Proverbs 3:29

3:29 Do not plot ¹  evil against your neighbor

when ²  he dwells by you unsuspectingly.

Proverbs 20:8

20:8 A king sitting on the throne to judge ³ 

separates out ⁴  all evil with his eyes. ⁵ 

Proverbs 21:9

21:9 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop ⁶ 

than in a house in company ⁷  with a quarrelsome wife. ⁸ 

Proverbs 23:1

23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

consider carefully ⁹  what ¹⁰  is before you,

Proverbs 25:24

25:24 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop

than in a house in company with a quarrelsome wife. ¹¹ 

[3:29]  ¹ sn The verb חָרַשׁ (kharash) means “to cut in; to engrave; to plough; to devise.” The idea of plotting is metaphorical for working, practicing or fabricating (BDB 360 s.v.).

[3:29]  ² tn The vav (ו) prefixed to the pronoun introduces a disjunctive circumstantial clause: “when….”

[20:8]  ³ tn The infinitive construct is דִּין; it indicates purpose, “to judge” (so NIV, NCV) even though it does not have the preposition with it.

[20:8]  ⁴ tn The second line uses the image of winnowing (cf. NIV, NRSV) to state that the king’s judgment removes evil from the realm. The verb form is מִזָרֶה (mÿzareh), the Piel participle. It has been translated “to sift; to winnow; to scatter” and “to separate” – i.e., separate out evil from the land. The text is saying that a just government roots out evil (cf. NAB “dispels all evil”), but few governments have been consistently just.

[20:8]  ⁵ sn The phrase with his eyes indicates that the king will closely examine or look into all the cases that come before him.

[21:9]  ⁵ tn English versions which translate the Hebrew term as “roof” here sometimes produce amusing images for modern readers: TEV “Better to live on the roof”; CEV “It’s better to stay outside on the roof of your house.”

[21:9]  ⁶ tn The “house of company” has received numerous interpretations. The word “company” or “companionship” would qualify “house” as a place to be shared. The BHS editors propose “spacious house,” which would call for a transposition of letters (cf. NAB “a roomy house”; NLT “a lovely home”). Such an emendation makes good sense, but has no external support.

[21:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “a wife of contentions”; KJV “a brawling woman”; TEV, CEV “a nagging wife.” The Greek version has no reference to a quarrelsome wife, but instead mentions justice in a common house.

[23:1]  ⁷ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense of instruction with the infinitive absolute to emphasize the careful discernment required on such occasions. Cf. NIV “note well”; NLT “pay attention.”

[23:1]  ⁸ tn Or “who,” referring to the ruler (so ASV, NAB, TEV).

[25:24]  ⁹ tn This proverb is identical with 21:9; see the notes there.