Proverbs 22:15 (YLT)

Passage

Folly is bound up in the heart of a youth, The rod of chastisement putteth it far from him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:13 The slothful hath said, `A lion <FI>is<Fi> without, In the midst of the broad places I am slain.'

Proverbs 22:14 A deep pit <FI>is<Fi> the mouth of strange women, The abhorred of Jehovah falleth there.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a youth, The rod of chastisement putteth it far from him.

Proverbs 22:16 He is oppressing the poor to multiply to him, He is giving to the rich--only to want.

Proverbs 22:17 Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "folly", "bound", "heart", "youth", "chastisement", and "putteth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "folly" and "bound", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "A deep pit FI is Fi the..." into verse 16's "He is oppressing the poor to multiply...", so "folly" and "bound" 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 "folly" and "bound" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.