Proverbs 4:6

4:6 Do not forsake wisdom, ¹  and she will protect you;

love her, and she will guard you.

Proverbs 6:22-24

6:22 When you walk about, ²  they ³  will guide you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

when you wake up, ⁴  they will talk ⁵  to you.

6:23 For the commandments ⁶  are like ⁷  a lamp, ⁸ 

instruction is like a light,

and rebukes of discipline are like ⁹  the road leading to life, ¹⁰ 

6:24 by keeping ¹¹  you from the evil woman, ¹² 

from the smooth tongue of ¹³  the loose woman. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 25:21

25:21 May integrity and godliness protect me,

for I rely on you!

Psalms 119:9-11

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹⁵  maintain a pure life? ¹⁶ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ¹⁷ 

119:10 With all my heart I seek you.

Do not allow me to stray from your commands!

119:11 In my heart I store up ¹⁸  your words, ¹⁹ 

so I might not sin against you.

Ecclesiastes 9:15-18

9:15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city, ²⁰ 

and he could have delivered ²¹  the city by his wisdom,

but no one listened ²²  to that poor man.

9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, ²³ 

but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens ²⁴  to his advice. ²⁵ 

Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly

9:17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,

more than the shouting of a ruler is heard ²⁶  among fools.

9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,

but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

Ecclesiastes 10:10

10:10 If an iron axhead ²⁷  is blunt and a workman ²⁸  does not sharpen ²⁹  its edge, ³⁰ 

he must exert a great deal of effort; ³¹ 

so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

Ephesians 5:15

Live Wisely

5:15 Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise,

[4:6]  ¹ tn Heb “her”; the 3rd person feminine singular referent is personified “wisdom,” which has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:22]  ² tn The verbal form is the Hitpael infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffixed subjective genitive to form a temporal clause. The term הָלַךְ (halakh) in this verbal stem means “to go about; to go to and fro.” The use of these terms in v. 22 also alludes to Deut 6:7.

[6:22]  ³ tn Heb “it will guide you.” The verb is singular and the instruction is the subject.

[6:22]  ⁴ tn In both of the preceding cola an infinitive construct was used for the temporal clauses; now the construction uses a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. The verb would then be equivalent to an imperfect tense, but subordinated as a temporal clause here.

[6:22]  ⁵ sn The Hebrew verb means “talk” in the sense of “to muse; to complain; to meditate”; cf. TEV, NLT “advise you.” Instruction bound to the heart will speak to the disciple on awaking.

[6:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “the commandment” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[6:23]  ⁷ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:23]  ⁸ sn The terms “lamp,” “light,” and “way” are all metaphors. The positive teachings and commandments will illumine or reveal to the disciple the way to life; the disciplinary correctives will provide guidance into fullness of life.

[6:23]  ⁹ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the way of life” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “the way to life.” The noun “life” is a genitive following the construct “way.” It could be an attributive genitive modifying the kind of way/course of life that instruction provides, but it could also be objective in that the course of life followed would produce and lead to life.

[6:24]  ¹¹ tn The infinitive construct is epexegetical here, explaining how these teachings function as lights: “by keeping you.” This verse is the transition from the general admonition about heeding the teachings to the practical application.

[6:24]  ¹² tc The word translated “woman” is modified by רַע (ra’, “evil”) in the sense of violating the codes of the community and inflicting harm on others. The BHS editors propose changing it to read “strange woman” as before, but there is not support for that. Some commentaries follow the LXX and read רַע as “wife of a neighbor” (cf. NAB; also NRSV “the wife of another”; CEV “someone else’s wife”) but that seems to be only a clarification.

[6:24]  ¹³ tn The word “tongue” is not in construct; the word “foreign woman” is in apposition to “smooth of tongue,” specifying whose it is. The word “smooth” then is the object of the preposition, “tongue” is the genitive of specification, and “foreign woman” in apposition.

[6:24]  ¹⁴ sn The description of the woman as a “strange woman” and now a “loose [Heb “foreign”] woman” is within the context of the people of Israel. She is a “foreigner” in the sense that she is a nonconformist, wayward, and loose. It does not necessarily mean that she is not ethnically an Israelite.

[119:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[9:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “was found in it”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:15]  ²¹ tn Or “he delivered.” The verb וּמִלַּט (umillat, from מָלַט, malat, “to deliver”) is functioning either in an indicative sense (past definite action: “he delivered”) or in a modal sense (past potential: “he could have delivered”). The literal meaning of זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”) in the following line harmonizes with the indicative: “but no one remembered that poor man [afterward].” However, the modal is supported by v. 16: “A poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens to his advice.” This approach must nuance זָכַר (“to remember”) as “[no one] listened to [that poor man].” Most translations favor the indicative approach: “he delivered” or “he saved” (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NAB, ASV, NASB, MLB, NIV); however, some adopt the modal nuance: “he might have saved” (NEB, NJPS, NASB margin).

[9:15]  ²² tn Heb “remembered.”

[9:16]  ²³ tn Or “power.”

[9:16]  ²⁴ tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishma’im, Niphal participle mpl from שָׁמַע, “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.

[9:16]  ²⁵ tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”

[9:17]  ²⁶ tn The phrase “is heard” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note its appearance in the previous line.

[10:10]  ²⁷ tn The term “ax head” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. The preceding noun “iron” functions as a metonymy of material (i.e., iron) for the object with which it is associated (i.e., ax head).

[10:10]  ²⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the workman) is implied, and has been specified in the translation for clarity

[10:10]  ²⁹ tn The verb קלל in the Pilpel means “to sharpen; to make a blade sharp” (HALOT 1104 s.v. קלל 1).This denominative verb is derived from the rare noun II קָלַל “smooth; shiny” (referring to bronze; Ezek 1:7; Dan 10:6; HALOT 1105 s.v.). Sharpening the blade or head of a bronze ax will make it smooth and shiny. It is not derived from I קָלַל (qalal) “to treat light” or the noun I קְלָלָה (qÿlalah) “curse.” Nor is it related to I קָלַל “to shake” (Ezek 21:26); cf. HALOT 1104. BDB 886 s.v. קָלַל 2 erroneously relates it to I קָלַל, suggesting “to whet” or “to move quickly to and fro.”

[10:10]  ³⁰ tn Heb “face.”

[10:10]  ³¹ tn Heb “strength.” The term וַחֲיָלִים (vakhayalim, conjunction + plural noun from חַיִל, khayil, “strength; efficiency”) is an example of a plural of intensification (GKC 397-98 §124.e). The point is that it is a waste of a great deal of strength and energy. If a person is not smart, he will have to use a lot of energy and waste his efficiency.