Proverbs 11:26

11:26 People will curse ¹  the one who withholds grain, ² 

but they will praise ³  the one who sells it. ⁴ 

Proverbs 14:28

14:28 A king’s glory is ⁵  the abundance of people,

but the lack of subjects ⁶  is the ruin ⁷  of a ruler.

Proverbs 24:24

24:24 The one who says to the guilty, ⁸  “You are innocent,” ⁹ 

peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce ¹⁰  him.

[11:26]  ¹ tn The direct object suffix on the verb picks up on the emphatic absolute phrase: “they will curse him – the one who withholds grain.”

[11:26]  ² sn The proverb refers to a merchant who holds back his grain from the free market to raise prices when there is a great need for the produce. It is assumed that merchants are supposed to have a social conscience.

[11:26]  ³ tn Heb “but a blessing is for the head of the one who sells.” The parallelism with “curse” suggests that בְּרָכָה (berakhah) “blessing” means “praise.”

[11:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “for the head of the one who sells.” The term “head” functions as a synecdoche of part (= head) for the whole (= person). The head is here emphasized because it is the “crowning” point of praise. The direct object (“it”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.

[14:28]  ⁵ tn The preposition serves as the beth essentiae – the glory is the abundant population, not in it.

[14:28]  ⁶ tn Heb “people.” Cf. NLT “a dwindling nation.”

[14:28]  ⁷ sn The word means “ruin; destruction,” but in this context it could be a metonymy of effect, the cause being an attack by more numerous people that will bring ruin to the ruler. The proverb is purely a practical and secular saying, unlike some of the faith teachings in salvation history passages.

[24:24]  ⁹ tn The word means “wicked; guilty” or “criminal”; the contrast could be “wicked – righteous” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “innocent – guilty” (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV). Since this line follows the statement about showing partiality in judgment, it involves a forensic setting. Thus the statement describes one who calls a guilty person innocent or acquitted.

[24:24]  ¹⁰ tn Or “righteous”; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “innocent” or “righteous” depending on the context.

[24:24]  ¹¹ tn The verb means “to be indignant.” It can be used within the range of “have indignation,” meaning “loathe” or “abhor,” or express indignation, meaning “denounce” or “curse.” In this passage, in collocation with the previous term “curse,” the latter is intended (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).