Proverbs 10:21 - Exposition

Feed many. The righteous by wise counsel teach, support, and guide others ( Ecclesiastes 12:11 ; Jeremiah 3:15 ). So the clergy are the shepherds of their flocks ( John 21:15 ; Acts 20:28 ; 1 Peter 5:2 ). The LXX . has a different reading, "know high things." Fools die for want of wisdom. Far from "feeding" others, they bring ruin on themselves ( Proverbs 5:23 ). Others translate, "die through one who wanteth understanding;" but if the Hebrew will bear this rendering, it is obvious that fools need no guide to their fall; their fate is a natural result. In this case the meaning must be that the foolish man involves others in destruction. But it is best to translate as the Authorized Version.