Proverbs 20:21

20:21 An inheritance gained easily ¹  in the beginning

will not be blessed ²  in the end. ³ 

Proverbs 19:14

19:14 A house and wealth are inherited from parents, ⁴ 

but a prudent wife ⁵  is from the Lord.

Proverbs 17:2

17:2 A servant who acts wisely ⁶  will rule

over ⁷  an heir ⁸  who behaves shamefully, ⁹ 

and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. ¹⁰ 

[20:21]  ¹ tc The Kethib reads מְבֻחֶלֶת (mÿbukhelet), “gotten by greed” (based on a cognate Syriac verb, “to be greedy”); but the Qere is מְבֹהֶלֶת (mÿvohelet), “gotten hastily [or, quickly].” A large number of mss and the ancient versions read with the Qere (cf. KJV, ASV “gotten hastily”; NAB “gained hastily”; NIV “quickly gained”; NRSV “quickly acquired”).

[20:21]  ² tn The form is the Pual imperfect, “will not be blessed,” suggesting that divine justice is at work.

[20:21]  ³ tn Heb “in its end”; KJV, ASV “the end thereof.”

[19:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “inheritance of fathers” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[19:14]  ⁵ sn This statement describes a wife who has a skillful use of knowledge and discretion that proves to be successful. This contrasts with the preceding verse. The proverb is not concerned about unhappy marriages or bad wives (both of which exist); it simply affirms that when a marriage works out well one should credit it as a gift from God.

[17:2]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ sn The parallelism indicates that “ruling over” and “sharing in the inheritance” means that the disgraceful son will be disinherited.

[17:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “son.”

[17:2]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”