Proverbs 3:14

3:14 For her ¹  benefit ²  is more profitable ³  than silver,

and her ⁴  gain ⁵  is better ⁶  than gold.

Matthew 22:5

22:5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.

John 2:16

2:16 To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make ⁷  my Father’s house a marketplace!” ⁸ 

John 2:2-3

2:2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. ⁹  2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” ¹⁰ 

[3:14]  ¹ tn Heb “her profit.” The 3rd person feminine singular suffix on the noun is probably a genitive of source: “from her.”

[3:14]  ² tn Heb “profit.” The noun סַחַר (sakhar, “trading profit”) often refers to the financial profit of traveling merchants (Isa 23:3, 18; 45:14; HALOT 750 s.v.). The related participle describes a traveling “trader, dealer, wholesaler, merchant” (e.g., Gen 37:28; Prov 31:14; Isa 23:2; Ezek 27:36; HALOT 750 s.v. סחר qal.2). Here the noun is used figuratively to describe the moral benefit of wisdom.

[3:14]  ³ tn The noun סַחַר (“profit”) is repeated in this line for emphasis. The two usages draw upon slightly different nuances, creating a polysemantic wordplay. The moral “benefit” of wisdom is more “profitable” than silver.

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “her yield.” The 3rd person feminine singular suffix on the noun is probably a genitive of source: “from her.”

[3:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “yield.” The noun תְּבוּאָה (tÿvu’ah, “product; yield”) is normally used of crops and harvests (BDB 100 s.v. 1). Here it is figurative for the moral benefit of wisdom (BDB 100 s.v. 2.b).

[3:14]  ⁶ tn The phrase “is better” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[2:16]  ⁷ tn Or (perhaps) “Stop making.”

[2:16]  ⁸ tn Or “a house of merchants” (an allusion to Zech 14:21).

[2:2]  ⁹ sn There is no clue to the identity of the bride and groom, but in all probability either relatives or friends of Jesus’ family were involved, since Jesus’ mother and both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the celebration. The attitude of Mary in approaching Jesus and asking him to do something when the wine ran out also suggests that familial obligations were involved.

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn The word “left” is not in the Greek text but is implied.