Proverbs 20–21

Footnotes

1. 1 The drinks are wine and barley beer (e.g., Lev 10:9; Deut 14:26; Isa 28:7). These terms here could be understood as personifications, but better as metonymies for those who drink wine and beer. The inebriated person mocks and brawls.
2. 2 The two participles לֵץ (lets, “mocker”) and הֹמֶה (homeh, “brawler”) are substantives; they function as predicates in the sentence. Excessive use of intoxicants excites the drinker to boisterous behavior and aggressive attitudes—it turns them into mockers and brawlers.
3. 3 The proverb does not prohibit the use of wine or beer; in fact, strong drink was used at festivals and celebrations. But intoxication was considered out of bounds for a member of the covenant community (e.g., 23:20–21, 29–35; 31:4–7). To be led astray by their use is not wise.
4. 4 Heb “the terror of a king” (so , ); The term “terror” is a metonymy of effect for cause: the anger of a king that causes terror among the people. The term “king” functions as a possessive genitive: “a king’s anger” (cf. “A king’s wrath”; “The king’s fury”).
5. 5 The verb מִתְעַבְּרוֹ (mit’abbéro) is problematic; in the the form is the Hitpael participle with a pronominal suffix, which is unusual, for the direct object of this verb usually takes a preposition first: “is angry with.” The rendered it “angers [or, irritates].”
6. 6 The expression “sins against himself” has been taken by some to mean “forfeits his life” (so , , , ) or “endangers his life” (cf. , ). That may be the implication of getting oneself in trouble with an angry king (cf. “making him angry is suicide”).
7. 7 Heb “man.”
8. 8 Heb “cessation” (שֶׁבֶת, shevet); “to shun strife”; “refrain from strife.” One cannot avoid conflict altogether; but the proverb is instructing that at the first sign of conflict the honorable thing to do is to find a way to end it.
9. 9 Heb “breaks out.” The Hitpael of the verb גָּלַע (gala’, “to expose; to lay bare”) means “to break out; to disclose oneself,” and so the idea of flaring up in a quarrel is clear. But there are also cognate connections to the idea of “showing the teeth; snarling” and so quarreling viciously.
10. 10 The act of plowing is put for the whole process of planting a crop.
11. 11 Heb “in the autumn”; “by reason of the winter.” The noun means “autumn, harvest time.” The right time for planting was after the harvest and the rainy season of autumn and winter began.
12. 12 The Piel of the verb שָׁאַל (sha’al, “to ask”) means “to beg” or “to inquire carefully.” At the harvest time he looks for produce but there is none. The Piel might suggest, however, that because he did not plant, or did not do it at the right time, he is reduced to begging and will have nothing (cf. , ; “he begs during the harvest”).
13. 13 The phrase “for the crop” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
14. 14 The noun means “advice, counsel”; it can have the connotation of planning or making decisions. Those with understanding can sort out plans.
15. 15 Heb “in the heart of a man”; “in the human mind.”
16. 16 The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
17. 17 The motives or plans of a person are “difficult to fathom”; it takes someone with understanding to discover and surface them (the verb in the last colon continues the figure with the sense of bringing the plans to the surface and sorting them out).
18. 18 Heb “a man of understanding”; “someone with insight”; “the wise.”
19. 19 Heb “many a man calls/proclaims a man of his loyal love.” The and render the verb as passive: “many are called kind.” Other suggestions include: “most men meet people who will do them occasional kindnesses” (); “many men profess friendship” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [], ); “many men invite only the one who has shown them kindness.” The simplest interpretation in this context is “many proclaim [themselves to be] a kind person (= a loyal friend).” The contrast is between many who claim to be loyal friends and the one who actually proves to be faithful.
20. 20 The shift to the expression “a man of faithfulness[es]” in the second line indicates that of all those who claim to show faithful love, it is rare to find one who is truly reliable (as the word אֱמוּנִים [’emunim] indicates clearly); cf. , “one worthy of trust.”
21. 21 The point of the rhetorical question is that a truly faithful friend is very difficult to find.
22. 22 Two terms describe the subject of this proverb: “righteous” and “integrity.” The first describes the person as a member of the covenant community who strives to live according to God’s standards; the second emphasizes that his lifestyle is blameless.
23. 23 Heb “walks in his integrity” (so ); cf. “leads a blameless life.” The Hitpael participle of הָלַךְ (halakh) means “to walk about; to walk to and fro.” The idiom of walking representing living is intensified here in this stem. This verbal stem is used in scripture to describe people “walking with” God.
24. 24 The nature and the actions of parents have an effect on children (e.g., Exod 20:4–6); if the parents are righteous, the children will enjoy a blessing—the respect and the happiness which the parent reflects on them.
25. 25 The infinitive construct is דִּין; it indicates purpose, “to judge” (so , ) even though it does not have the preposition with it.
26. 26 The second line uses the image of winnowing (cf. , ) to state that the king’s judgment removes evil from the realm. The verb form is מִזָרֶה (mézareh), the Piel participle. It has been translated “to sift; to winnow; to scatter” and “to separate”—i.e., separate out evil from the land. The text is saying that a just government roots out evil (cf. “dispels all evil”), but few governments have been consistently just.
27. 27 The phrase with his eyes indicates that the king will closely examine or look into all the cases that come before him.
28. 28 The verse is a rhetorical question; it is affirming that no one can say this because no one is pure and free of sin.
