Literally, “one in want of heart.” The heart was regarded as the seat of intelligence. The unintelligent brings a rod upon his back in many ways: his conscience gives him no peace from its scourging, he suffers tongue-lashings from many of those with whom he has to deal, and anciently literal floggings by the order of magistrates were his (chs. 19:29; 26:3). The LXX combines the two elements in this verse thus: “He that brings forth wisdom from his lips smites the fool with a rod.”