Text -- Proverbs 12:10 (NET)

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 12:10

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).