Proverbs 12:4

12:4 A noble wife ¹  is the crown ²  of her husband,

but the wife ³  who acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones. ⁴ 

Proverbs 17:2

17:2 A servant who acts wisely ⁵  will rule

over ⁶  an heir ⁷  who behaves shamefully, ⁸ 

and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. ⁹ 

Proverbs 19:26

19:26 The one who robs ¹⁰  his father ¹¹  and chases away his mother

is a son ¹²  who brings shame and disgrace.

[12:4]  ¹ tn Heb “a wife of virtue”; NAB, NLT “a worthy wife.” This noble woman (אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל, ’shet-khayil) is the subject of Prov 31. She is a “virtuous woman” (cf. KJV), a capable woman of noble character. She is contrasted with the woman who is disgraceful (מְבִישָׁה, mÿvishah; “one who causes shame”) or who lowers his standing in the community.

[12:4]  ² sn The metaphor of the “crown” emphasizes that such a wife is a symbol of honor and glory.

[12:4]  ³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (the wife) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁴ sn The simile means that the shameful acts of such a woman will eat away her husband’s strength and influence and destroy his happiness.

[17:2]  ⁵ sn The setting is in the ancient world where a servant rarely advanced beyond his or her station in life. But there are notable exceptions (e.g., Gen 15:3 where the possibility is mentioned, 1 Chr 2:35 where it changed through marriage, and 2 Sam 16:1-4; 19:24-30, with the story of Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth). This proverb focuses on a servant who is wise, one who uses all his abilities effectively – a Joseph figure.

[17:2]  ⁶ sn The parallelism indicates that “ruling over” and “sharing in the inheritance” means that the disgraceful son will be disinherited.

[17:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “son.”

[17:2]  ⁸ tn The form מֵבִישׁ (mevish) is a Hiphil participle, modifying בֵן (ben). This original heir would then be one who caused shame or disgrace to the family, probably by showing a complete lack of wisdom in the choices he made.

[17:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”

[19:26]  ¹⁰ tn The construction joins the Piel participle מְשַׁדֶּד (mÿshaded, “one who robs”) with the Hiphil imperfect יַבְרִיחַ (yavriakh, “causes to flee” = chases away). The imperfect given a progressive imperfect nuance matches the timeless description of the participle as a substantive.

[19:26]  ¹¹ sn “Father” and “mother” here represent a stereotypical word pair in the book of Proverbs, rather than describing separate crimes against each individual parent. Both crimes are against both parents.

[19:26]  ¹² tn The more generic “child” does not fit the activities described in this verse and so “son” is retained in the translation. In the ancient world a “son” was more likely than a daughter to behave as stated. Such behavior may reflect the son wanting to take over his father’s lands prematurely.