Proverbs 27:3 (LSB)

Passage

A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:2 Let a stranger praise you, and not your own mouth; A foreigner, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.

Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruelty and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy?

Proverbs 27:5 Better is reproof that is revealed Than love that is hidden.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stone", "heavy", "sand", "weighty", "provocation", "ignorant", "fool", and "heavier". 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 a stranger praise you and not..." into verse 4's "Wrath is cruelty and anger is a...", 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.