Proverbs 12:1-3

12:1 The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, ¹ 

but the one who hates reproof is stupid. ² 

12:2 A good person obtains favor from the Lord,

but the Lord ³  condemns a person with wicked schemes. ⁴ 

12:3 No one ⁵  can be established ⁶  through wickedness,

but a righteous root ⁷  cannot be moved.

[12:1]  ¹ sn Those who wish to improve themselves must learn to accept correction; the fool hates/rejects any correction.

[12:1]  ² sn The word בָּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish; stupid”) normally describes dumb animals that lack intellectual sense. Here, it describes the moral fool who is not willing to learn from correction. He is like a dumb animal (so the term here functions as a hypocatastasis: implied comparison).

[12:2]  ³ tn Heb “but he condemns”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a man of wicked plans.” The noun מְזִמּוֹת (mÿzimmot, “evil plans”) functions as an attributive genitive: “an evil-scheming man.” Cf. NASB “a man who devises evil”; NAB “the schemer.”

[12:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “a man cannot be.”

[12:3]  ⁶ tn The Niphal imperfect of כּוּן (cun, “to be established”) refers to finding permanent “security” (so NRSV, TEV, CEV) before God. Only righteousness can do that.

[12:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “a root of righteousness.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsadiqim, “righteousness”) functions as an attributive adjective. The figure “root” (שֹׁרֶשׁ, shoresh) stresses the security of the righteous; they are firmly planted and cannot be uprooted (cf. NLT “the godly have deep roots”). The righteous are often compared to a tree (e.g., 11:30; Ps 1:3; 92:13).