Passage
The heart of the intelligent getteth knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
The heart of the intelligent getteth knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
Proverbs 18:13 Whoso is answering a matter before he heareth, Folly it is to him and shame.
Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man sustaineth his sickness, And a smitten spirit who doth bear?
Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the intelligent getteth knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
Proverbs 18:16 The gift of a man maketh room for him, And before the great it leadeth him.
Proverbs 18:17 Righteous <FI>is<Fi> the first in his own cause, His neighbour cometh and hath searched him.
The verse centers on "heart", "intelligent", "getteth", "knowledge", "wise", and "seeketh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heart" and "intelligent", 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 sustaineth his..." into verse 16's "The gift of a man maketh room...", so "heart" and "intelligent" 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 "heart" and "intelligent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.