17:6 Grandchildren 1 are like 2 a crown 3 to the elderly,
and the glory 4 of children is their parents. 5
10:1 Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, 6
those who are always instituting unfair regulations, 7
10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,
and to deprive 8 the oppressed among my people of justice,
so they can steal what widows own,
and loot what belongs to orphans. 9
1 tn Heb “children of children [sons of sons].”
2 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
3 sn The metaphor signifies that grandchildren are like a crown, that is, they are the “crowning glory” of life. The proverb comes from a culture that places great importance on the family in society and that values its heritage.
4 tn The noun תִּפְאָרָת (tif’arat) means “beauty; glory” (BDB 802 s.v.). In this passage “glory” seems to be identified with “glorying; boasting”; so a rendering that children are proud of their parents would be in order. Thus, “glory of children” would be a subjective genitive, the glorying that children do.”
5 tc The LXX has inserted: “To the faithful belongs the whole world of wealth, but to the unfaithful not an obulus.” It was apparently some popular sentiment at the time.
6 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who decree evil decrees.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
7 tn Heb “[to] the writers who write out harm.” The participle and verb are in the Piel, suggesting repetitive action.
8 tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”
9 tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”