Today’s phrase, cha•cham ba•lay•la, wise guy, isn’t really a harsh expression because both in Hebrew and English it is using as a positive phrase to mean the opposite. ‘Chacham’ means ‘wise’ and ‘balayla’ means ‘at night.’ So the expression says that this person is wise, but only when asleep. The exact use is when a person notices and recognizes that he/she did an unwise thing after the fact.
Real Wisdom in biblical Hebrew
The word ‘cha•cham’ is wise, and it is mentioned 103 times in the Bible. It’s interesting that wisdom in the Bible is attributed to the heart and not the brain, as we view it today. You may remember that king Solomon was known as the wisest man on earth. This is what God grants him:
“Behold, I have done according to your words; lo, I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you”
There are ample examples of the heart-wisdom connection in the Bible, and following God’s rules is equated with wisdom:
“The wise in heart will heed commandments; but a prating fool will come to ruin”
Very little is required from the fool to be considered wise:
“Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise; and he who closes his lips is considered a man of understanding”
We shall close with one of the wisest pieces of advice in the Bible that is valid, word-for-word, for quite a few ‘big shots’ amid us:
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise”
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