Text -- Proverbs 12:1-10 (NET)

12:1 The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates reproof is stupid. 12:2 A good person obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a person with wicked schemes. 12:3 No one can be established through wickedness, but a righteous root cannot be moved. 12:4 A noble wife is the crown of her husband, but the wife who acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones. 12:5 The plans of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. 12:6 The words of the wicked lie in wait to shed innocent blood, but the words of the upright will deliver them. 12:7 The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the righteous household will stand. 12:8 A person is praised in accordance with his wisdom, but the one who has a twisted mind is despised. 12:9 Better is a person of humble standing who nevertheless has a servant, than one who pretends to be somebody important yet has no food. 12:10 A righteous person cares for the life of his animal, but even the most compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Pro 12:1

¹ sn Those who wish to improve themselves must learn to accept correction; the fool hates/rejects any correction.

² sn The word בָּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish; stupid”) normally describes dumb animals that lack intellectual sense. Here, it describes the moral fool who is not willing to learn from correction. He is like a dumb animal (so the term here functions as a hypocatastasis: implied comparison).

NET Notes: Pro 12:2

¹ tn Heb “but he condemns”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “a man of wicked plans.” The noun מְזִמּוֹת (mÿzimmot, “evil plans”) functions as an attributive genitive: “an evil-scheming man.” Cf. NASB “a man who devises evil”; NAB “the schemer.”

NET Notes: Pro 12:3

¹ tn Heb “a man cannot be.”

² tn The Niphal imperfect of כּוּן (cun, “to be established”) refers to finding permanent “security” (so NRSV, TEV, CEV) before God. Only righteousness can do that.

³ tn Heb “a root of righteousness.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsadiqim, “righteousness”) functions as an attributive adjective. The figure “root” (שֹׁרֶשׁ, shoresh) stresses the security of the righteous; they are firmly planted and cannot be uprooted (cf. NLT “the godly have deep roots”). The righteous are often compared to a tree (e.g., 11:30; Ps 1:3; 92:13).

NET Notes: Pro 12:4

¹ tn Heb “a wife of virtue”; NAB, NLT “a worthy wife.” This noble woman (אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל, ’shet-khayil) is the subject of Prov 31. She is a “virtuous woman” (cf. KJV), a capable woman of noble character. She is contrasted with the woman who is disgraceful (מְבִישָׁה, mÿvishah; “one who causes shame”) or who lowers his standing in the community.

² sn The metaphor of the “crown” emphasizes that such a wife is a symbol of honor and glory.

³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (the wife) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ sn The simile means that the shameful acts of such a woman will eat away her husband’s strength and influence and destroy his happiness.

NET Notes: Pro 12:5

¹ tn Heb “thoughts.” This term refers not just to random thoughts, however, but to what is planned or devised.

² sn The plans of good people are directed toward what is right. Advice from the wicked, however, is deceitful and can only lead to trouble.

NET Notes: Pro 12:6

¹ tn The infinitive construct אֱרָב (’erav, “to lie in wait”) expresses the purpose of their conversations. The idea of “lying in wait for blood” is an implied comparison (hypocatastasis): Their words are like an ambush intended to destroy (cf. NAB, NRSV “are a deadly ambush”). The words of the wicked are here personified.

² tn Heb “for blood.” The term “blood” is a metonymy of effect, the cause being the person that they will attack and whose blood they will shed. After the construct “blood” is also an objective genitive.

³ tn Heb “mouth.” The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) is a metonymy of cause, signifying what the righteous say. The righteous can make a skillful defense against false accusations that are intended to destroy. The righteous, who have gained wisdom, can escape the traps set by the words of the wicked.

NET Notes: Pro 12:7

¹ sn This proverb is about the stability of the righteous in times of trouble. The term “overthrown” might allude to Gen 19:21.

² tn Heb “and they are not.”

³ tn Heb “the house of the righteous.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsadiqim) functions as an attributive adjective: “righteous house.” The noun בֵּית (bet, “house”) functions as a synecdoche of container (= house) for the contents (= family, household; perhaps household possessions). Cf. NCV “a good person’s family”; NLT “the children of the godly.”

NET Notes: Pro 12:8

¹ tn Heb “a man.”

² tn Heb “to the mouth of.” This idiom means “according to” (BDB 805 s.v. פֶּה 6.b.(b); cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). The point is that praise is proportionate to wisdom.

³ tn Heb “crooked of heart”; cf. NAB, NLT “a warped mind” (NIV similar). The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) is an attributive genitive. It functions as a metonymy of association for “mind; thoughts” (BDB 524 s.v. 3) and “will; volition” (BDB 524 s.v. 4). He does not perceive things as they are, so he makes all the wrong choices. His thinking is all wrong.

NET Notes: Pro 12:9

¹ tn Heb “one who is lightly regarded.” The verb קָלָה (qalah) means “to be lightly esteemed; to be dishonored; to be degraded” (BDB 885 s.v.).

² tn The meaning of the phrase וְעֶבֶד לוֹ (vÿ’eved lo) is ambiguous; the preposition is either possessive (“has a servant”) or a reflexive indirect object (“is a servant for himself”; cf. NAB, TEV). Several versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read “and yet has a servant.”

³ tn Heb “who feigns importance.” The term מְתַכַּבֵּד (mÿtakkabed, from כָּבֵד, caved, “to be weighty; to be honored; to be important”) is an example of the so-called “Hollywood” Hitpael which describes a person putting on an act (BDB 458 s.v. כָּבֵד Hitp.2).

sn This individual lives beyond his financial means in a vain show to impress other people and thus cannot afford to put food on the table.

NET Notes: Pro 12:10

¹ tn Heb “knows”; NLT “concerned for the welfare of.” The righteous take care of animals, not just people.

² tn Heb “but the mercies.” The additional words appear in the translation for the sake of clarification. The line can be interpreted in two ways: (1) when the wicked exhibit a kind act, they do it in a cruel way, or (2) even the kindest of their acts is cruel by all assessments, e.g., stuffing animals with food to fatten them for market – their “kindness” is driven by ulterior motives (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 129).