Proverbs 3:25

3:25 You will not be afraid ¹  of sudden ²  disaster, ³ 

or when destruction overtakes ⁴  the wicked; ⁵ 

Proverbs 24:22

24:22 for suddenly their destruction will overtake them, ⁶ 

and who knows the ruinous judgment both the Lord and the king can bring? ⁷ 

Proverbs 6:15

6:15 Therefore, his disaster will come suddenly;

in an instant ⁸  he will be broken, and there will be no remedy.

Proverbs 7:22

7:22 Suddenly he went ⁹  after her

like an ox that goes to the slaughter,

like a stag prancing into a trapper’s snare ¹⁰ 

[3:25]  ¹ tn Heb “do not be afraid.” The negative exhortation אַל־תִּירָא (’al-tira’, “do not be afraid”) is used rhetorically to emphasize that the person who seeks wisdom will have no reason to fear the consequences of wicked actions.

[3:25]  ² tn Heb “terror of suddenness.” The noun פִּתְאֹם (pit’om, “sudden”) functions as an attributive genitive: “sudden terror” (e.g., Job 22:10; BDB 837 s.v.).

[3:25]  ³ tn Heb “terror.” The noun פַּחַד (pakhad, “terror”) is a metonymy of effect for cause (= disaster); see BDB 808 s.v. 2. This is suggested by the parallelism with the noun מִשֹּׁאַת (misho’at, “destruction”) in the following colon. The term פַּחַד (“terror”) often refers to the object (or cause) of terror (e.g., Job 3:25; 15:21; 22:10; 31:23; Pss 31:12; 36:2; Isa 24:18; Jer 48:44).

[3:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “or the destruction of the wicked when it comes.”

[3:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “destruction of the wicked.” The noun רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked ones”) probably functions as an objective genitive (the destruction that comes on the wicked) or a genitive of source (the destruction that the wicked bring on others).

[24:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “will rise” (so NASB).

[24:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ruin of the two of them.” Judgment is sent on the rebels both by God and the king. The term פִּיד (pid, “ruin; disaster”) is a metonymy of effect, the cause being the sentence of judgment (= “ruinous judgment” in the translation; cf. NLT “punishment”). The word “two of them” is a subjective genitive – they two bring the disaster on the rebels. The referents (the Lord and the king) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:15]  ¹¹ tn This word is a substantive that is used here as an adverbial accusative – with suddenness, at an instant.

[7:22]  ¹⁶ tn The participle with “suddenly” gives a more vivid picture, almost as if to say “there he goes.”

[7:22]  ¹⁷ tn The present translation follows R. B. Y. Scott (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 64). This third colon of the verse would usually be rendered, “fetters to the chastening of a fool” (KJV, ASV, and NASB are all similar). But there is no support that עֶכֶס (’ekhes) means “fetters.” It appears in Isaiah 3:16 as “anklets.” The parallelism here suggests that some animal imagery is required. Thus the ancient versions have “as a dog to the bonds.”