1:5 (Let the wise also 1 hear 2 and gain 3 instruction,
and let the discerning 4 acquire 5 guidance! 6 )
9:9 Give instruction 7 to a wise person, 8 and he will become wiser still;
teach 9 a righteous person and he will add to his 10 learning.
2:21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? 11
1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, 18 “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 19 1:48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, 20 “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, 21 I saw you.” 1:49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king 22 of Israel!” 23
1 tn The term “also” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
2 tn The verb יִשְׁמַע (yishma’) functions as a jussive of advice or counsel (“Let him hear!”) rather than a customary imperfect (“he will hear”). The jussive is supported by the parallelism with the following Hiphil jussive וְיוֹסֶף (vÿyosef, “Let him add!”).
3 tn Heb “add.”
4 tn The Niphal substantival participle נָבוֹן (navon, “discerning”), rather than the noun, is used to describe a person who is habitually characterized by discernment. 1:5 forms a striking contrast to 1:4 – there was the simpleton and the youth, here the wise and discerning. Both need this book.
5 tn The Hiphil verb וְיוֹסֶף (vÿyosef) is a jussive rather than an imperfect as the final short vowel (segol) and accent on the first syllable shows (BDB 415 s.v. יָסַף Hiph).
6 tn The noun תַּחְבֻּלָה (takhbulah, “direction; counsel”) refers to moral guidance (BDB 287 s.v.). It is related to חֹבֵל (khovel, “sailor”), חִבֵּל (khibel, “mast”) and חֶבֶל (khevel, “rope; cord”), so BDB suggests it originally meant directing a ship by pulling ropes on the mast. It is used in a concrete sense of God directing the path of clouds (Job 37:12) and in a figurative sense of moral guidance (Prov 11:14; 20:18; 24:6). Here it refers to the ability to steer a right course through life (A. Cohen, Proverbs, 2).
7 tn The noun “instruction” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation.
8 sn The parallelism shows what Proverbs will repeatedly stress, that the wise person is the righteous person.
9 tn The Hiphil verb normally means “to cause to know, make known”; but here the context suggests “to teach” (so many English versions).
10 tn The term “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of smoothness and clarity.
11 tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 707 s.v. סוֹרִי.
12 sn Nathanael is traditionally identified with Bartholomew (although John never describes him as such). He appears here after Philip, while in all lists of the twelve except in Acts 1:13, Bartholomew follows Philip. Also, the Aramaic Bar-tolmai means “son of Tolmai,” the surname; the man almost certainly had another name.
13 tn “Also” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
14 tn Grk “And Nathanael.”
15 tn Grk “said to him.”
16 sn Can anything good come out of Nazareth? may be a local proverb expressing jealousy among the towns.
17 tn Grk “And Philip said to him.”
18 tn Grk “said about him.”
19 tn Or “treachery.”
20 tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
21 sn Many have speculated about what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Meditating on the Messiah who was to come? A good possibility, since the fig tree was used as shade for teaching or studying by the later rabbis (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:11). Also, the fig tree was symbolic for messianic peace and plenty (Mic 4:4, Zech 3:10.)
22 tn Although βασιλεύς (basileus) lacks the article it is definite due to contextual and syntactical considerations. See ExSyn 263.
23 sn Nathanael’s confession – You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel – is best understood as a confession of Jesus’ messiahship. It has strong allusions to Ps 2:6-7, a well-known messianic psalm. What Nathanael’s exact understanding was at this point is hard to determine, but “son of God” was a designation for the Davidic king in the OT, and Nathanael parallels it with King of Israel here.