Texts in Conversation
Proverbs 18 says that answering before you listen is the mark of a fool. Sirach reshapes that observation into a direct command and adds a second rule against interrupting while another person is still speaking.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Proverbs 18:13
Hebrew Bible
11 The wealth of a rich person is like a strong city, and it is like a high wall in his imagination. 12 Before destruction the heart of a person is proud,but humility comes before honor. 13 The one who gives an answer before he listens—that is his folly and his shame. 14 A person’s spirit sustains him through sickness—but who can bear a crushed spirit?
Sirach 11:8
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
6 Many rulers have been utterly disgraced, and the honored have been handed over to others. 7 Do not find fault before you investigate; examine first, and then criticize. 8 Do not answer before you listen, and do not interrupt when another is speaking. 9 Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you, and do not sit with sinners when they judge a case. 10 My child, do not busy yourself with many matters; if you multiply activities, you will not be held blameless. If you pursue, you will not overtake, and by fleeing you will not escape.
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Notes and References
... Interrupting another person makes one look like a disgraceful fool. It is wise to listen and think before responding. See the Comments on 10:19; 15:28; and 17:7, and compare Ecclesiastes 5:2, 6. Reusing this verse, Ben Sira cautions, "My son, do not reply before you listen, and do not speak in the middle of (another’s) speech" (11:8). Pirqei Avot 5:7 says: "The wise man . . . does not interrupt his companion’s words." ...
Fox, Michael V.
Proverbs 10-31: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
(p. 643) Yale University Press, 2009
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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