Proverbs 10:29

10:29 The way of the Lord ¹  is like ²  a stronghold for the upright, ³ 

but it is destruction ⁴  to evildoers. ⁵ 

Proverbs 16:4

16:4 The Lord works ⁶  everything for its own ends ⁷  –

even the wicked for the day of disaster. ⁸ 

Proverbs 21:15

21:15 Doing ⁹  justice brings ¹⁰  joy to the righteous

and terror ¹¹  to those who do evil.

[10:29]  ¹ sn The “way of the Lord” is an idiom for God’s providential administration of life; it is what the Lord does (“way” being a hypocatastasis).

[10:29]  ² tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[10:29]  ³ tn Heb “for the one with integrity” (לַתֹּם, latom).

[10:29]  ⁴ tn Or “ruin” (so NIV).

[10:29]  ⁵ tn Heb “those who practice iniquity.”

[16:4]  ⁶ sn The Hebrew verb translated “works” (פָּעַל, pa’al) means “to work out; to bring about; to accomplish.” It is used of God’s sovereign control of life (e.g., Num 23:23; Isa 26:12).

[16:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “for its answer.” The term לַמַּעֲנֵהוּ (lamma’anehu) has been taken to mean either “for his purpose” or “for its answer.” The Hebrew word is מַעֲנֶה (ma’aneh, “answer”) and not לְמַעַן (lÿma’an, “purpose”). So the suffix likely refers to “everything” (כֹּל, kol). God ensures that everyone’s actions and the consequences of those actions correspond – certainly the wicked for the day of calamity. In God’s order there is just retribution for every act.

[16:4]  ⁸ sn This is an example of synthetic parallelism (“A, what’s more B”). The A-line affirms a truth, and the B-line expands on it with a specific application about the wicked – whatever disaster comes their way is an appropriate correspondent for their life.

[21:15]  ¹¹ tn The Qal infinitive construct עֲשׂוֹת (’asot) functions as the subject of the sentence.

[21:15]  ¹² tn The term “brings” is supplied in the translation; many English versions supply a simple copula (“is”).

[21:15]  ¹³ sn The noun means “terror (NAB, NASB, NIV), destruction (KJV, ASV), ruin (cf. NCV).” Its related verb means “be shattered, dismayed.” The idea of “dismay” (NRSV) or “terror” would make the better choice to contrast with “joy” in the first line, but “ruin” is also possible. Whenever justice prevails, whether in the courts or simply in society, the people who practice iniquity may be shaken into reality by fear (cf. CEV “crooks are terrified”).