17:16
16a Why should the fool have money in his hand
16b with no intention of buying wisdom?
This verse probably describes a situation in which someone foolishly thinks he can buy wisdom like any other product in the marketplace. It probably does not refer to paying tuition or other fees at a school.
17:16a–b
Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?: This verse is a sarcastic rhetorical question. Its function is to emphasize that a fool cannot use money to get wisdom. Even if he could buy it, it would do him no good, since he is not able or willing to learn. For example:
16a Why should fools have a price in hand to buy wisdom, 16b when they have no mind to learn? (New Revised Standard Version)
Some other ways to express the sarcastic emphasis of the rhetorical question are:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he doesn’t have a mind to grasp anything? (God’s Word)
• Use a statement. For example:
It won’t do a fool any good to try to buy wisdom, because he doesn’t have the ability to be wise. (New Century Version)
fool:
17:16b
with no intention of buying wisdom: This clause indicates that even if wisdom could be bought, the fool’s money would not help him, because he does not have the mental ability or desire to become wise. Nor is he truly willing to acquire wisdom. See the New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, and New Century Version (quoted in 17:16a) for other ways to express the meaning of this clause.
intention: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as intention is literally “heart.” In Hebrew, the word “heart” includes the emotions, but it also refers to a person’s mental faculties. This includes the ability to think clearly and to make good decisions.
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