Of course, translation comes into play. The Hebrew word translated as ‘mind’ is often nefesh, which could be translated as ‘soul.’ The Hebrew noun lavav, usually rendered as ‘heart,’ is also glossed as ‘mind.’
Functionally, the text mentions the activity of ‘reasoning’ - ‘reason’ in the sense of ‘ratiocinate,’ not ‘reason’ in the sense of ‘cause’ - most famously in Isaiah 1:18, but also in Leviticus 19:17, Daniel 4:34 and 4:36, Luke 9:47, and Acts 17:2, 17:17,18:4,18:19, 19:8, 19:9, and 24:25. (Cf. I Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:5 and James 3:17).
Depending on translation, these are also rendered as ‘thought’ or ‘understanding.’
The strongest arguments for God’s endorsement of human rationality are indirect. Consider Proverbs 22:3 as an example of reason in action:
The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
The ‘prudent’ or ‘wise’ man is not operating under some supernatural knowledge or divine revelation, but rather using common sense. God expects this of His people as a matter of stewardship: He has entrusted us with brains, and it would be disrespectful not to make appropriate use of those brains.
Likewise, Proverbs 19:3 sees that human suffering is sometimes (but not always!) the result of failing to use reason:
When a man's folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord.
God, therefore, encourages us to use our minds to avoid certain problems. Some suffering is unavoidable and necessary. But some misery is simply the result of ignoring the mental capacity which God has given us.
Therefore, God does not despise or denigrate human reason. Rather, He created it and gave it to us as a gift, and expects us to use it wisely.
