Proverbs 5:17

5:17 Let them be for yourself ¹  alone,

and not for strangers with you. ² 

Proverbs 22:20

22:20 Have I not written thirty sayings ³  for you,

sayings ⁴  of counsel and knowledge,

[5:17]  ¹ tn The ל (lamed) preposition denotes possession: “for you” = “yours.” The term לְבַדֶּךָ (lÿvadekha) is appositional, underscoring the possession as exclusive.

[5:17]  ² sn The point is that what is private is not to be shared with strangers; it belongs in the home and in the marriage. The water from that cistern is not to be channeled to strangers or to the public.

[22:20]  ³ tn Older English versions and a few more recent ones render this phrase as either “excellent things” following the Qere (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), “officers,” or “heretofore” [day before yesterday], following the Kethib. However (as in most recent English versions) the Qere should be rendered “thirty,” referring to the number in the collection (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[22:20]  ⁴ tn The term “sayings” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.