Proverbs 11:19

11:19 True ¹  righteousness leads to ²  life,

but the one who pursues evil pursues it ³  to his own death. ⁴ 

Proverbs 12:11

12:11 The one who works ⁵  his field will have plenty ⁶  of food,

but whoever chases daydreams ⁷  lacks wisdom. ⁸ 

Proverbs 15:9

15:9 The Lord abhors ⁹  the way of the wicked,

but he loves those ¹⁰  who pursue ¹¹  righteousness.

Proverbs 28:19

28:19 The one who works his land will be satisfied with food, ¹² 

but whoever chases daydreams ¹³  will have his fill ¹⁴  of poverty.

[11:19]  ¹ tn Heb “the veritable of righteousness.” The adjective כֵּן (ken, “right; honest; veritable”) functions substantivally as an attributive genitive, meaning “veritable righteousness” = true righteousness (BDB 467 s.v. 2; HALOT 482 s.v. I כֵּן 2.b). One medieval Hebrew ms, LXX, and Syriac read בֵּן (ben), “son of righteousness.” That idiom, however, usually introduces bad qualities (“son of worthlessness”). Others interpret it as “righteousness is the foundation of life.” KB identifies the form as a participle and reads it as “steadfast in righteousness”; but the verb does not otherwise exist in the Qal. W. McKane reads it as כָּן (kan, from כּוּן, kun) and translates it “strive after” life (Proverbs [OTL], 435).

[11:19]  ² tn Heb “is to life.” The expression “leads to” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but the idiom implies it; it is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[11:19]  ³ tn The phrase “pursues it” does not appear in the Hebrew but has been supplied in the translation from context.

[11:19]  ⁴ sn “Life” and “death” describe the vicissitudes of this life but can also refer to the situation beyond the grave. The two paths head in opposite directions.

[12:11]  ⁵ sn In the biblical period agriculture was the most common occupation for the people; so “working a field” describes a substantial occupation, but also represents working in general. Diligent work, not get-rich-quick schemes, is the key to ensuring income.

[12:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “will have his fill of” or “will be satisfied with.”

[12:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things.” The term רֵיקִים (reqim) refers to worthless pursuits in an effort to make money. The fact that the participle used is “chase after” shows how elusive these are. Cf. NIV “fantasies”; NCV “empty dreams”; TEV “useless projects.”

[12:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “heart.” The term לֵב (lev, “heart”) functions as a metonymy of association for wisdom (BDB 524 s.v. 3).

[15:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.”

[15:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the one who” (so NRSV).

[15:9]  ¹¹ sn God hates the way of the wicked, that is, their lifestyle and things they do. God loves those who pursue righteousness, the Piel verb signifying a persistent pursuit. W. G. Plaut says, “He who loves God will be moved to an active, persistent, and even dangerous search for justice” (Proverbs, 170).

[28:19]  ¹³ tn Or “will have plenty of food” (Heb “bread”); so NAB, NASB, NCV.

[28:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things”; NRSV “follows worthless pursuits.”

[28:19]  ¹⁵ tn The repetition of the verb strengthens the contrast. Both halves of the verse use the verb יִשְׂבַּע (yisba’, “will be satisfied; will be filled with; will have enough”). It is positive in the first colon, but negative in the second – with an ironic twist to say one is “satisfied” with poverty.