Proverbs 29:25-27

29:25 The fear of people ¹  becomes ²  a snare, ³ 

but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. ⁴ 

29:26 Many people seek the face ⁵  of a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that one receives justice. ⁶ 

29:27 An unjust person is an abomination to the righteous,

and the one who lives an upright life is an abomination to the wicked. ⁷ 

¹ tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.

² tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”

³ sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.

⁴ sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the Lord sets people free and gives them a sense of safety and security (e.g, Prov 10:27; 12:2).

⁵ sn The idiom seek the face means to try to obtain favor from someone. According to the proverb, many people assume that true justice depends on the disposition of some earthly ruler.

⁶ tn Heb “but from the Lord [is] justice of a man.” The last part uses the construct state followed by the genitive, which here shows the advantage – it is justice for the person. The implication of the matter is that people should seek the Lord’s favor (rather than a human ruler’s) if they want true justice.

⁷ tn Heb “who is upright in the way” (so NASB; KJV and ASV are similar). Here “in the way” refers to the course of a person’s life, hence “who lives an upright life.” Cf. NAB “he who walks uprightly.”