He that has knowledge spares his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
All Commentaries on Proverbs 17:27 Go To Proverbs 17
Hippolytus of Rome
AD 235
He asks of wisdom, who seeks to know what is the will of God. And he will show himself prudent who is sparing of his words on that which he has come to learn. If one inquires about wisdom, desiring to learn something about wisdom, while another asks nothing of wisdom, as not only wishing to learn nothing about wisdom himself, but even keeping back his neighbours from so doing, the former certainly is deemed to be more prudent than the latter.