29. 29 The verb form זִכִּיתִי (zikkiti) is the Piel perfect of זָכָה (zakhah, “to be clear; to be clean; to be pure”). The verb has the idea of “be clear, justified, acquitted.” In this stem it is causative: “I have made my heart clean” (so ) or “kept my heart pure” (so ). This would be claiming that all decisions and motives were faultless.
30. 30 The Hebrew verb translated “I am pure” (טָהֵר, taher) is a Levitical term. To claim this purity would be to claim that moral and cultic perfection had been attained and therefore one was acceptable to God in the present condition. Of course, no one can claim this; even if one thought it true, it is impossible to know all that is in the heart as God knows it.
31. 31 The construction simply uses repetition to express different kinds of weights and measures: “a stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah.”
32. 32 Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The phrase features a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.” Behind this proverb is the image of the dishonest merchant who has different sets of weights and measures which are used to cheat customers. The Lord hates dishonesty in business transactions.
33. 33 In the first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs the Hebrew term נַעַר (na’ar) referred to an adolescent, a young person whose character was being formed in his early life.
34. 34 The Hebrew verb נָכַר (nakhar) means “to recognize” more than simply “to know.” Certain character traits can be recognized in a child by what he does (cf. “by their behavior”).
35. 35 Character is demonstrated by actions at any age. But the emphasis of the book of Proverbs would also be that if the young child begins to show such actions, then the parents must try to foster and cultivate them; if not, they must try to develop them through teaching and discipline.
36. 36 The first half of the verse refers to two basic senses that the Lord has given to people. C. H. Toy, however, thinks that they represent all the faculties (Proverbs [], ). But in the book of Proverbs seeing and hearing come to the fore. By usage “hearing” also means obeying (15:31; 25:12), and “seeing” also means perceiving and understanding (Isa 6:9–10).
37. 37 The verse not only credits God with making these faculties of hearing and sight and giving them to people, but it also emphasizes their spiritual use in God’s service.
38. 38 The proverb uses antithetical parallelism to teach that diligence leads to prosperity. It contrasts loving sleep with opening the eyes, and poverty with satisfaction. Just as “sleep” can be used for slothfulness or laziness, so opening the eyes can represent vigorous, active conduct. The idioms have caught on in modern usage as well—things like “open your eyes” or “asleep on the job.”
39. 39 The second line uses two imperatives in a sequence (without the vav [ו]): “open your eyes” and then (or, in order that) you will “be satisfied.”
40. 40 Heb “bread” (so , , ), although the term often serves in a generic sense for food in general.
41. 41 Heb “[It is] bad, [it is] bad.” Since “bad” can be understood in some modern contexts as a descriptive adjective meaning “good,” the translation uses “worthless” instead—the real point of the prospective buyer’s exclamation.
42. 42 This proverb reflects standard procedure in the business world. When negotiating the transaction the buyer complains how bad the deal is for him, or how worthless the prospective purchase, but then later brags about what a good deal he got. The proverb will alert the inexperienced as to how things are done.
43. 43 The Hitpael imperfect of הָלַל (halal) means “to praise”—to talk in glowing terms, excitedly. In this stem it means “to praise oneself; to boast.”
44. 44 The verse is usually taken as antithetical parallelism: There may be gold and rubies but the true gem is knowledge. However, C. H. Toy arranges it differently: “store of gold and wealth of corals and precious vessels—all are wise lips” (Proverbs [], ). But this uses the gems as metaphors for wise speech, and does not stress the contrast between wealth and wisdom.
45. 45 Heb “lips of knowledge.” The term “lips” is a metonymy for speaking, and “knowledge” could be either an attributive genitive or objective genitive: “knowledgeable lips.” Lips that impart knowledge are the true jewel to be sought.
46. 46 The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
47. 47 Heb “his garment.”
48. 48 Taking a garment was the way of holding someone responsible to pay debts. In fact, the garment was the article normally taken for security (Exod 22:24–26; Deut 24:10–13). Because this is a high risk security pledge (e.g., 6:1–5), the creditor is to deal more severely than when the pledge is given by the debtor for himself.
49. 49 The Kethib has the masculine plural form, נָכְרִים (nakhrim), suggesting a reading “strangers.” But the Qere has the feminine form נָכְרִיָּה (nakhriyyah), “strange woman” or “another man’s wife” (e.g., 27:13). The parallelism would suggest “strangers” is the correct reading, although theories have been put forward for the interpretation of “strange woman” (see below). The one for whom the pledge is taken is called “a stranger” and “foreign.” These two words do not necessarily mean that the individual or individuals are non-Israelite—just outside the community and not well known.
50. 50 M. Dahood argues that the cloak was taken in pledge for a harlot (cf. “a wayward woman”). Two sins would then be committed: taking a cloak and going to a prostitute (“To Pawn One’s Cloak,” 42 [1961]: 359–66; also Snijders, “The Meaning of זָר,” 85–86). In the the almost identical proverb in 27:13 has a feminine singular form here.
51. 51 Or “hold it” (so , ).
52. 52 Heb “bread of deceit” (so , ). This refers to food gained through dishonest means. The term “bread” is a synecdoche of specific for general, referring to anything obtained by fraud, including food.
53. 53 Heb “a man.”
54. 54 The image of food and eating is carried throughout the proverb. Food taken by fraud seems sweet at first, but afterward it is not. To end up with a mouth full of gravel (a mass of small particles; e.g., Job 20:14–15; Lam 3:16) implies by comparison that what has been taken by fraud will be worthless and useless and certainly in the way (like food turning into sand and dirt).
