Proverbs 17:23-28

17:23 A wicked person receives a bribe secretly ¹ 

to pervert ²  the ways of justice.

17:24 Wisdom is directly in front of ³  the discerning person,

but the eyes of a fool run ⁴  to the ends of the earth. ⁵ 

17:25 A foolish child is a grief ⁶  to his father,

and bitterness to the mother who bore him. ⁷ 

17:26 It is terrible ⁸  to punish ⁹  a righteous person,

and to flog ¹⁰  honorable men is wrong. ¹¹ 

17:27 The truly wise person ¹²  restrains ¹³  his words,

and the one who stays calm ¹⁴  is discerning.

17:28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered ¹⁵  wise,

and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning. ¹⁶ 

[17:23]  ¹ sn The fact that the “gift” is given secretly (Heb “from the bosom” [מֵחֵיק, mekheq]; so NASB) indicates that it was not proper. Cf. NRSV “a concealed bribe”; TEV, CEV, NLT “secret bribes.”

[17:23]  ² tn The form לְהַטּוֹת (lÿhattot) is the Hiphil infinitive construct of נָטָה (natah), meaning “to thrust away,” i.e., to “pervert.” This purpose clause clarifies that the receiving of the “gift” is for evil intent.

[17:24]  ³ tn The verse begins with אֶת־פְּנֵי מֵבִין (’et-pÿni mevin), “before the discerning” or “the face of the discerning.” The particle אֶת here is simply drawing emphasis to the predicate (IBHS 182-83 §10.3.2b). Cf. NIV “A discerning man keeps wisdom in view.”

[17:24]  ⁴ tn The term “run” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of clarification.

[17:24]  ⁵ sn To say that “the eyes of the fool run to the ends of the earth” means that he has no power to concentrate and cannot focus his attention on anything. The language is hyperbolic. Cf. NCV “the mind of a fool wanders everywhere.”

[17:25]  ⁶ sn The Hebrew noun means “vexation, anger, grief.”

[17:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “to the one who bore him.” Because the participle is feminine singular in Hebrew, this has been translated as “the mother who bore him.”

[17:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “not good.” This is an example of tapeinosis – an understatement that implies the worst-case scenario: “it is terrible.”

[17:26]  ⁹ tn The verb עָנַשׁ, here a Qal infinitive construct, properly means “to fine” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT) but is taken here to mean “to punish” in general. The infinitive functions as the subject of the clause.

[17:26]  ¹⁰ tn The form is the Hiphil infinitive construct from נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike; to smite”). It may well refer to public beatings, so “flog” is used in the translation, since “strike” could refer to an individual’s action and “beat” could be taken to refer to competition.

[17:26]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[is] against uprightness.” The expression may be rendered “contrary to what is right.”

[17:27]  ¹² tn Heb “the one knowing knowledge.” The cognate accusative underscores the meaning of the participle – this is a truly knowledgeable person.

[17:27]  ¹³ sn The participle חוֹשֵׂךְ (khosekh) means “withholds; restrains; refrains; spares; holds in check,” etc. One who has knowledge speaks carefully.

[17:27]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “cool of spirit.” This genitive of specification describes one who is “calm” (so NCV, TEV, CEV) or “even-tempered” (so NIV, NLT); he is composed.

[17:28]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect tense here denotes possibility: One who holds his tongue [may be considered] discerning.

[17:28]  ¹⁶ tn The Niphal participle is used in the declarative/estimative sense with stative verbs: “to be discerning” (Qal) becomes “to be declared discerning” (Niphal). The proverb is teaching that silence is one evidence of wisdom, and that even a fool can thereby appear wise. D. Kidner says that a fool who takes this advice is no longer a complete fool (Proverbs [TOTC], 127). He does not, of course, become wise – he just hides his folly.