3:1 My child, 8 do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep 9 my commandments,
3:2 for they will provide 10 a long and full life, 11
and they will add well-being 12 to you.
3:16 Long life 13 is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
3:1 My child, 15 do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep 16 my commandments,
3:10 then your barns will be filled completely, 17
and your vats 18 will overflow 19 with new wine.
3:11 My child, do not despise discipline from the Lord, 20
and do not loathe 21 his rebuke.
1 tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV).
2 tn The imperative here means, literally, “regard as heavy” (כַּבֵּד, kabbed). The meaning is that great importance must be ascribed to parents by their children.
3 tn Heb “the
4 tn Heb “the
5 tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”
6 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “be sure.”
7 sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the
8 tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).
9 tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”
10 tn The phrase “they will provide” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
11 tn Heb “length of days and years of life” (so NASB, NRSV). The idiom “length of days” refers to a prolonged life and “years of life” signifies a long time full of life, a life worth living (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 51). The term “life” refers to earthly felicity combined with spiritual blessedness (BDB 313 s.v. חַיִּים).
12 tn The noun שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) here means “welfare, health, prosperity” (BDB 1022 s.v. 3). It can be used of physical health and personal well-being. It is the experience of positive blessing and freedom from negative harm and catastrophe.
13 tn Heb “length of days” (so KJV, ASV).
14 sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the
15 tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).
16 tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”
17 tn Heb “with plenty” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “to overflowing.” The noun שָׂבָע (sava’, “plenty; satiety”) functions as an adverbial accusative of manner or contents: “completely.”
18 sn This pictures the process of pressing grapes in which the upper receptacle is filled with grapes and the lower one catches the juice. The harvest of grapes will be so plentiful that the lower vat will overflow with grape juice. The pictures in v. 10 are metonymies of effect for cause (= the great harvest that God will provide when they honor him).
19 tn Heb “burst open.” The verb פָּרַץ (parats, “to burst open”) functions as hyperbole here to emphasize the fullness of the wine vats (BDB 829 s.v. 9).
20 tn Heb “the discipline of the
21 tn The verb קוּץ (quts) has a two-fold range of meaning: (1) “to feel a loathing; to abhor” and (2) “to feel a sickening dread” (BDB 880 s.v.). The parallelism with “do not despise” suggests the former nuance here. The common response to suffering is to loathe it; however, the righteous understand that it refines one’s moral character and that it is a means to the blessing.