55. 55 The noun form is plural, but the verb is singular, suggesting either an abstract plural or a collective plural is being used here.
56. 56 The clause begins with vav (ו) on “with guidance.” But the clause has an imperative for its main verb. One could take the imperfect tense in the first colon as an imperfect of injunction, and then this clause would be also instructional. But the imperfect tense is a Niphal, and so it is better to take the first colon as the foundational clause and the second colon as the consequence (cf. ): If that is true, then you should do this.
57. 57 There have been attempts by various commentators to take “war” figuratively to mean life’s struggles, litigation, or evil inclinations. But there is no need and little justification for such interpretations. The proverb simply describes the necessity of taking counsel before going to war.
58. 58 The word describes a slanderer (), a tale-bearer (, ), or an informer. 940 רָכִיל says the Hebrew expression “goers of slander” means slanderous persons. However, W. McKane observes that these people are not necessarily malicious—they just talk too much (Proverbs [], 537).
59. 59 The form is the Hitpael imperfect (of prohibition or instruction) from עָרַב (’arav). 786–88 lists six roots with these radicals. The first means “to mix,” but only occurs in derivatives. 786 lists this form under the second root, which means “to take on a pledge; to exchange.” The Hitpael is then defined as “to exchange pledges; to have fellowship with [or, share].” The proverb is warning people to have nothing to do with gossips.
60. 60 The verb פֹּתֶה (poteh) is a homonym, related to I פָּתָה (patah, “to be naive; to be foolish”; I פתה) or II פָּתָה (“to open [the lips]; to chatter”; II פתה). So the phrase וּלְפֹתֶה שְׂפָתָיו may be understood either (1) as II פתה suggests, “one opens his lips” = he is always talking/gossiping, or (2) as suggests, “one who is foolish as to his lips” (he lacks wisdom in what he says; see 834 פָּתָה 1, noted in I פתה 1). The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause for what is said: gossip. If such a person is willing to talk about others, he will be willing to talk about you, so it is best to avoid him altogether.
61. 61 The form is the Piel participle of קָלַל (qalal), which means “to be light”; in the Piel stem it means “to take lightly; to treat as worthless; to treat contemptuously; to curse.” Under the Mosaic law such treatment of parents brought a death penalty (Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9; Deut 27:16).
62. 62 “His lamp” is a figure known as hypocatastasis (an implied comparison) meaning “his life.” Cf. “the lamp of your life”; “your life will end like a lamp.” For the lamp to be extinguished would mean death (e.g., 13:9) and possibly also the removal of posterity (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [], 115).
63. 63 The Kethib, followed by the , , and Latin, has בְּאִישׁוֹן (bé’ishon), “in the pupil of the eye darkness,” the dark spot of the eye. But the Qere has בֶּאֱשׁוּן (be’eshun), probably to be rendered “pitch” or “blackest,” although the form occurs nowhere else. The meaning with either reading is approximately the same—deep darkness, which adds vividly to the figure of the lamp being snuffed out. This individual’s destruction will be total and final.
64. 64 The Kethib reads מְבֻחֶלֶת (mébukhelet), “gotten by greed” (based on a cognate verb, “to be greedy”); but the Qere is מְבֹהֶלֶת (mévohelet), “gotten hastily [or, quickly].” A large number of and the ancient versions read with the Qere (cf. , “gotten hastily”; “gained hastily”; “quickly gained”; “quickly acquired”). If the inheritance is obtained quickly, it could mean prematurely (e.g., Luke 15:12) or cruelly (Prov 19:26). The inheritance is gained without labor or without preparation.
65. 65 The form is the Pual imperfect, “will not be blessed,” suggesting that divine justice is at work. The Hebrew verb means “enriched, made fruitful, prospered.” Whatever the inheritance was, it will not reach its full potential or even remain permanent.
66. 66 Heb “in its end”; , “the end thereof.”
67. 67 The verse is directly instructive; it begins with the negated jussive in the first colon, and follows with the imperative in the second. It warns that the righteous should not take vengeance on the wicked, for only God can do that.
68. 68 The form is the Piel cohortative of resolve—“I am determined to pay back.” The verb שָׁלֵם (shalem) means “to be complete; to be sound.” In this stem, however, it can mean “to make complete; to make good; to requite; to recompense” (, ). The idea is “getting even” by paying back someone for the evil done.
69. 69 To “wait” (קַוֵּה, qavveh) on the Lord requires faith in him, reliance on divine justice, and patience. It means that the wrongs done to a person will have to be endured for a time.
70. 70 After the imperative, the jussive is subordinated in a purpose or result clause: “wait for the Lord so that he may deliver you.” The verb יֹשַׁע (yosha’) means “to save (, , ); to deliver (); to give victory”; in this context it means “deliver from the evil done to you,” and so “vindicate” is an appropriate connotation. Cf. “he will make things right.”
71. 71 Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” This expression features a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.”
72. 72 Heb “not good.” This is a figure known as tapeinosis—a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is wicked!” (e.g., 11:1; 20:10).
73. 73 Heb “the steps of a man”; but “man” is the noun גֶּבֶר (gever, in pause), indicating an important, powerful person. 149–50 suggests it is used of men in their role of defending women and children; if that can be validated, then a translation of “man” would be appropriate here. But the line seems to have a wider, more general application. The “steps” represent (by implied comparison) the course of life (cf. “the road we travel”).
