“Folly is a joy to him who has no sense”: For “Folly” see 5.23. “Is a joy” means “brings happiness” or “gives joy.” “Who has no sense”, as in 6.32, is literally “who lacks heart,” where “heart” symbolizes the center of thought. This line is expressed in one translation as “The person who has no thinking is always happy in his own stupid behavior.”

“But a man of understanding walks aright”: As in 11.12, “a man of understanding” refers to a person who has good sense or good judgment and contrasts with “him who has no sense” in the first line. “Walks aright” means “does what is right.” For a model translation see Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .