Proverbs 29:20

29:20 Do you see someone ¹  who is hasty in his words? ² 

There is more hope for a fool than for him. ³ 

Proverbs 22:29

22:29 Do you see a person skilled ⁴  in his work?

He will take his position before kings;

he will not take his position ⁵  before obscure people. ⁶ 

[29:20]  ¹ tn Heb “a man,” but there is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males.

[29:20]  ² sn The focus of this proverb is on someone who is hasty in his words. This is the person who does not stop to think, but acts on the spur of the moment. To speak before thinking is foolishness.

[29:20]  ³ sn Rash speech cannot easily be remedied. The prospects for a fool are better (e.g., Prov 26:12).

[22:29]  ⁴ sn The word translated “skilled” is general enough to apply to any crafts; but it may refer to a scribe or an official (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 134).

[22:29]  ⁵ tn The verb form used twice here is יִתְיַצֵּב (yityatsev), the Hitpael imperfect of יָצַב (yatsav), which means “to set or station oneself; to take one’s stand” in this stem. With the form לִפְנֵי (life) it means “to present oneself before” someone; so here it has the idea of serving as a courtier in the presence of a king.

[22:29]  ⁶ sn The fifth saying affirms that true skill earns recognition and advancement (cf. Instruction of Amenemope, chap. 30, 27:16-17 [ANET 424]).