74. 74 Heb “from the Lord”; “ordered by the Lord”; “directed by the Lord.” To say that one’s steps are ordained by the Lord means that one’s course of actions, one’s whole life, is divinely prepared and sovereignly superintended (e.g., Gen 50:26; Prov 3:6). Ironically, man is not actually in control of his own steps.
75. 75 The verse uses an independent nominative absolute to point up the contrast between the mortal and the immortal: “and man, how can he understand his way?” The verb in the sentence would then be classified as a potential imperfect; and the whole question rhetorical. It is affirming that humans cannot understand very much at all about their lives.
76. 76 Heb “his way.” The referent of the third masculine singular pronoun is unclear, so the word “own” was supplied in the translation to clarify that the referent is the human individual, not the Lord.
77. 77 It would be a “snare” because it would lead people into financial difficulties; Leviticus 27 talks about foolish or rash vows.
78. 78 Heb “a man.”
79. 79 The verb is from לוּע (lu’) or לָעַע (la’a’); it means “to talk wildly” (not to be confused with the homonym “to swallow”). It occurs here and in Job 6:3. This refers to speaking rashly in dedicating something to the sanctuary by calling it “Holy.”
80. 80 Heb “reflect on.” The person is to consider the vows before making them, to ensure that they can be fulfilled. Too many people make their vow or promise without thinking, and then later worry about how they will fulfill their vows.
81. 81 Heb “the vows” (so ); “promises.”
82. 82 Heb “winnows” (so , , ). The sage draws on the process of winnowing to explain how the king uncovers and removes wickedness. The verb from which the participle מְזָרֶה (mézareh) is derived means “to separate; to winnow; to scatter”; the implied comparison means that the king will separate good people from bad people like wheat is separated from chaff. The image of winnowing is also used in divine judgment. The second line of the verse uses a detail of the process to make the point. Driving a wheel over the wheat represents the threshing process; the sharp iron wheels of the cart would easily serve the purpose (e.g., Isa 28:27–28).
83. 83 The king has the wisdom/ability to destroy evil from his kingdom. See also D. W. Thomas, “Proverbs 20:26,” 15 (1964): 155–56.
84. 84 The expression translated “the human spirit” is the Hebrew term נִשְׁמַת (nishmat), a feminine noun in construct. This is the inner spiritual part of human life that was breathed in at creation (Gen 2:7) and that constitutes humans as spiritual beings with moral, intellectual, and spiritual capacities.
85. 85 The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
86. 86 The “lamp” is the metaphor in the line; it signifies that the human spirit functions as a conscience, enabling people to know and please God, and directing them in choices that will be life-giving. E. Loewenstamm unnecessarily reads נִיר (nir, “to plow”) instead of נֵר (ner, “lamp”) to say that God plows and examines the soul (“Remarks on Proverbs 17:12 and 20:27,” 37 [1967]: 233). The supplies a verb (“searches”) from the second half of the verse, changing the emphasis somewhat.
87. 87 Heb “all the chambers of the belly.” This means “the inner parts of the body” ( 293 חֶדֶר); cf. “the innermost parts of his being.”
88. 88 The first line uses two Hebrew words, חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת (khesed ve’emet, “loyal love and truth”), to tell where security lies. The first word is the covenant term for “loyal love; loving-kindness; mercy”; and the second is “truth” in the sense of what is reliable and dependable. The two words often are joined together to form a hendiadys: “faithful love.” That a hendiadys is intended here is confirmed by the fact that the second line uses only the critical word חֶסֶד.
89. 89 The emphasis is on the Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:11–16; Ps 89:19–37). It is the Lord and his faithful love for his covenant that ultimately makes the empire secure. But the enjoyment of divine protection requires the king to show loyal love as well.
90. 90 The Hebrew term תִּפְאֶרֶת (tif’eret) means “beauty; glory”; in a context like this it means “honor” in the sense of glorying or boasting ( 802 3.b).
91. 91 The Hebrew term הֲדַר (hadar), the noun in construct, means “splendor; honor; ornament.” The latter sense is used here, since grey hair is like a crown on the head.
92. 92 “Grey hair” is a metonymy of adjunct; it represents everything valuable about old age—dignity, wisdom, honor, experience, as well as worry and suffering of life. At the very least, since they survived, they must know something. At the most, they were the sages and elders of the people.
93. 93 The verb מָרַק (maraq) means “to polish; to scour”; in the Hiphil it means “to cleanse away,” but it is only attested here, and that in the Kethib reading of תַּמְרִיק (tamriq). The Qere has תַּמְרוּק (tamruq, “are a means of cleansing”). The has “blows and contusions fall on evil men, and stripes penetrate their inner beings”; the Latin has “the bruise of a wound cleanses away evil things.” C. H. Toy suggests emending the text to read “stripes cleanse the body, and blows the inward parts” or “cosmetics purify the body, and blows the soul” (Proverbs [], ). Cf. “can knock all of the evil out of you.”
94. 94 The term “cleanse” does not appear in this line but is supplied in the translation in the light of the parallelism.
95. 95 Physical punishment may prove spiritually valuable. Other proverbs say that some people will never learn from this kind of punishment, but in general this may be the only thing that works for some cases.
96. 1 “Heart” is a metonymy of subject; it signifies the ability to make decisions, if not the decisions themselves.
97. 2 “Hand” in this passage is a personification; the word is frequently used idiomatically for “power,” and that is the sense intended here.
98. 3 “Channels of water” (פַּלְגֵי, palge) is an adverbial accusative, functioning as a figure of comparison—“like channels of water.” Cf. “Like a stream”; “watercourse”; , “a stream of water.” The farmer channels irrigation ditches where he wants them, where they will do the most good; so does the Lord with the king. No king is supreme; the Lord rules.
