Proverbs 27:3 (WEB)

Passage

A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:1 Don’t boast about tomorrow; for you don’t know what a day may bring.

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

Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.

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

Proverbs 27:5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stone", "heavy", "sand", "burden", "fool", "provocation", "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 man praise you and not..." into verse 4's "Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming...", 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.