproacheth.

Proverbs 27:12 The prudent man seeing evil hideth himself: little ones passing on have suffered losses.

Proverbs 27:13 Take away his garment that hath been surety for a stranger: and take from him a pledge for strangers.

Proverbs 27:14 He that blesseth his neighbour with a loud voice, rising in the night, shall be like to him that curseth.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Study wisdom my son and make my..." into verse 13's "Take away his garment that hath been...", so "prudent" and "seeing" 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 "seeing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.