99. 4 Heb “in his own eyes.” The term “eyes” is a metonymy for estimation, opinion, evaluation.
100. 5 Heb “weighs” (so , , ); “examines”; , “judges.”
101. 6 Heb “the hearts.” The term לֵב (lev, “heart”) is used as a metonymy of association for thoughts and motives ( 660–61 6–7. Even though people think they know themselves, the Lord evaluates motives as well (e.g., Prov 16:2).
102. 7 The Niphal participle בָּחַר (bakhar, “to choose”) means “choice to the Lord” or “chosen of the Lord,” meaning “acceptable to the Lord”; cf. “pleases the Lord more.”
103. 8 The Lord prefers righteousness above religious service (e.g., Prov 15:8; 21:29; 1 Sam 15:22; Ps 40:6–8; Isa 1:11–17). This is not a rejection of ritual worship; rather, religious acts are without value apart from righteous living.
104. 9 Heb “the tillage [נִר, nir] of the wicked is sin” (so ). The subject picks up the subjects of the first half of the verse, indicating they are equal—the tillage consists of the arrogance and pride. The word “tillage” is figurative, of course, signifying that the agricultural product (the point of the comparison) of the wicked is sin. The relationship between the ideas is then problematic. Are pride and arrogance what the wicked produce? Some (, , , ) have followed the and to read “lamp” instead (נֵר, ner), but that does not solve the difficulty of the relationship between the expressions. It does, however, say that the life ( = lamp), which is arrogance and pride, is sin.
105. 10 The word “diligent” is an adjective used substantivally. The related verb means “to cut, sharpen, decide”; so the adjective describes one who is “sharp”—one who acts decisively. The word “hasty” has the idea of being pressed or pressured into quick actions. So the text contrasts calculated expeditiousness with unproductive haste. C. H. Toy does not like this contrast, and so proposes changing the latter to “lazy” (Proverbs [], ), but W. McKane rightly criticizes that as unnecessarily forming a pedestrian antithesis (Proverbs [], 550).
106. 11 The term “lead” is supplied in the translation.
107. 12 The Hebrew noun translated “plenty” comes from the verb יָתַר (yatar), which means “to remain over.” So the calculated diligence will lead to abundance, prosperity.
108. 13 Heb “lack; need; thing needed”; “to want.”
109. 14 The first word of the verse is the noun meaning “doing, deed, work.” The editors suggest reading with the an active participle—“the one who makes” (cf. “He who makes”). The second word means “treasure,” from the verb “lay up, store up.” It is an objective genitive here.
110. 15 The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
111. 16 The Hebrew הֶבֶל נִדָּף (hevel nidaf) is properly “a driven vapor” (“driven” = the Niphal participle). The point of the metaphor is that the ill-gotten gains will vanish into thin air. The has “pursues” (as if reading רֹדֵף, rodef); cf. “chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”
112. 17 The Hebrew has “seekers of death,” meaning “[they that seek them] are seekers of death,” or that the fortune is “a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.” The sense is not readily apparent. The Greek and the Latin versions have “snares of death”; the form מוֹקְשֵׁי (moqéshe) was read instead of מְבַקְשֵׁי (mévaqshe). This reading does not make a more credible metaphor, and one must explain the loss of the letter ב (bet) in the textual variant. It is, however, slightly easier to interpret in the verse, and is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., , , , ). But whether the easier reading is the correct one in this case would be difficult to prove.
113. 18 The “violence” (שֹׁד, shod) drags away the wicked, probably either to do more sin or to their punishment. “Violence” here is either personified, or it is a metonymy of cause, meaning “the outcome of their violence” drags them away.
114. 19 Heb “violence of the wicked.” This is a subjective genitive: “violence which the wicked do.”
115. 20 The second colon of the verse is the causal clause, explaining why they are dragged away. They are not passive victims of their circumstances or their crimes. They choose to persist in their violence and so it destroys them.
116. 21 Heb “they refuse to do justice” (so ); “refuse to act with justice.”
117. 22 The first line of the proverb is difficult. Since וָזָר (vazar) occurs only here it has been given much attention. The translation of “guilty” is drawn from an Arabic cognate meaning “to bear a burden” and so “to be sin laden” or “guilty” (cf. , , , , ). G. R. Driver prefers to read the line as “a man crooked of ways is false [zar]” (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” 32 [1951]: 185). C. H. Toy adopts the meaning of “proud” (Proverbs [], ). Whatever the reading, “guilty” or “proud” or “false,” the idea is that such people are devious. Bad people are underhanded; good people are aboveboard (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [], ). Another way to analyze the line is to read it with the definition “strange, stranger”: “The way of a man and a stranger is perverse.” But this is unclear, and would form no satisfactory contrast to 8b. Another suggestion is “the way of (usual) man is changeable and strange, but the pure fellow leads a straight and even course” (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 244); cf. “the innocent travel a straight road.”
118. 23 The form הֲפַכְפַּךְ (hafakhfakh) is an adjective with an intensified meaning due to the duplication of the second and third radicals; it means “very devious; crooked” (from the verb “to overturn”).
119. 24 If this translation stands, then the construction is formed with an independent nominative absolute, resumed by the suffixed noun as the formal subject. It draws attention to the “pure” or “innocent” person in contrast to the previously mentioned wicked.
