Proverbs 20:18

20:18 Plans ¹  are established by counsel,

so ²  make war ³  with guidance.

Proverbs 25:5

25:5 remove the wicked from before the king, ⁴ 

and his throne ⁵  will be established in righteousness. ⁶ 

Proverbs 29:14

29:14 If a king judges the poor in truth, ⁷ 

his throne ⁸  will be established forever.

Psalms 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ⁹ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ¹⁰ 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Revelation 19:11

The Son of God Goes to War

19:11 Then ¹¹  I saw heaven opened and here came ¹²  a white horse! The ¹³  one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice ¹⁴  he judges and goes to war.

[20:18]  ¹ tn The noun form is plural, but the verb is singular, suggesting either an abstract plural or a collective plural is being used here.

[20:18]  ² tn The clause begins with vav (ו) on “with guidance.” But the clause has an imperative for its main verb. One could take the imperfect tense in the first colon as an imperfect of injunction, and then this clause would be also instructional. But the imperfect tense is a Niphal, and so it is better to take the first colon as the foundational clause and the second colon as the consequence (cf. NAB): If that is true, then you should do this.

[20:18]  ³ sn There have been attempts by various commentators to take “war” figuratively to mean life’s struggles, litigation, or evil inclinations. But there is no need and little justification for such interpretations. The proverb simply describes the necessity of taking counsel before going to war.

[25:5]  ⁴ sn These two verses present first an illustration and then the point (so it is emblematic parallelism). The passage uses imperatives to teach that the wicked must be purged from the kingdom.

[25:5]  ⁵ sn “Throne” is a metonymy of subject (or adjunct); it is the symbol of the government over which the king presides (cf. NCV, TEV).

[25:5]  ⁶ sn When the king purges the wicked from his court he will be left with righteous counselors and his government therefore will be “established in righteousness” – it will endure through righteousness (cf. NLT “made secure by justice”). But as J. H. Greenstone says, “The king may have perfect ideals and his conduct may be irreproachable, but he may be misled by unscrupulous courtiers” (Proverbs, 264).

[29:14]  ⁷ tn The king must judge “in truth” (בֶּאֱמֶת, be’emet). Some have interpreted this to mean “faithfully” (KJV, ASV) but that is somewhat unclear. The idea is that the poor must be treated fairly and justly (cf. NIV “with fairness”; NRSV “with equity”); “truth” is that which corresponds to the standard of the law revealed by God. There must be no miscarriage of justice for these people simply because they are poor.

[29:14]  ⁸ sn The term “throne” is a metonymy of subject; it represents the dynasty, the reign of this particular king and his descendants. The qualification of the enduring administration is its moral character. The language of this proverb reflects the promise of the Davidic Covenant (e.g., Prov 16:12; 20:28; 25:5; 31:5).

[99:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[19:11]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:11]  ¹² tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[19:11]  ¹³ tn A new sentence was started in the translation at this point and καί (kai) was not translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:11]  ¹⁴ tn Or “in righteousness,” but since the context here involves the punishment of the wicked and the vindication of the saints, “justice” was preferred.