Proverbs 11:16

Footnotes

1. 45 Heb “a woman of grace.” The genitive חֵן (khen, “grace”) functions as an attributive adjective. The contrast is between “a gracious woman” (אֵשֶׁת־חֵן, ’eshet-khen), a woman who is not only graceful but generous, and “powerful men,” a term usually having a bad sense, such as tyrants or ruthless men.
2. 46 Heb “those who are terrifying.” The term עָרִיץ (’arits) refers to a person who strikes terror into the hearts of his victims. The term refers to a ruthless person who uses violence to overcome his victims ( 792 ). Cf. , , “violent men”; “the aggressive.”
3. 47 The adds: “She who hates virtue makes a throne for dishonor; the idle will be destitute of means.” This reading is followed by several English versions (e.g., , , , ). C. H. Toy concludes that provides remnants of the original, but that the does not provide the full meaning (Proverbs [], ). The implication is that the ruthless men will obtain wealth without honor, and therefore this is not viewed as success by the writer.