Proverbs 17:11

17:11 An evil person seeks only rebellion, ¹ 

and so ²  a cruel messenger ³  will be sent against him.

Proverbs 18:6

18:6 The lips of a fool ⁴  enter into strife, ⁵ 

and his mouth invites ⁶  a flogging. ⁷ 

Proverbs 20:3

20:3 It is an honor for a person ⁸  to cease ⁹  from strife,

but every fool quarrels. ¹⁰ 

Luke 12:14

12:14 But Jesus ¹¹  said to him, “Man, ¹²  who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” ¹³ 

Luke 12:2

12:2 Nothing is hidden ¹⁴  that will not be revealed, ¹⁵  and nothing is secret that will not be made known.

Luke 2:23-24

2:23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male ¹⁶  will be set apart to the Lord” ¹⁷ ), 2:24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves ¹⁸  or two young pigeons. ¹⁹ 

[17:11]  ¹ sn The proverb is set up in a cause and effect relationship. The cause is that evil people seek rebellion. The term מְרִי (mÿri) means “rebellion.” It is related to the verb מָרָה (marah, “to be contentious; to be rebellious; to be refractory”). BDB 598 s.v. מְרִי translates the line “a rebellious man seeketh only evil” (so NASB).

[17:11]  ² tn The parallelism seems to be formal, with the idea simply continuing to the second line; the conjunction is therefore translated to reflect this. However, the proverb could be interpreted as antithetical just as easily.

[17:11]  ³ sn Those bent on rebellion will meet with retribution. The messenger could very well be a merciless messenger from the king; but the expression could also figuratively describe something God sends – storms, pestilence, or any other misfortune.

[18:6]  ⁴ sn The “lips” is a metonymy of cause, meaning what the fool says. The “mouth” in the second colon is likewise a metonymy for speech, what comes out of the mouth.

[18:6]  ⁵ sn “Strife” is a metonymy of cause, it is the cause of the beating or flogging that follows; “flogging” in the second colon is a metonymy of effect, the flogging is the effect of the strife. The two together give the whole picture.

[18:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “calls for.” This is personification: What the fool says “calls for” a beating or flogging. The fool deserves punishment, but does not actually request it.

[18:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “blows.” This would probably be physical beatings, either administered by the father or by society (e.g., also 19:25; Ps 141:5; cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT). Today, however, “a beating” could be associated with violent criminal assault, whereas the context suggests punishment. Therefore “a flogging” is used in the translation, since that term is normally associated with disciplinary action.

[20:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “man.”

[20:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “cessation” (שֶׁבֶת, shevet); NAB “to shun strife”; NRSV “refrain from strife.”

[20:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “breaks out.” The Hitpael of the verb גָּלַע (gala’, “to expose; to lay bare”) means “to break out; to disclose oneself,” and so the idea of flaring up in a quarrel is clear. But there are also cognate connections to the idea of “showing the teeth; snarling” and so quarreling viciously.

[12:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:14]  ¹² tn This term of address can be harsh or gentle depending on the context (BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8). Here it is a rebuke.

[12:14]  ¹³ tn The pronoun ὑμᾶς (Jumas) is plural, referring to both the man and his brother; thus the translation “you two.”

[12:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “concealed.”

[12:2]  ¹⁵ sn I.e., be revealed by God. The passive voice verbs here (“be revealed,” be made known”) see the revelation as coming from God. The text is both a warning about bad things being revealed and an encouragement that good things will be made known, though the stress with the images of darkness and what is hidden in vv. 2-3 is on the attempt to conceal.

[2:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “every male that opens the womb” (an idiom for the firstborn male).

[2:23]  ¹⁷ sn An allusion to Exod 13:2, 12, 15.

[2:24]  ¹⁸ sn The offering of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, instead of a lamb, speaks of the humble roots of Jesus’ family – they apparently could not afford the expense of a lamb.

[2:24]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Lev 12:8; 5:11 (LXX).