Proverbs 25:15

25:15 Through patience ¹  a ruler can be persuaded, ² 

and a soft tongue ³  can break a bone. ⁴ 

Proverbs 29:1

29:1 The one who stiffens his neck ⁵  after numerous rebukes ⁶ 

will suddenly be destroyed ⁷  without remedy. ⁸ 

Proverbs 6:15

6:15 Therefore, his disaster will come suddenly;

in an instant ⁹  he will be broken, and there will be no remedy.

[25:15]  ¹ tn Heb “long of anger” or “forbearance” (so NASB).

[25:15]  ² tn The two imperfect verbs in this line may be nuanced as potential imperfects because what is described could happen, but does not do so as a rule.

[25:15]  ³ tn The “tongue” is a metonymy of cause; and so the expression here refers to soft or gentle speech. This fits well with the parallel idea of patience (“long of anger”) – through a calm patient persuasion much can be accomplished. Some English versions relate this figure directly to the persuasion of a ruler in the previous line (cf. TEV “can even convince rulers”).

[25:15]  ⁴ sn The idea of breaking a bone uses the hardest and most firm part of the body in contrast to the “softness of the tongue.” Both are figurative, forming a comparison. A gentle speech can break down any stiff opposition.

[29:1]  ⁵ tn The idiom “to harden the neck” (מַקְשֶׁה־עֹרֶף, maqsheh-’oref) is the idea of resisting the rebukes and persisting in obstinacy (e.g., Exod 32:9). The opposite of a “stiff neck” would be the bending back, i.e., submission.

[29:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew construction is אִישׁ תּוֹכָחוֹת (’ish tokhakhot, “a man of rebukes”), meaning “a man who has (or receives) many rebukes.” This describes a person who is deserving of punishment and who has been given many warnings. The text says, then, “a man of rebukes hardening himself.”

[29:1]  ⁷ sn The stubborn person refuses to listen; he will suddenly be destroyed when the calamity strikes (e.g., Prov 6:15; 13:18; 15:10).

[29:1]  ⁸ tn Or “healing” (NRSV).

[6:15]  ⁹ tn This word is a substantive that is used here as an adverbial accusative – with suddenness, at an instant.