Proverbs 28:1-2

28:1 The wicked person flees when there is no one pursuing, ¹ 

but the righteous person is as confident ²  as a lion.

28:2 When a country is rebellious ³  it has many princes, ⁴ 

but by someone who is discerning and knowledgeable ⁵  order is maintained. ⁶ 

[28:1]  ¹ sn The line portrays the insecurity of a guilty person – he flees because he has a guilty conscience, or because he is suspicious of others around him, or because he fears judgment.

[28:1]  ² tn The verb בָּטַח (batakh) means “to trust; to be secure; to be confident.” Cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “bold.”

[28:2]  ³ sn The Hebrew word translated “rebellious” has rebellion as its basic meaning, and that is the idea here. The proverb is describing a time when sinfulness brings about social and political unrest.

[28:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “many are its princes” (so NASB).

[28:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “a man who understands [and] knows”; NRSV “an intelligent ruler”; NLT “wise and knowledgeable leaders.”

[28:2]  ⁶ tc The LXX reads (probably from a different underlying Hebrew text): “It is the fault of a violent man that quarrels start, but they are settled by a man of discernment.” For a survey of suggestions, see C. H. Toy, Proverbs (ICC), 495, and W. McKane, Proverbs (OTL), 630.