Proverbs 1:11

1:11 If they say, “Come with us!

We will ¹  lie in wait ²  to shed blood; ³ 

we will ambush ⁴  an innocent person ⁵  capriciously. ⁶ 

Proverbs 1:1

Introduction to the Book

1:1 The Proverbs ⁷  of ⁸  Solomon ⁹  son of David, ¹⁰  king of Israel: ¹¹ 

Proverbs 9:11

9:11 For because ¹²  of me your days will be many,

and years will be added ¹³  to your life.

Proverbs 22:18-19

22:18 For it is pleasing if ¹⁴  you keep these sayings ¹⁵  within you,

and ¹⁶  they are ready on your lips. ¹⁷ 

22:19 So that ¹⁸  your confidence may be in the Lord,

I am making them known to you today ¹⁹  – even you.

Proverbs 23:20-23

23:20 Do not spend time ²⁰  among drunkards, ²¹ 

among those who eat too much ²²  meat,

23:21 because drunkards and gluttons become impoverished,

and drowsiness ²³  clothes them with rags. ²⁴ 

23:22 Listen to your father who begot you,

and do not despise your mother when she is old.

23:23 Acquire ²⁵  truth and do not sell it –

wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.

Psalms 10:8-10

10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; ²⁶ 

in hidden places he kills the innocent.

His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. ²⁷ 

10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; ²⁸ 

he lies in ambush, waiting to catch ²⁹  the oppressed;

he catches the oppressed ³⁰  by pulling in his net. ³¹ 

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ³² 

Psalms 37:32

37:32 Evil men set an ambush for the godly

and try to kill them. ³³ 

Psalms 56:6

56:6 They stalk ³⁴  and lurk; ³⁵ 

they watch my every step, ³⁶ 

as ³⁷  they prepare to take my life. ³⁸ 

Psalms 59:3

59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me; ³⁹ 

powerful men stalk ⁴⁰  me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord. ⁴¹ 

Psalms 140:5

140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;

evil men ⁴²  spread a net by the path;

they set traps for me. (Selah)

Jeremiah 11:19

11:19 Before this I had been like a docile lamb ready to be led to the slaughter.

I did not know they were making plans to kill me. ⁴³ 

I did not know they were saying, ⁴⁴ 

“Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit! ⁴⁵ 

Let’s remove Jeremiah ⁴⁶  from the world of the living

so people will not even be reminded of him any more.” ⁴⁷ 

Matthew 26:4

26:4 They ⁴⁸  planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

Acts 9:24

9:24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. ⁴⁹  They were also watching ⁵⁰  the city gates ⁵¹  day and night so that they could kill him.

Acts 23:16

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ⁵²  he came and entered ⁵³  the barracks ⁵⁴  and told Paul.

Acts 25:3

25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ⁵⁵  they urged Festus ⁵⁶  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ⁵⁷  to kill him along the way.

[1:11]  ¹ tn This cohortative נֶאֶרְבָה (ne’ervah) could denote resolve (“We will lie in wait!”) or exhortation (“Let us lie in wait!”). These sinners are either expressing their determination to carry out a violent plan or they are trying to entice the lad to participate with them.

[1:11]  ² tn The verb אָרַב (’arav, “to lie in wait”) it is used for planning murder (Deut 19:11), kidnapping (Judg 21:20), or seduction (Prov 23:28).

[1:11]  ³ tn Heb “for blood.” The term דָּם (dam, “blood”) functions as a metonymy of effect for “blood shed violently” through murder (HALOT 224 s.v. 4).

[1:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “lie in hiding.”

[1:11]  ⁵ tn The term “innocent” (נָקִי, naqi) intimates that the person to be attacked is harmless.

[1:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “without cause” (so KJV, NASB); NCV “just for fun.” The term חִנָּם (khinnam, “without cause”) emphasizes that the planned attack is completely unwarranted.

[1:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew noun translated “proverb” is derived from the root מָשַׁל (mashal) which means “likeness.” The related Niphal verb means “to be like, be comparable with,” e.g., “he is like [נִמְשַׁל, nimshal] the beasts that perish” (Ps 49:12). The noun can mean an object lesson based on or using a comparison or analogy. It may be a short pithy statement (Ezek 16:44), object lesson drawn from experience (Ps 78:2-6), saying or by-word (Deut 28:37) or an oracle of future blessing (Ezek 21:1-5). Here it means an object lesson setting out courses of action. It helps one choose the course of action to follow or avoid.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn The name שְׁלֹמֹה (shÿlomoh, “of Solomon”) is a genitive of authorship or source. While Solomon wrote a majority of the proverbial sayings in the book, some proverbial sayings were written by others (e.g., 22:17-24:34; 30:1-33; 31:1-9) and perhaps collected by Solomon. The name also forms a phonetic wordplay on the similarly sounding word מִשְׁלֵי (mishley, “proverbs”), as if to say the name is almost synonymous with proverbs.

[1:1]  ⁹ sn The phrase “The Proverbs of Solomon” is a title for the entire book. The title does not imply that Solomon authored all the proverbs in this collection; some sections are collections from different authors: the sayings of the wise (22:17-24:22), more sayings of the wise (24:23-34), the words of Agur (Prov 30:1-33) and Lemuel (Prov 31:1-9). The title does not imply that the book was in its final canonical form in the days of Solomon; the men of Hezekiah added a collection of Solomonic proverbs to the existing form of the book (25:1-29:27). The original collection of Solomonic proverbs appears to be the collection of short pithy sayings in 10:1-22:16, and the title might have originally introduced only these. There is question whether chapters 1-9 were part of the original form of the book in the days of Solomon because they do not fit under the title; they are not “proverbs” per se (sentence sayings) but introductory admonitions (longer wisdom speeches). Chapters 1-9 could have been written by Solomon and perhaps added later by someone else. Or they could have been written by someone else and added later in the days of Hezekiah.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn The designation “son of David” is in apposition to the name Solomon, as are the following nouns, further explaining the name.

