Proverbs 29:8

Footnotes

1. 25 Heb “men of scorn”; “Arrogant men”; , “Scoffers”; , “Mockers.”
2. 26 The verb means “to blow; to breathe” ( 806 פּוּחַ). In the Hiphil imperfect its meaning here is “to excite; to inflame” a city, as in blowing up a flame or kindling a fire. It is also used with “words” in 6:19 and 12:17—they “puff out words.” Such scornful people make dangerous situations worse, whereas the wise calm things down (e.g., 2 Sam 20).
3. 27 The term “city” is a metonymy of subject; it refers to the people in the city who can easily be set in an uproar by such scornful people.