Proverbs 12:20

12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, ¹ 

but those who promote peace ²  have joy.

Proverbs 14:10

14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, ³ 

and with its joy no one else ⁴  can share. ⁵ 

Proverbs 14:13

14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, ⁶ 

and the end ⁷  of joy may be ⁸  grief.

Proverbs 15:21

15:21 Folly is a joy to one who lacks sense, ⁹ 

but one who has understanding ¹⁰  follows an upright course. ¹¹ 

Proverbs 15:23

15:23 A person has joy ¹²  in giving an appropriate answer, ¹³ 

and a word at the right time ¹⁴  – how good it is!

Proverbs 21:15

21:15 Doing ¹⁵  justice brings ¹⁶  joy to the righteous

and terror ¹⁷  to those who do evil.

[12:20]  ¹ sn The contrast here is between “evil” (= pain and calamity) and “peace” (= social wholeness and well-being); see, e.g., Pss 34:14 and 37:37.

[12:20]  ² tn Heb “those who are counselors of peace.” The term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is an objective genitive, so the genitive-construct “counselors of peace” means those who advise, advocate or promote peace (cf. NAB, NIV).

[14:10]  ³ tn Heb “bitterness of its soul.”

[14:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “stranger” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[14:10]  ⁵ tn The verb is the Hitpael of II עָרַב (’arav), which means “to take in pledge; to give in pledge; to exchange.” Here it means “to share [in].” The proverb is saying that there are joys and sorrows that cannot be shared. No one can truly understand the deepest feelings of another.

[14:13]  ⁵ sn No joy is completely free of grief. There is a joy that is superficial and there is underlying pain that will remain after the joy is gone.

[14:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “and its end, joy, is grief.” The suffix may be regarded as an Aramaism, a proleptic suffix referring to “joy.”

[14:13]  ⁷ tn The phrase “may be” is not in the Hebrew but is supplied from the parallelism, which features an imperfect of possibility.

[15:21]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text reads לַחֲסַר־לֵב (lakhasar-lev, “to one who lacks heart”). The Hebrew term “heart” represents the mind, the place where proper decisions are made (cf. NIV “judgment”). The one who has not developed this ability to make proper choices finds great delight in folly.

[15:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “a man of understanding” (so KJV, NIV); NLT “a sensible person.”

[15:21]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew construction is יְיַשֶּׁר־לָכֶת (yÿyasher-lakhet, “makes straight [to] go”). This is a verbal hendiadys, in which the first verb, the Piel imperfect, becomes adverbial, and the second form, the infinitive construct of הָלַךְ, halakh, becomes the main verb: “goes straight ahead” (cf. NRSV).

[15:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “joy to the man” or “the man has joy.”

[15:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the answer of his mouth” (so ASV); NASB “in an apt answer.” The term “mouth” is a metonymy of cause for what he says. But because the parallelism is loosely synonymous, the answer given here must be equal to the good word spoken in season. So it is an answer that is proper or fitting.

[15:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in its season.” To say the right thing at the right time is useful; to say the right thing at the wrong time is counterproductive.

[21:15]  ¹¹ tn The Qal infinitive construct עֲשׂוֹת (’asot) functions as the subject of the sentence.

[21:15]  ¹² tn The term “brings” is supplied in the translation; many English versions supply a simple copula (“is”).

[21:15]  ¹³ 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”).