Proverbs 18:13 (WEB)

Passage

He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, like an unscalable wall in his own imagination.

Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honor is humility.

Proverbs 18:13 He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.

Proverbs 18:14 A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?

Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gives", "answer", "before", "hears", "folly", and "shame". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gives" and "answer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Before destruction the heart of man is..." into verse 14's "A man s spirit will sustain him...", so "gives" and "answer" 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 "gives" and "answer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.