20:6 Many people profess their loyalty, 1
but a faithful person 2 – who can find? 3
8:1 Sound the alarm! 4
An eagle 5 looms over the temple of the Lord!
For they have broken their covenant with me, 6
and have rebelled against my law.
1 tn Heb “many a man calls/proclaims a man of his loyal love.” The Syriac and Tg. Prov 20:6 render the verb as passive: “many are called kind.” Other suggestions include: “most men meet people who will do them occasional kindnesses” (RSV); “many men profess friendship” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 384); “many men invite only the one who has shown them kindness.” The simplest interpretation in this context is “many proclaim [themselves to be] a kind person (= a loyal friend).” The contrast is between many who claim to be loyal friends and the one who actually proves to be faithful.
2 tn The shift to the expression “a man of faithfulness[es]” in the second line indicates that of all those who claim to show faithful love, it is rare to find one who is truly reliable (as the word אֱמוּנִים [’emunim] indicates clearly); cf. NAB, NRSV “one worthy of trust.”
3 sn The point of the rhetorical question is that a truly faithful friend is very difficult to find.
4 tn Heb “A horn unto your gums!”; NAB “A trumpet to your lips!”
5 tn Or perhaps “A vulture.” Some identify the species indicated by the Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) as the griffon vulture (cf. NEB, NRSV).
6 tn Heb “my covenant” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “the covenant I made with them.”