Proverbs 23:14

23:14 If you strike ¹  him with the rod,

you will deliver him ²  from death. ³ 

Proverbs 7:4

7:4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” ⁴ 

and call understanding a close relative,

Proverbs 22:19

22:19 So that ⁵  your confidence may be in the Lord,

I am making them known to you today ⁶  – even you.

Proverbs 23:2

23:2 and put a knife to your throat ⁷ 

if you possess a large appetite. ⁸ 

Proverbs 23:19

23:19 Listen, my child, ⁹  and be wise,

and guide your heart on the right way.

Proverbs 24:24

24:24 The one who says to the guilty, ¹⁰  “You are innocent,” ¹¹ 

peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce ¹²  him.

Proverbs 31:29

31:29 “Many ¹³  daughters ¹⁴  have done valiantly, ¹⁵ 

but you surpass them all!”

Proverbs 25:22

25:22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head, ¹⁶ 

and the Lord will reward you. ¹⁷ 

Proverbs 26:4

26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, ¹⁸ 

lest you yourself also be like him. ¹⁹ 

[23:14]  ¹ tn Or “punish” (NIV). The syntax of these two lines suggests a conditional clause (cf. NCV, NRSV).

[23:14]  ² tn Heb “his soul.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole (= person); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.

[23:14]  ³ tn The term שְׁאוֹל (shÿ’ol, “Sheol”) in this context probably means “death” (so NIV, NCV, NLT) and not the realm of the departed (wicked) spirits (cf. NAB “the nether world”). In the wisdom of other lands, Ahiqar 6:82 says, “If I strike you, my son, you will not die.” The idea is that discipline helps the child to a full life; if the child dies prematurely, it would be more than likely a consequence of not being trained by discipline. In the book of Proverbs the “death” mentioned here could be social as well as physical.

[7:4]  ⁴ sn The metaphor is meant to signify that the disciple will be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and understanding, as close as to a sibling. Wisdom will be personified in the next two chapters, and so referring to it as a sister in this chapter certainly prepares for that personification.

[22:19]  ⁷ tn The form לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “to be”) is the infinitive construct indicating the purpose (or result) of the teaching (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[22:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “I cause you to know.” The term “today” indicates that the verb should have the instantaneous nuance, and so an English present tense is used in the translation (“am making…known”).

[23:2]  ¹⁰ sn The expression “put a knife to your throat” is an idiom that means “curb your appetite” or “control yourself” (cf. TEV). The instruction was from a time when people dealt with all-powerful tyrants. To enter the presence of such a person and indulge one’s appetites would be to take a very high risk.

[23:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “lord of appetite.” The idiom בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ (ba’al nefesh) refers to someone who possesses a large appetite (cf. NAB “a ravenous appetite”). A person with a big appetite is in danger of taking liberties when invited to court.

[23:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “my son,” but the immediate context does not limit this to male children.

[24:24]  ¹⁶ tn The word means “wicked; guilty” or “criminal”; the contrast could be “wicked – righteous” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “innocent – guilty” (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV). Since this line follows the statement about showing partiality in judgment, it involves a forensic setting. Thus the statement describes one who calls a guilty person innocent or acquitted.

[24:24]  ¹⁷ tn Or “righteous”; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “innocent” or “righteous” depending on the context.

[24:24]  ¹⁸ tn The verb means “to be indignant.” It can be used within the range of “have indignation,” meaning “loathe” or “abhor,” or express indignation, meaning “denounce” or “curse.” In this passage, in collocation with the previous term “curse,” the latter is intended (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).

[31:29]  ¹⁹ tn The first word of the twentieth line begins with ר (resh), the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:29]  ²⁰ tn Or “women” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[31:29]  ²¹ tn The word is the same as in v. 10, “noble, valiant.”

[25:22]  ²² sn The imagery of the “burning coals” represents pangs of conscience, more readily effected by kindness than by violence. These coals produce the sharp pain of contrition through regret (e.g., 18:19; 20:22; 24:17; Gen 42-45; 1 Sam 24:18-20; Rom 12:20). The coals then would be an implied comparison with a searing conscience.

[25:22]  ²³ sn The second consequence of treating enemies with kindness is that the Lord will reward the act. The fact that this is promised shows that the instruction here belongs to the religious traditions of Israel.

[26:4]  ²⁵ sn One should not answer a fool’s foolish questions in line with the fool’s mode of reasoning (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 274).

[26:4]  ²⁶ sn The person who descends to the level of a fool to argue with him only looks like a fool as well.