The contrast between the first and second clauses of this verse suggests that the despising of the neighbor consists in uttering contemptuous and disparaging words. The word for “wisdom” here is leb, “heart.” The heart was considered to be the seat of the mind. Even if the neighbor has weaknesses that seem to justify the attack of the unintelligent, a wise man holds his peace. He realizes that every man has weaknesses, and every man is entitled to be left to struggle with those difficulties without the additional burden of disturbing publicity (see Gal. 6:1, 2).