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn The phrase “the king of Israel” is in apposition to the name Solomon.

[9:11]  ¹² tn The preposition בּ (bet) here may have the causal sense (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 45, §247), although it could also be means (Williams, 44, §243).

[9:11]  ¹³ tn The verb וְיוֹסִיפוּ (vÿyosifu) is the Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural; but because there is no expressed subject the verb may be taken as a passive.

[22:18]  ¹⁴ tn Or “when” (so NIV).

[22:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “keep them,” referring to the words of the wise expressed in these sayings. The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:18]  ¹⁶ tn The term “and” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation.

[22:18]  ¹⁷ sn If the teachings are preserved in the heart/mind of the disciple, then that individual will always be ready to speak what was retained.

[22:19]  ¹⁸ tn The form לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “to be”) is the infinitive construct indicating the purpose (or result) of the teaching (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[22:19]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I cause you to know.” The term “today” indicates that the verb should have the instantaneous nuance, and so an English present tense is used in the translation (“am making…known”).

[23:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “do not be among,” but in the sense of “associate with” (TEV); “join” (NIV); “consort…with” (NAB).

[23:20]  ²¹ tn The verb סָבָא (sava’) means “to imbibe; to drink largely.” The participial construction here, סֹבְאֵי־יַיִן (sov’e-yayin), describes “drunkards” (cf. NLT) which is somewhat stronger than saying it refers to “people who drink too much” (cf. NIV, TEV).

[23:20]  ²² tn The verb זָלַל (zalal) means “to be light; to be worthless; to make light of.” Making light of something came to mean “to be lavish with; to squander,” especially with regard to food. So it describes “gluttons” primarily; but in the expression there is also room for the person who wastes a lot of food as well.

[23:21]  ²³ tn Here “drowsiness” is a metonymy of effect or adjunct, put for the drunkenness and gluttony that causes it. So all of it, the drunkenness and the drowsiness that comes from it, brings on the ruin (cf. CEV “you will end up poor”). Likewise, “rags” is a metonymy of adjunct, associated with the poverty brought on by a dissolute lifestyle.

[23:21]  ²⁴ sn This is the fourteenth saying, warning about poor associations. Drunkenness and gluttony represent the epitome of the lack of discipline. In the Mishnah they are used to measure a stubborn and rebellious son (m. Sanhedrin 8). W. G. Plaut notes that excessive drinking and eating are usually symptoms of deeper problems; we usually focus more on the drinking because it is dangerous to others (Proverbs, 241-42).

[23:23]  ²⁵ tn Heb “buy” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “Invest in truth.”

[10:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”

[10:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.

[10:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “in its den.”

[10:9]  ²⁹ tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.

[10:9]  ³⁰ tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.

[10:9]  ³¹ tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”

[10:10]  ³² tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[37:32]  ³³ tn Heb “an evil [one] watches the godly [one] and seeks to kill him.” The singular forms are used in a representative sense; the typical evildoer and godly individual are in view. The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

[56:6]  ³⁴ tn The verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 59:3.

[56:6]  ³⁵ tn Or “hide.”

[56:6]  ³⁶ tn Heb “my heels.”

[56:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “according to,” in the sense of “inasmuch as; since,” or “when; while.”

[56:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “they wait [for] my life.”

[59:3]  ³⁹ tn Heb “my life.”

[59:3]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.

[59:3]  ⁴¹ sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.

[140:5]  ⁴² tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).

[11:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “against me.” The words “to kill me” are implicit from the context and are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[11:19]  ⁴⁴ tn The words “I did not know that they were saying” are not in the text. The quote is without formal introduction in the original. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[11:19]  ⁴⁵ tn This word and its pronoun (לַחְמוֹ, lakhmo, “its bread”) is often emended to read “in/with its sap” = “in its prime” (either לֵחוֹ [lekho] or לֵחְמוֹ [lekhÿmo]); the latter would be more likely and the מוֹ (mo) could be explained as a rare use of the old poetic third plural suffix for the third singular; cf. GKC 258 §91.l for general use and Ps 11:7 and Job 27:23 for third singular use. Though this fits the context nicely the emendation is probably unnecessary since the word “bread” is sometimes used of other foodstuff than grain or its products (cf. BDB 537 s.v. לֶחֶם 2.a).

[11:19]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “cut it [or him] off.” The metaphor of the tree may be continued, though the verb “cut off” is used also of killing people. The rendering clarifies the meaning of the metaphor.

[11:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “so that his name will not be remembered any more.”

[26:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[9:24]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “against him” are implied, as suggested by L&N 30.71.

[9:24]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “guarding.” This is a negative term in Luke-Acts (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20).

[9:24]  ⁵¹ tn The word πύλη (pulh) may refer to a house door or gate, or to the large gates used in a palace, temple, or city wall. Here the context clearly indicates a reference to the latter, so the translation “city gates” is used.

[23:16]  ⁵² tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ⁵³ tn Grk “coming and entering…, he told.” The participles παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") and εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:16]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[25:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.

[25:3]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.

[25:3]  ⁵⁷ sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.