“Wisdom is too high for a fool”: The Hebrew of this line is “heights for a fool wisdom.” “Wisdom” is actually a plural form, which may have the sense of “Wise sayings” (Good News Translation, Scott); however, most translations simply have “wisdom.” The word for “heights” has an unusual spelling, which has led to some argument about the meaning of the line; but it is the same spelling as is sometimes used for the proper name Ramoth, which means “[fortified] heights.” This is taken by most versions in the sense that wisdom is “too high” for fools to understand or grasp. This is expressed by Scott as “beyond the understanding of the fool” and by Contemporary English Version as “too much for fools.” New Jerusalem Bible uses the picture of the fortified high place: “For a fool wisdom is an inaccessible fortress.” A translation in one Pacific language says “Wise sayings are very strong [difficult], the fool is not able to get their meaning.”

“In the gate he does not open his mouth”: As in 1.21, “in the gate” refers to the assembly of the people of a town where legal and other important matters were discussed and decided. Revised English Bible renders this expression as “in the public assembly” and Good News Translation “when important matters are being discussed.” “He does not open his mouth” means that the fool “does not say anything,” or better, “he is not capable of saying anything of value.” In a number of languages this is expressed as “he is silent” or “he keeps his mouth shut.” In English Revised English Bible uses the expression “he remains tongue-tied,” which means that he is unable to speak because of fear or embarrassment.

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 .