Proverbs 1:24-32

1:24 However, ¹  because ²  I called but you refused to listen, ³ 

because ⁴  I stretched out my hand ⁵  but no one paid attention,

1:25 because ⁶  you neglected ⁷  all my advice,

and did not comply ⁸  with my rebuke,

1:26 so ⁹  I myself will laugh ¹⁰  when disaster strikes you, ¹¹ 

I will mock when what you dread ¹²  comes,

1:27 when what you dread ¹³  comes like a whirlwind, ¹⁴ 

and disaster strikes you ¹⁵  like a devastating storm, ¹⁶ 

when distressing trouble ¹⁷  comes on you.

1:28 Then they will call to me, but I will not answer;

they will diligently seek ¹⁸  me, but they will not find me.

1:29 Because ¹⁹  they hated moral knowledge, ²⁰ 

and did not choose to fear the Lord, ²¹ 

1:30 they did not comply with my advice,

they spurned ²²  all my rebuke.

1:31 Therefore ²³  they will eat from the fruit ²⁴  of their way, ²⁵ 

and they will be stuffed full ²⁶  of their own counsel.

1:32 For the waywardness ²⁷  of the

simpletons will kill ²⁸  them,

and the careless ease ²⁹  of fools will destroy them.

Proverbs 5:12

5:12 And you will say, “How I hated discipline!

My heart spurned reproof!

Isaiah 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ³⁰  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ³¹ 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ³²  of the Holy One of Israel. ³³ 

Isaiah 28:14-22

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,

you who mock,

you rulers of these people

who reside in Jerusalem! ³⁴ 

28:15 For you say,

“We have made a treaty with death,

with Sheol ³⁵  we have made an agreement. ³⁶ 

When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by ³⁷ 

it will not reach us.

For we have made a lie our refuge,

we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” ³⁸ 

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:

“Look, I am laying ³⁹  a stone in Zion,

an approved ⁴⁰  stone,

set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. ⁴¹ 

The one who maintains his faith will not panic. ⁴² 

28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,

fairness the plumb line;

hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, ⁴³ 

the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.

28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; ⁴⁴ 

your agreement ⁴⁵  with Sheol will not last. ⁴⁶ 

When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, ⁴⁷ 

you will be overrun by it. ⁴⁸ 

28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;

indeed, ⁴⁹  every morning it will sweep by,

it will come through during the day and the night.” ⁵⁰ 

When this announcement is understood,

it will cause nothing but terror.

28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,

and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. ⁵¹ 

28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, ⁵² 

he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, ⁵³ 

to accomplish his work,

his peculiar work,

to perform his task,

his strange task. ⁵⁴ 

28:22 So now, do not mock,

or your chains will become heavier!

For I have heard a message about decreed destruction,

from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. ⁵⁵ 

Luke 16:14

More Warnings about the Pharisees

16:14 The Pharisees ⁵⁶  (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed ⁵⁷  him.

Luke 23:35

23:35 The people also stood there watching, but the rulers ridiculed ⁵⁸  him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save ⁵⁹  himself if ⁶⁰  he is the Christ ⁶¹  of God, his chosen one!”

Hebrews 10:28-30

10:28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death ⁶²  without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ⁶³  10:29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for ⁶⁴  the Son of God, and profanes ⁶⁵  the blood of the covenant that made him holy, ⁶⁶  and insults the Spirit of grace? 10:30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” ⁶⁷  and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ⁶⁸ 

[1:24]  ¹ tn The term “however” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the contrast between the offer in 1:23 and the accusation in 1:24-25. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:24]  ² tn The particle יַעַן (ya’an, “because”) introduces a causal clause which forms part of an extended protasis; the apodosis is 1:26.

[1:24]  ³ tn The phrase “to listen” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:24]  ⁴ tn The term “because” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[1:24]  ⁵ sn This expression is a metonymy of adjunct; it is a gesture that goes with the appeal for some to approach.

[1:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “and.”

[1:25]  ⁷ tn The verb III פָּרַע means “to let go; to let alone” (BDB 828 s.v.). It can refer to unkempt hair of the head (Lev 10:6) or lack of moral restraint: “to let things run free” (Exod 32:25; Prov 28:19). Here it means “to avoid, neglect” the offer of wisdom (BDB 829 s.v. 2).

[1:25]  ⁸ tn The verbs are characteristic perfects or indefinite pasts. For the word “comply, consent,” see 1:20.

[1:26]  ⁹ tn The conclusion or apodosis is now introduced.

[1:26]  ¹⁰ sn Laughing at the consequences of the fool’s rejection of wisdom does convey hardness against the fool; it reveals the folly of rejecting wisdom (e.g., Ps 2:4). It vindicates wisdom and the appropriateness of the disaster (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 60).

[1:26]  ¹¹ tn Heb “at your disaster.” The 2nd person masculine singular suffix is either (1) a genitive of worth: “the disaster due you” or (2) an objective genitive: “disaster strikes you.” The term “disaster” (אֵיד, ’ed) often refers to final life-ending calamity (Prov 6:15; 24:22; BDB 15 s.v. 3). The preposition ב (bet) focuses upon time here.

[1:26]  ¹² tn Heb “your dread” (so NASB); KJV “your fear”; NRSV “panic.” The 2nd person masculine singular suffix is a subjective genitive: “that which you dread.”

[1:27]  ¹³ tn Heb “your dread.” See note on 1:31.

[1:27]  ¹⁴ sn The term “whirlwind” (NAB, NIV, NRSV; cf. TEV, NLT “storm”) refers to a devastating storm and is related to the verb שׁוֹא (sho’, “to crash into ruins”; see BDB 996 s.v. שׁוֹאָה). Disaster will come swiftly and crush them like a devastating whirlwind.

