Proverbs 20:6

20:6 Many people profess their loyalty, ¹ 

but a faithful person ²  – who can find? ³ 

Hosea 8:1

God Will Raise Up the Assyrians to Attack Israel

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.

[20:6]  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.

[20:6]  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.”

[20:6]  ³ sn The point of the rhetorical question is that a truly faithful friend is very difficult to find.

[8:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “A horn unto your gums!”; NAB “A trumpet to your lips!”

[8:1]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps “A vulture.” Some identify the species indicated by the Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) as the griffon vulture (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[8:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “my covenant” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “the covenant I made with them.”