120. 25 English versions which translate the Hebrew term as “roof” here sometimes produce amusing images for modern readers: “Better to live on the roof”; “It’s better to stay outside on the roof of your house.” The reference is probably to a small room that would be built on the flat housetop primarily for guests (e.g., 1 Kgs 17:19; 2 Kgs 4:10). It would be cramped and lonely—but peaceful in avoiding strife.
121. 26 The “house of company” has received numerous interpretations. The word “company” or “companionship” would qualify “house” as a place to be shared. The editors propose “spacious house,” which would call for a transposition of letters (cf. “a roomy house”; “a lovely home”). Such an emendation makes good sense, but has no external support.
122. 27 Heb “a wife of contentions”; “a brawling woman”; , “a nagging wife.” The Greek version has no reference to a quarrelsome wife, but instead mentions justice in a common house.
123. 28 Heb “soul.” The Hebrew text uses נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally, “soul”) as the formal subject of the sentence—“the soul of a wicked man desires.” This term has at its core the idea of appetites, and so its use here underscores that the cravings are deep-seated ( 660 5), and the translation “appetite” reflects this.
124. 29 The word has the meanings of “desire, crave, long for, lust after.” It usually has “soul” as its subject. The word is used in the Ten Commandments in the prohibition against coveting a neighbor’s house (Deut 5:18).
125. 30 The form יֻחַן (yukhan) is a Hophal imperfect from חָנַן (khanan); it means “to be shown mercy”—here negated to mean “he will not be shown mercy.” The person who lives to satisfy his own craving for evil will not be interested in meeting the needs of others.
126. 31 The contrast here is between the simple and the wise. The simple gain wisdom when they see the scorner punished; the wise gains knowledge through instruction. The scorner does not change, but should be punished for the benefit of the simple (e.g., Prov 19:25).
127. 32 Heb “in the instructing of the wise.” The construction uses the Hiphil infinitive construct הַשְׂכִּיל (haskil) with a preposition to form a temporal clause (= “when”). The word “wise” (חָכָם, khakham) after it is the subjective genitive. The preposition לְ (lamed) on the form is probably dittography from the ending of the infinitive.
128. 33 In the book of Proverbs, the Hebrew term צַּדִּיק (ysadiq) normally refers to a human being, and that is a possible translation here (cf. , , ), although it would have to refer to a righteous person who was a judge or a ruler with the right to destroy the wicked. Many commentators and English versions simply interpret this as a reference to God (cf. , , , ).
129. 34 The form מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is now used with the meaning “to consider; to give attention to; to ponder.” It is the careful scrutiny that is given to the household of the wicked before judgment is poured out on them.
130. 35 Heb “house.” This term probably means “household” here—the family. One way to read the line is that the righteous judge (human or divine) takes into consideration the wicked person’s family before judging the wicked person. The other—and more plausible—interpretation is that the judge considers the household of the wicked and then on the basis of what was observed judges them.
131. 36 Heb “to evil” (i.e., catastrophe); cf. “to disaster.”
132. 37 The imagery means “pay no attention to” the cry for help or “refuse to help,” so it is a metonymy of cause for the effect.
133. 38 “Cry” here would be a metonymy of effect for the cause, the cause being the great needs of the poor.
134. 39 The proverb is teaching that those who show mercy will receive mercy. It involves the principle of talionic justice—those who refuse the needs of others will themselves be refused when they need help (so Luke 16:19–31).
135. 40 The synonymous parallelism joins the more neutral term “gift” with the more specific “bribe.” D. Kidner notes that this underscores how hard it is to tell the difference between them, especially since they accomplish similar things (Proverbs [], ).
136. 41 The word כָּפָה (kafah) occurs only here; it means “to subdue,” but in New Hebrew it means “to overturn; to compel.” The editors suggest a change to כָּבָה (kavah), “to be quenched,” based on Symmachus and , but there is no substantial improvement in the text’s meaning with such a change.
137. 42 Heb “a bribe in the bosom” (so ). This refers to a gift hidden in the folds of the garment, i.e., given secretly (cf. “a bribe concealed in the cloak”).
138. 43 The repetition of the term “subdues” in the second line is supplied in the translation.
139. 44 The offers a moralizing translation not too closely tied to the : “he who withholds a gift stirs up violent wrath.”
140. 45 The Qal infinitive construct עֲשׂוֹת (’asot) functions as the subject of the sentence.
141. 46 The term “brings” is supplied in the translation; many English versions supply a simple copula (“is”).
142. 47 The noun means “terror (, , ), destruction (, ), ruin (cf. ).” Its related verb means “be shattered, dismayed.” The idea of “dismay” () or “terror” would make the better choice to contrast with “joy” in the first line, but “ruin” is also possible. Whenever justice prevails, whether in the courts or simply in society, the people who practice iniquity may be shaken into reality by fear (cf. “crooks are terrified”).
143. 48 The text uses “man” as the subject and the active participle תּוֹעֶה (to’eh) as the predicate. The image of “wandering off the path” signifies leaving a life of knowledge, prudence, and discipline.
144. 49 Or “prudence”; , , , “understanding”; “common sense.”
145. 50 Heb “will remain” or “will rest.” The Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh) does not here carry any of the connotations of comforting repose in death that the righteous enjoy; it simply means “to remain; to reside; to dwell.” The choice of this verb might have an ironic twist to it, reminding the wicked what might have been.
146. 51 The departed are the Shades (the Rephaim). The literal expression “will rest among the Shades” means “will be numbered among the dead.” So once again physical death is presented as the punishment for folly.
