Proverbs 22:3 (YLT)

Passage

The prudent hath seen the evil, and is hidden, And the simple have passed on, and are punished.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:1 A name is chosen rather than much wealth, Than silver and than gold--good grace.

Proverbs 22:2 Rich and poor have met together, The Maker of them all <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah.

Proverbs 22:3 The prudent hath seen the evil, and is hidden, And the simple have passed on, and are punished.

Proverbs 22:4 The end of humility <FI>is<Fi> the fear of Jehovah, Riches, and honour, and life.

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns--snares <FI>are<Fi> in the way of the perverse, Whoso is keeping his soul is far from them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prudent", "hath", "seen", "evil", "hidden", "simple", "passed", and "punished". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prudent" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Rich and poor have met together The..." into verse 4's "The end of humility FI is Fi...", so "prudent" and "hath" 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 "prudent" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.