Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageA fool lets his whole spirit come flooding out, but a wise person keeps it reined in.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GA fool pours out his whole spirit; the wise man holds it back and stills it.
KJV
King James VersionA fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleA fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.
Footnotes
*Ruaḥ* ('spirit/wind/breath') here refers to the inner emotional self — passion, anger, the full force of feeling. The fool discharges it entirely (*kol ruḥo yotsi*). The verb used for what the wise man does — *yeshabbeḥennah* — is from the root *shabaḥ*, meaning to praise, to soothe, or to still, and is the same root used in Psalm 65:7 for God stilling the roaring of the seas. The wise man does not merely suppress emotion — he *quiets* it, even calms it like wind-driven waters. FOG uses 'stills it' to capture this resonance; FOG Message opts for 'reined in' for contemporary readability.