147. 52 The participle “loves” (אֹהֵב, ’ohev) indicates in this context that more is involved than the enjoyment of pleasure, for which there is no problem. The proverb is looking at “love” in the sense of needing and choosing, an excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in pleasure.
148. 53 “Pleasure” is actually the Hebrew word “joy” (שִׂמְחָה, simkhah). It is a metonymy of effect, the cause being the good life that brings the joy. In the second colon, “wine” and “oil” would be metonymies of cause, the particular things in life that bring joy. Therefore the figures in the lines work together to give the complete picture.
149. 54 The phrase “will be” is supplied in the translation.
150. 55 Heb “a man of poverty”; “will suffer want.”
151. 56 In elaborate feasts and celebrations the wine was for drinking but the oil was for anointing (cf. , “perfume”). Both of these characterize the luxurious life (e.g., Ps 23:5; 104:15; Amos 6:6).
152. 57 The term “become” is supplied in the translation.
153. 58 The Hebrew word translated “ransom” (כֹּפֶר, kofer) normally refers to the price paid to free a prisoner. R. N. Whybray (Proverbs [], 121) gives options for the meaning of the verse: (1) If it means that the wicked obtain good things that should go to the righteous, it is then a despairing plea for justice (which would be unusual in the book of Proverbs); but if (2) it is taken to mean that the wicked suffers the evil he has prepared for the righteous, then it harmonizes with Proverbs elsewhere (e.g., 11:8). The ideal this proverb presents—and the future reality—is that in calamity the righteous escape and the wicked suffer in their place (e.g., Haman in the book of Esther).
154. 59 Or “treacherous” (so , , ); “the unfaithful.”
155. 60 The phrase “are taken” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
156. 61 The Hebrew form שֶׁבֶת (shevet) is the infinitive construct of יָשַׁב (yashav), functioning as the subject of the sentence.
157. 62 The verse makes the same point as 21:9 and 25:24; but “desert land” is substituted. It would be a place sparsely settled and quiet.
158. 63 The Hebrew noun כַּעַס (ka’as) means “vexation; anger.” The woman is not only characterized by a quarrelsome spirit, but also anger—she is easily vexed (cf. “vexatious”; “vexing”; , “fretful”). The translation “easily-provoked” conveys this idea well.
159. 64 The mention of “olive oil” (שֶׁמֶן, shemen) is problematic in the line—how can a fool devour it? Several attempts have been made to alleviate the problem. The interprets “treasure” as “choice food,” so that food and oil would make more sense being swallowed. C. H. Toy (Proverbs [], ) suggests dropping “oil” altogether based on the reading in the , but the Greek is too general for any support: It has “precious treasure will rest on the mouth of the sage.” W. McKane wants to change “oil” to an Arabic word “expensive” to read “desirable and rare wealth” (Proverbs [], 552), but this idea does not match the metaphor any better. The figure of “devouring” in the second line simply means the fool uses up whatever he has.
160. 65 Heb “a fool of a man.”
161. 66 Heb “he swallows it.” The imagery compares swallowing food with consuming one’s substance. The fool does not prepare for the future.
162. 67 These two attributes, “righteousness” (צְדָקָה, tsédaqah) and “loyal love” (חֶסֶד, khesed) depict the life style of the covenant-believer who is pleasing to God and a blessing to others. The first term means that he will do what is right, and the second means that he will be faithful to the covenant community.
163. 68 The Hebrew term translated “bounty” is צְדָקָה (tsédaqah) again, so there is a wordplay on the term in the verse. The first use of the word had the basic meaning of “conduct that conforms to God’s standard”; this second use may be understood as a metonymy of cause, indicating the provision or reward (“bounty”) that comes from keeping righteousness (cf. “prosperity”; “success”). The proverb is similar to Matt 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
164. 69 Heb “The wise [one/man].”
165. 70 The Qal perfect tense of עָלָה (’alah) functions in a potential nuance. Wisdom can be more effectual than physical strength.
166. 71 In a war the victory is credited not so much to the infantry as to the tactician who plans the attack. Brilliant strategy wins wars, even over apparently insuperable odds (e.g., Prov 24:5–6; Eccl 9:13–16; 2 Cor 10:4).
167. 72 Heb “and bring down the strength of its confidence.” The word “strength” is a metonymy of adjunct, referring to the place of strength, i.e., “the stronghold.” “Confidence” is a genitive of worth; the stronghold is their confidence, it is appropriate for the confidence of the city.
168. 73 “Mouth” and “tongue” are metonymies of cause, signifying what one says (cf. , , ).
169. 74 This part could also be translated “keeps himself” (so ), for נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) often simply means “the whole person.” The participle שֹׁמֵר (shomer) is repeated from the first line in the parallelism—to guard what is said is to guard against difficulty.
170. 75 The “troubles” (צָרוֹת, tsarot) here could refer to social and legal difficulties into which careless talk might bring someone (e.g., 13:3; 18:21). The word means “a strait, a bind, difficulty.” Careless and free talking could get the person into a tight spot.
171. 76 The word זֵד (zed, “proud”) comes from the verb זִיד (zid, “to boil up; to seethe; to act proudly [or, presumptuously].” Just as water boiling up in a pot will boil over, so the presumptuous person “oversteps” the boundaries.
172. 77 The word יָהִיר (yahir) means “haughty,” that is, to be or show oneself to be presumptuous or arrogant.
