Proverbs 21:18

21:18 The wicked become ¹  a ransom ²  for the righteous,

and the faithless ³  are taken ⁴  in the place of the upright.

Proverbs 9:9

9:9 Give instruction ⁵  to a wise person, ⁶  and he will become wiser still;

teach ⁷  a righteous person and he will add to his ⁸  learning.

Proverbs 12:21

12:21 The righteous do not encounter ⁹  any harm, ¹⁰ 

but the wicked are filled with calamity. ¹¹ 

Proverbs 13:22

13:22 A benevolent ¹²  person leaves an inheritance ¹³  for his grandchildren, ¹⁴ 

but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous. ¹⁵ 

Proverbs 21:15

21:15 Doing ¹⁶  justice brings ¹⁷  joy to the righteous

and terror ¹⁸  to those who do evil.

[21:18]  ¹ tn The term “become” is supplied in the translation.

[21:18]  ² sn The Hebrew word translated “ransom” (כֹּפֶר, kofer) normally refers to the price paid to free a prisoner. R. N. Whybray (Proverbs [CBC], 121) gives options for the meaning of the verse: (1) If it means that the wicked obtain good things that should go to the righteous, it is then a despairing plea for justice (which would be unusual in the book of Proverbs); but if (2) it is taken to mean that the wicked suffers the evil he has prepared for the righteous, then it harmonizes with Proverbs elsewhere (e.g., 11:8). The ideal this proverb presents – and the future reality – is that in calamity the righteous escape and the wicked suffer in their place (e.g., Haman in the book of Esther).

[21:18]  ³ tn Or “treacherous” (so ASV, NASB, NLT); NIV “the unfaithful.”

[21:18]  ⁴ tn The phrase “are taken” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[9:9]  ⁵ tn The noun “instruction” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation.

[9:9]  ⁶ sn The parallelism shows what Proverbs will repeatedly stress, that the wise person is the righteous person.

[9:9]  ⁷ tn The Hiphil verb normally means “to cause to know, make known”; but here the context suggests “to teach” (so many English versions).

[9:9]  ⁸ tn The term “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of smoothness and clarity.

[12:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “is not allowed to meet to the righteous.”

[12:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all calamity.” The proper nuance of אָוֶן (’aven) is debated. It is normally understood metonymically (effect) as “harm; trouble,” that is, the result/effect of wickedness (e.g., Gen 50:20). Rashi, a Jewish scholar who lived a.d. 1040-1105, took it as “wickedness,” its primary meaning; “the righteous will not be caught up in wickedness.”

[12:21]  ¹¹ tn The expression רָע מָלְאוּ (malÿ’u ra’, “to be full of evil”) means (1) the wicked do much evil or (2) the wicked experience much calamity (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[13:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “good.”

[13:22]  ¹⁴ sn In ancient Israel the idea of leaving an inheritance was a sign of God’s blessing; blessings extended to the righteous and not the sinners.

[13:22]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the children of children.”

[13:22]  ¹⁶ sn In the ultimate justice of God, the wealth of the wicked goes to the righteous after death (e.g., Ps 49:10, 17).

[21:15]  ¹⁷ tn The Qal infinitive construct עֲשׂוֹת (’asot) functions as the subject of the sentence.

[21:15]  ¹⁸ tn The term “brings” is supplied in the translation; many English versions supply a simple copula (“is”).

[21:15]  ¹⁹ sn The noun means “terror (NAB, NASB, NIV), destruction (KJV, ASV), ruin (cf. NCV).” Its related verb means “be shattered, dismayed.” The idea of “dismay” (NRSV) or “terror” would make the better choice to contrast with “joy” in the first line, but “ruin” is also possible. Whenever justice prevails, whether in the courts or simply in society, the people who practice iniquity may be shaken into reality by fear (cf. CEV “crooks are terrified”).