26:12 Do you see 1 a man wise in his own eyes? 2
There is more hope for a fool 3 than for him.
8:3 Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste – do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, 4
for he can do whatever he pleases.
1 tn The verse simply uses a perfect tense. The meaning of the verse would be the same if this were interpreted as an affirmation rather than as an interrogative. The first line calls such a person to one’s attention.
2 tn Heb “in his own eyes” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
3 sn Previous passages in the book of Proverbs all but deny the possibility of hope for the fool. So this proverb is saying there is absolutely no hope for the self-conceited person, and there might be a slight hope for the fool – he may yet figure out that he really is a fool.
4 tn Or “do not stand up for a bad cause.”