Proverbs 4:24

4:24 Remove perverse speech ¹  from your mouth; ² 

keep devious talk far from your lips. ³ 

Proverbs 5:8

5:8 Keep yourself ⁴  far ⁵  from her,

and do not go near the door of her house,

Proverbs 30:8

30:8 Remove falsehood and lies ⁶  far from me;

do not give me poverty or riches,

feed me with my allotted portion ⁷  of bread, ⁸ 

[4:24]  ¹ tn Heb “crookedness.” The noun עִקְּשׁוּת (’iqqÿshut) refers to what is morally twisted or perverted. Here it refers to things that are said (cf. NAB “dishonest talk”; NRSV “crooked speech”). The term “mouth” functions as a metonymy of cause for perverse speech. Such perverse talking could be subtle or blatant.

[4:24]  ² tn Heb “crookedness of mouth.”

[4:24]  ³ tn Heb “deviousness of lips put far from you.”

[5:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “your way.”

[5:8]  ⁵ sn There is a contrast made between “keep far away” (הַרְחֵק, harkheq) and “do not draw near” (וְאַל־תִּקְרַב, vÿ’al-tiqrav).

[30:8]  ⁷ tn The two words might form a hendiadys: “falsehood and lies” being equivalent to “complete deception.” The word שָׁוְא means “false; empty; vain; to a false purpose.” The second word means “word of lying,” thus “a lying word.” Taken separately they might refer to false intentions and false words.

[30:8]  ⁸ tn The word חֹק (khoq) means “statute”; it is also used of a definite assignment in labor (Exod 5:14; Prov 31:15), or of a set portion of food (Gen 47:22). Here it refers to food that is the proper proportion for the speaker.

[30:8]  ⁹ sn Agur requested an honest life (not deceitful) and a balanced life (not self-sufficient). The second request about his provision is clarified in v. 9.