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 21:15

21:15 Doing ⁶  justice brings ⁷  joy to the righteous

and terror ⁸  to those who do evil.

Proverbs 30:20

30:20 This is the way ⁹  of an adulterous ¹⁰  woman:

she eats and wipes her mouth ¹¹ 

and says, “I have not done wrong.” ¹² 

[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.”

[21:15]  ⁶ tn The Qal infinitive construct עֲשׂוֹת (’asot) functions as the subject of the sentence.

[21:15]  ⁷ tn The term “brings” is supplied in the translation; many English versions supply a simple copula (“is”).

[21:15]  ⁸ 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”).

[30:20]  ¹¹ sn Equally amazing is the insensitivity of the adulterous woman to the sin. The use of the word “way” clearly connects this and the preceding material. Its presence here also supports the interpretation of the final clause in v. 19 as referring to sexual intimacy. While that is a wonder of God’s creation, so is the way that human nature has distorted it and ruined it.

[30:20]  ¹² sn The word clearly indicates that the woman is married and unchaste; but the text describes her as amoral as much as immoral – she sees nothing wrong with what she does.

[30:20]  ¹³ sn The acts of “eating” and “wiping her mouth” are euphemistic; they employ an implied comparison between the physical act of eating and wiping one’s mouth afterward on the one hand with sexual activity on the other hand (e.g., Prov 9:17).

[30:20]  ¹⁴ sn This is the amazing part of the observation. It is one thing to sin, for everyone sins, but to dismiss the act of adultery so easily, as if it were no more significant than a meal, is incredibly brazen.