Proverbs 18:14–15

Footnotes

1. 47 Heb “the spirit of a man.” Because the verb of this clause is a masculine form, some have translated this line as “with spirit a man sustains,” but that is an unnecessary change.
2. 48 This is a rhetorical question, asserting that very few can cope with depression.
3. 49 The figure of a “crushed spirit” (, , , “a broken spirit,” comparing depression to something smashed or crushed) suggests a broken will, a loss of vitality, despair, and emotional pain. In physical sickness one can fall back on the will to live; but in depression even the will to live is gone.
4. 50 Heb “discerning heart.” The term “heart” is a synecdoche of part (= heart) for the whole (= person); cf. , “intelligent people.” By paralleling “heart” and “ear” the proverb stresses the full acquisition of knowledge. The “ear” listens to instruction, and the heart considers what is heard to acquire knowledge.
5. 51 Heb “the ear of the wise.” The term “ear” is a synecdoche of part (= ear) for the whole (= person): “wise person.” The wise continually seek more knowledge. D. Kidner says, “Those who know most know best how little they know” (Proverbs [], ).
6. 52 This line features a mixed metaphor: The “ear” is pictured “seeking.” The “ear of the wise” actually means the wise person’s capacity to hear, and so the wise are seeking as they hear.