[1:27]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “your disaster.” The 2nd person masculine singular suffix is an objective genitive: “disaster strikes you.”

[1:27]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “like a storm.” The noun סוּפָה (sufah, “storm”) is often used in similes to describe sudden devastation (Isa 5:28; Hos 8:7; Amos 1:14).

[1:27]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “distress and trouble.” The nouns “distress and trouble” mean almost the same thing so they may form a hendiadys. The two similar sounding terms צוּקָה (tsuqah) and צָרָה (tsarah) also form a wordplay (paronomasia) which also links them together.

[1:28]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “look to.” The verb שָׁחַר (shakhar, “to look”) is used figuratively of intensely looking (=seeking) for deliverance out of trouble (W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 366); cf. NLT “anxiously search for.” It is used elsewhere in parallelism with בָּקַשׁ (baqash, “to seek rescue”; Hos 5:15). It does not mean “to seek early” (cf. KJV) as is popularly taught due to etymological connections with the noun שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”; so BDB 1007 s.v. שָׁחַר).

[1:29]  ¹⁹ tn The causal particle תַּחַת כִּי (takhat ki, “for the reason that”) introduces a second accusation of sin and reason for punishment.

[1:29]  ²⁰ tn Heb “knowledge.” The noun דָעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) refers to moral knowledge. See note on 1:7.

[1:29]  ²¹ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The noun is an objective genitive; the Lord is to be the object of fear. See note on 1:7.

[1:30]  ²² tn The verb “spurned” (נָאַץ, na’ats) is parallel to “comply, accede to, be willing” (e.g., 1:10). This is how the morally stubborn fool acts (e.g., 15:5).

[1:31]  ²³ tn The vav (ו) prefixed to the verb וְיֹאכְלוּ (vÿyo’khÿlu) functions in a consecutive logical sense: “therefore.”

[1:31]  ²⁴ sn The expression “eat the fruit of” is a figurative expression (hypocatastasis) that compares the consequences of sin to agricultural growth that culminates in produce. They will suffer the consequences of their sinful actions, that is, they will “reap” what they “sow.”

[1:31]  ²⁵ sn The words “way” (דֶּרֶךְ, derekh) and “counsel” (מוֹעֵצָה, mo’etsah) stand in strong contrast to the instruction of wisdom which gave counsel and rebuke to encourage a better way. They will bear the consequences of the course they follow and the advice they take (for that wrong advice, e.g., Ps 1:1).

[1:31]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to eat to one’s fill.” The verb שָׂבֵעַ (savea’) means (1) positive: “to eat one’s fill” so that one’s appetite is satisfied and (2) negative: “to eat in excess” as a glutton to the point of sickness and revulsion (BDB 959 s.v.). Fools will not only “eat” the fruit of their own way (v. 31a), they will be force-fed this revolting “menu” which will make them want to vomit (v. 31b) and eventually kill them (v. 32).

[1:32]  ²⁷ tn Heb “turning away” (so KJV). The term מְשׁוּבַת (mÿshuvat, “turning away”) refers to moral defection and apostasy (BDB 1000 s.v.; cf. ASV “backsliding”). The noun מְשׁוּבַת (“turning away”) which appears at the end of Wisdom’s speech in 1:32 is from the same root as the verb תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “turn!”) which appears at the beginning of this speech in 1:23. This repetition of the root שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn”) creates a wordplay: Because fools refuse to “turn to” wisdom (1:23), they will be destroyed by their “turning away” from wisdom (1:32). The wordplay highlights the poetic justice of their judgment. But here they have never embraced the teaching in the first place; so it means turning from the advice as opposed to turning to it.

[1:32]  ²⁸ sn The Hebrew verb “to kill” (הָרַג, harag) is the end of the naive who refuse to change. The word is broad enough to include murder, massacre, killing in battle, and execution. Here it is judicial execution by God, using their own foolish choices as the means to ruin.

[1:32]  ²⁹ tn Heb “complacency” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “smugness.” The noun שַׁלְוַה (shalvah) means (1) positively: “quietness; peace; ease” and (2) negatively: “self-sufficiency; complacency; careless security” (BDB 1017 s.v.), which is the sense here. It is “repose gained by ignoring or neglecting the serious responsibilities of life” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 29).

[5:24]  ³⁰ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

[5:24]  ³¹ sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

[5:24]  ³² tn Heb “the word.”

[5:24]  ³³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[28:14]  ³⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:15]  ³⁵ sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.

[28:15]  ³⁶ tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.

[28:15]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).

[28:15]  ³⁸ sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.

[28:16]  ³⁹ tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.

[28:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.

[28:16]  ⁴¹ sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).

[28:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.

[28:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.

[28:18]  ⁴⁴ tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.

[28:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.

[28:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).

[28:18]  ⁴⁷ tn See the note at v. 15.

[28:18]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”

[28:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[28:19]  ⁵⁰ tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.

[28:20]  ⁵¹ sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.

[28:21]  ⁵² sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.

[28:21]  ⁵³ sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.

[28:21]  ⁵⁴ sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.

[28:22]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “the whole earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NCV).

[16:14]  ⁵⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[16:14]  ⁵⁷ tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).

[23:35]  ⁵⁸ tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).

[23:35]  ⁵⁹ sn The irony in the statement Let him save himself is that salvation did come, but later, not while on the cross.

[23:35]  ⁶⁰ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[23:35]  ⁶¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[10:28]  ⁶² tn Grk “dies.”

[10:28]  ⁶³ sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.

[10:29]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “tramples under foot.”

[10:29]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “regarded as common.”

[10:29]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “by which he was made holy.”

[10:30]  ⁶⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.

[10:30]  ⁶⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 32:36.