14:7

In this verse, the first line gives a command. The second line adds a reason for obeying the command.

7a Stay away from a foolish man;

7b you will gain no knowledge from his speech.

14:7a

Stay away from a foolish man: In Hebrew, the verb Stay away is literally “go.” Translations such as “go away,” “stay away,” or “avoid” all express the meaning accurately. Another way to translate this line is:

Leave the presence of a fool (English Standard Version)

foolish: In Hebrew, this word refers to a fool who does what is stupid and wrong because he is mentally lazy and self-satisfied.

14:7b

you will gain no knowledge from his speech: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gain no knowledge from his speech is literally “not know lips of knowledge.” The expression “lips of knowledge” is a figure of speech that represents words that express knowledge. The meaning of this line may be expressed in terms of either learning or teaching. For example:

you won’t learn a thing (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
because they can’t teach you anything (New Century Version)

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