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 28:27

28:27 The one who gives to the poor will not lack, ⁵ 

but whoever shuts his eyes to them ⁶  will receive ⁷  many curses. ⁸ 

Proverbs 30:10

30:10 Do not slander ⁹  a servant to his master,

lest he curse you, and you are found guilty. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 66:24

66:24 “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, ¹¹  and the fire that consumes them will not die out. ¹²  All people will find the sight abhorrent.” ¹³ 

[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.

[28:27]  ⁵ sn The generous individual will be rewarded. He will not lack nor miss what he has given away to the poor.

[28:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “hides his eyes”; “to them” is supplied in the translation to indicate the link with the poor in the preceding line. Hiding or closing the eyes is a metonymy of cause or of adjunct, indicating a decision not to look on and thereby help the poor. It could also be taken as an implied comparison, i.e., not helping the poor is like closing the eyes to them.

[28:27]  ⁷ tn The term “receives” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied, and is supplied in the translation.

[28:27]  ⁸ sn The text does not specify the nature or the source of the curses. It is natural to think that they would be given by the poor who are being mistreated and ignored. Far from being praised for their contributions to society, selfish, stingy people will be reviled for their heartless indifference.

[30:10]  ⁹ tn The form תַּלְשֵׁן (talshen) is the Hiphil jussive (with the negative אַל, ’al); it is a denominative verb from the noun “tongue” (Heb “wag the tongue”). It means “to defame; to slander,” if the accusation is untrue. Some have suggested that the word might have the force of “denouncing” a slave to his master, accusing him before authorities (e.g., Deut 23:15-16). This proverb would then be a warning against meddling in the affairs of someone else.

[30:10]  ¹⁰ tn If what was said were true, then there would be no culpability. But the implication here is that it was slander. And the effect of that will be a curse – the person who is the target of the slander will “curse” the person who slandered him (קָלַל [qalal] in the Piel means “to treat lightly [or, with contempt]; to curse”), and culpability will result (the verb וֹשׁם means “to be guilty; to make a guilt offering [or, reparation offering]”). This word for guilt suggests a connection to the Levitical teaching that the guilty had to make reparation for damages done (Lev 5). Cf. NAB “you will have to pay the penalty”; NIV, NLT “you will pay for it.”

[66:24]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for their worm will not die.”

[66:24]  ¹² tn Heb “and their fire will not be extinguished.”

[66:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”