Discovery BoxProverbs 15:8
Context15:8 The Lord abhors 1 the sacrifices 2 of the wicked, 3
but the prayer 4 of the upright pleases him. 5
Proverbs 17:1
Context17:1 Better is a dry crust of bread 6 where there is quietness 7
than a house full of feasting with strife. 8
Proverbs 21:27
Context21:27 The wicked person’s sacrifice 9 is an abomination;
how much more 10 when he brings it with evil intent! 11
Leviticus 7:15
Context7:15 The meat of his 12 thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten on the day of his offering; he must not set any of it aside until morning.
Deuteronomy 12:6-7
Context12:6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, 13 your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 12:7 Both you and your families 14 must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he 15 has blessed you.
[15:8] 1 tn Heb “an abomination of the
[15:8] 2 tn Heb “sacrifice” (so many English versions).
[15:8] 3 sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the
[15:8] 4 sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162).
[15:8] 5 tn Heb “[is] his pleasure.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix functions as a subjective genitive: “he is pleased.” God is pleased with the prayers of the upright.
[17:1] 6 tn The phrase “a dry piece of bread” is like bread without butter, a morsel of bread not dipped in vinegar mix (e.g., Ruth 2:14). It represents here a simple, humble meal.
[17:1] 7 tn Heb “and quietness in it”; the construction functions as a circumstantial clause: “in which there is quietness” or “with quietness.”
[17:1] 8 tn The house is described as being full of “sacrifices of strife” (זִבְחֵי־רִיב, zivkhi-riv). The use of “sacrifices” suggests a connection with the temple (as in 7:14) in which the people may have made their sacrifices and had a large amount meat left over. It is also possible that the reference is simply to a sumptuous meal (Deut 12:15; Isa 34:6; Ezek 39:17). It would be rare for Israelites to eat meat apart from festivals, however. In the construction the genitive could be classified as a genitive of effect, the feast in general “bringing about strife,” or it could simply be an attributive genitive, “a feast characterized by strife.” Abundance often brings deterioration of moral and ethical standards as well as an increase in envy and strife.
[21:27] 9 tn Heb “the sacrifice of the wicked” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This is a subjective genitive. The foundational clause states that ritual acts of worship brought by the wicked (thus a subjective genitive) are detestable to God. The “wicked” refers here to people who are not members of the covenant (no faith) and are not following after righteousness (no acceptable works). But often they participate in sanctuary ritual, which amounts to hypocrisy.
[21:27] 10 sn This rhetorical device shows that if the act is abomination, the wicked heart is an even greater sin. It argues from the lesser to the greater.
[21:27] 11 tn The noun זִמָּה (zimmah) means “plan; device; wickedness”; here it indicates that the person is coming to the ritual with “sinful purpose.” Some commentators suggest that this would mean he comes with the sacrifice as a bribe to pacify his conscience for a crime committed, over which he has little remorse or intent to cease (cf. NLT “with ulterior motives”). In this view, people in ancient Israel came to think that sacrifices could be given for any reason without genuine submission to God.
[7:15] 12 tn In the verse “his” refers to the offerer.
[12:6] 13 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
[12:7] 14 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
[12:7] 15 tn Heb “the
