Proverbs 13:11

Footnotes

1. 35 The reads מֵהֵבֶל (mehevel, “from vanity”). The Greek and Latin versions (followed by ) reflect מְבֹהָל (mévohal, “in haste”) which exhibits metathesis. is the more difficult reading and therefore preferred. The alternate reading fits the parallelism better, but is therefore a less difficult reading. Heb “wealth from vanity” (cf. , ). The term הֶבֶל (hevel) literally means “vapor” and figuratively refers to that which is unsubstantial, fleeting, or amount to nothing ( 210 ). Used in antithesis with the expression “little by little,” it means either “without working for it” or “quickly.” Some English versions assume dishonest gain (cf. , , ).
2. 36 Heb “will become small.” The verb מָעָט (ma’at) means “to become small; to become diminished; to become few.” Money gained without work will diminish quickly, because it was come by too easily. The verb forms a precise contrast with רָבָה (ravah), “to become much; to become many,” but in the Hiphil, “to multiply; to make much many; to cause increase.”
3. 37 Heb “by hand”; cf. , , “by labor.”
4. 38 Heb “will increase.”