Proverbs 1:33

1:33 But the one who listens ¹  to me will live in security, ² 

and will be at ease ³  from the dread of harm.

Proverbs 5:7

5:7 So now, children, ⁴  listen to me;

do not turn aside from the words I speak. ⁵ 

Proverbs 7:24

7:24 So now, sons, ⁶  listen to me,

and pay attention to the words I speak. ⁷ 

Proverbs 8:32

8:32 “So now, children, ⁸  listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

Proverbs 23:26

23:26 Give me your heart, my son, ⁹ 

and let your eyes observe my ways;

Proverbs 30:2

30:2 Surely ¹⁰  I am more brutish ¹¹  than any other human being, ¹² 

and I do not have human understanding; ¹³ 

[1:33]  ¹ tn The participle is used substantivally here: “whoever listens” will enjoy the benefits of the instruction.

[1:33]  ² tn The noun בֶּטַח (betakh, “security”) functions as an adverbial accusative of manner: “in security.” The phrase refers to living in a permanent settled condition without fear of danger (e.g., Deut 33:12; Ps 16:9). It is the antithesis of the dread of disaster facing the fool and the simple.

[1:33]  ³ tn The verb שַׁאֲנַן (sha’anan) is a Palel perfect of שָׁאַן (sha’an) which means “to be at ease; to rest securely” (BDB 983 s.v. שָׁאַן). Elsewhere it parallels the verb “to be undisturbed” (Jer 30:10), so it means “to rest undisturbed and quiet.” The reduplicated Palel stem stresses the intensity of the idea. The perfect tense functions in the so-called “prophetic perfect” sense, emphasizing the certainty of this blessing for the wise.

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “sons.”

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[7:24]  ⁷ tn The literal translation “sons” works well here in view of the warning. Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “children.”

[7:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “the words of my mouth.”

[8:32]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sons.”

[23:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “my son”; the reference to a “son” is retained in the translation here because in the following lines the advice is to avoid women who are prostitutes.

[30:2]  ¹⁶ tn The particle כִּי (ki) functions in an asseverative sense, “surely; indeed; truly” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §449).

[30:2]  ¹⁷ tn The noun בַּעַר (ba’ar) means “brutishness”; here it functions as a predicate adjective. It is followed by מֵאִישׁ (me’ish) expressing comparative degree: “more than a man” or “more than any man,” with “man” used in a generic sense. He is saying that he has fallen beneath the level of mankind. Cf. NRSV “I am too stupid to be human.”

[30:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “than man.” The verse is using hyperbole; this individual feels as if he has no intelligence at all, that he is more brutish than any other human. Of course this is not true, or he would not be able to speculate on the God of the universe at all.

[30:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the understanding of a man,” with “man” used attributively here.