5:23 He will die because 1 there was no discipline;
because of the greatness of his folly 2 he will reel. 3
14:22 Do not those who devise 4 evil go astray?
But those who plan good exhibit 5 faithful covenant love. 6
22:24 Do not make friends with an angry person, 7
and do not associate with a wrathful person,
27:12 A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself,
but the naive keep right on going 8 and suffer for it.
1 tn The preposition בּ (bet) is used in a causal sense: “because” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV).
2 sn The word אִוַּלְתּוֹ (’ivvalto, “his folly”) is from the root אול and is related to the noun אֶוִיל (’evil, “foolish; fool”). The noun אִוֶּלֶת (’ivvelet, “folly”) describes foolish and destructive activity. It lacks understanding, destroys what wisdom builds, and leads to destruction if it is not corrected.
3 sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah, “to swerve; to reel”) is repeated in a negative sense. If the young man is not captivated by his wife but is captivated with a stranger in sinful acts, then his own iniquities will captivate him and he will be led to ruin.
4 sn The verb חָרַשׁ (kharash) means (1) literally: “to cut in; to engrave; to plow,” describing the work of a craftsman; and (2) figuratively: “to devise,” describing the mental activity of planning evil (what will harm people) in the first colon, and planning good (what will benefit them) in the second colon.
5 tn The term “exhibit” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
6 tn Heb “loyal-love and truth.” The two terms חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת (khesed ve’emet) often form a hendiadys: “faithful love” or better “faithful covenant love.”
7 tn Heb “possessor of anger.” This expression is an idiom for “wrathful person” or “an angry person” (cf. NAB “a hotheaded man”; NLT “short-tempered people”). These are people characterized by anger, meaning the anger is not a rare occurrence with them.
10 tn Heb “go on”; the word “right” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning: The naive person, oblivious to impending danger, meets it head on.