173. 78 Heb “proud haughty scorner his name” ( similar). There are several ways that the line could be translated: (1) “Proud, arrogant—his name is scoffer” or (2) “A proud person, an arrogant person—‘Scoffer’ is his name.” 267 זֵד suggests, “A presumptuous man, [who is] haughty, scoffer is his name.”
174. 79 Heb “does.” The Qal active participle “does” serves as the main verb, and the subject is “proud person” in the first line.
175. 80 The expression בְּעֶבְרַת זָדוֹן (be’evrat zadon) means “in the overflow of insolence.” The genitive specifies what the overflow is; the proud deal in an overflow of pride. Cf. “overweening pride”; “boundless arrogance.” The portrait in this proverb is not merely of one who is self-sufficient, but one who is insolent, scornful, and arrogant.
176. 81 Heb “the desire of the sluggard” (so , ). This phrase features a subject genitive: “what the sluggard desires.” The term תַּאֲוַת (ta’avat, “desire; craving”) is a metonymy of cause. The craving itself will not destroy the sluggard, but what will destroy him is what the craving causes him to do or not to do. The lazy come to ruin because they desire the easy way out.
177. 82 The verb תְּמִיתֶנּוּ (témitennu) is the Hiphil imperfect with a suffix: “will kill him.” It is probably used hyperbolically here for coming to ruin (cf. ), although it could include physical death.
178. 83 “Hands” is figurative for the whole person; but “hands” is retained in the translation because it is often the symbol to express one’s ability of action.
179. 84 The construction uses the Hitpael perfect tense הִתְאַוָּה (hit’avvah) followed by the cognate accusative תַאֲוָה (ta’avah). It describes one who is consumed with craving for more. The verse has been placed with the preceding because of the literary connection with “desire/craving.”
180. 85 The additional clause, “and does not hold back,” emphasizes that when the righteous gives he gives freely, without fearing that his generosity will bring him to poverty. This is the contrast with the one who is self-indulgent and craves for more.
181. 86 Heb “the sacrifice of the wicked” (so , , , , ). This is a subjective genitive. The foundational clause states that ritual acts of worship brought by the wicked (thus a subjective genitive) are detestable to God. The “wicked” refers here to people who are not members of the covenant (no faith) and are not following after righteousness (no acceptable works). But often they participate in sanctuary ritual, which amounts to hypocrisy.
182. 87 This rhetorical device shows that if the act is abomination, the wicked heart is an even greater sin. It argues from the lesser to the greater.
183. 88 The noun זִמָּה (zimmah) means “plan; device; wickedness”; here it indicates that the person is coming to the ritual with “sinful purpose.” Some commentators suggest that this would mean he comes with the sacrifice as a bribe to pacify his conscience for a crime committed, over which he has little remorse or intent to cease (cf. “with ulterior motives”). In this view, people in ancient Israel came to think that sacrifices could be given for any reason without genuine submission to God.
184. 89 Heb “a witness of lies,” an attributive genitive.
185. 90 The Hebrew verb translated “will perish” (יֹאבֵד, yo’bed) could mean that the false witness will die, either by the hand of God or by the community. But it also could be taken in the sense that the false testimony will be destroyed. This would mean that “false witness” would be a metonymy of cause—what he says will perish (cf. “will be forgotten”).
186. 91 Heb “but a man who listens speaks forever.” The first part of it may mean (1) a true witness, one who reports what he actually hears. But it may also refer to (2) someone who listens to the false testimony given by the false witness. The follows the suggestion of a homonym for the Hebrew word with the meaning “will perish/be destroyed”: “will be destroyed forever.” This suggests a synonymous pair of ideas rather than a contrast. Others accept antithetical parallelism. C. H. Toy suggested an idea like “be established” to contrast with “will perish” (Proverbs [], ). W. McKane suggested it meant the truthful witness “will speak to the end” without being put down (Proverbs [], 556). It is simpler to interpret the words that are here in the sense of a contrast. The idea of speaking forever/to the end would then be hyperbolic.
187. 92 Heb “a wicked man.”
188. 93 Heb “he hardens his face.” To make the face firm or hard means to show boldness ( 738 עָזַז Hiph); cf. “put on a bold face.”
189. 94 The “upright” is an independent nominative absolute; the pronoun becomes the formal (emphatic) subject of the verb.
190. 95 The Kethib is the imperfect of כּוּן (kun), “he establishes.” This reading has the support of the , Latin, and , and is followed by . The Qere is the imperfect tense of בִּין (bin), “he understands; he discerns.” It has the support of the and is followed by , , , . The difficulty is that both make good sense in the passage and both have support. The contrast is between the wicked who shows a bold face (reflecting a hardened heart) and the upright who either gives thought to his ways (or solidifies his ways). The sense of the Qere may form a slightly better contrast, one between the outer appearance of boldness and the inner discernment of action.
191. 96 The form לְנֶגֶד (léneged) means “against; over against; in opposition to.” The line indicates they cannot in reality be in opposition, for human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the wisdom of God (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 232).
192. 97 The verse uses a single sentence to state that all wisdom, understanding, and advice must be in conformity to the will of God to be successful. It states it negatively—these things cannot be in defiance of God (e.g., Job 5:12–13; Isa 40:13–14).
193. 98 Heb “of the Lord.” The victory being “of the Lord” means that it is accomplished by him. Ultimate success comes from the Lord and not from human efforts. The faithful have acknowledged this down through the ages, even though they have been responsible and have prepared for the wars. Without this belief there would have been no prayer on the eve of battle (e.g., Ps 20:7 and 33:17).