Proverbs 6:28

6:28 Can ¹  a man walk on hot coals

without scorching his feet?

Proverbs 7:15

7:15 That is why I came out to meet you,

to look for you, ²  and I found you!

Proverbs 9:3

9:3 She has sent out her female servants;

she calls out on the highest places ³  of the city.

Proverbs 9:14

9:14 So she sits at the door of her house,

on a seat at the highest point of the city,

Proverbs 13:11

13:11 Wealth gained quickly ⁴  will dwindle away, ⁵ 

but the one who gathers it little by little ⁶  will become rich. ⁷ 

Proverbs 14:19

14:19 Those who are evil will bow ⁸  before those who are good,

and the wicked will bow ⁹  at the gates ¹⁰  of the righteous.

Proverbs 16:10

16:10 The divine verdict ¹¹  is in the words ¹²  of the king,

his pronouncements ¹³  must not act treacherously ¹⁴  against justice.

Proverbs 16:20

16:20 The one who deals wisely ¹⁵  in a matter ¹⁶  will find success, ¹⁷ 

and blessed ¹⁸  is the one who trusts in the Lord. ¹⁹ 

Proverbs 19:11-12

19:11 A person’s wisdom ²⁰  makes him slow to anger, ²¹ 

and it is his glory ²²  to overlook ²³  an offense.

19:12 A king’s wrath is like ²⁴  the roar of a lion, ²⁵ 

but his favor is like dew on the grass. ²⁶ 

Proverbs 25:11

25:11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver, ²⁷ 

so is a word skillfully spoken. ²⁸ 

Proverbs 26:11

26:11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, ²⁹ 

so a fool repeats his folly. ³⁰ 

Proverbs 28:25

28:25 The greedy person ³¹  stirs up dissension, ³² 

but the one who trusts ³³  in the Lord will prosper. ³⁴ 

Proverbs 29:12

29:12 If a ruler listens to ³⁵  lies, ³⁶ 

all his ministers ³⁷  will be wicked. ³⁸ 

Proverbs 30:6

30:6 Do not add to his words,

lest he reprove you, and prove you to be a liar. ³⁹ 

Proverbs 31:26

31:26 She opens her mouth ⁴⁰  with wisdom,

and loving instruction ⁴¹  is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:29

31:29 “Many ⁴²  daughters ⁴³  have done valiantly, ⁴⁴ 

but you surpass them all!”

[6:28]  ¹ tn The particle indicates that this is another rhetorical question like that in v. 27.

[7:15]  ² tn Heb “to look diligently for your face.”

[9:3]  ³ tn The text uses two synonymous terms in construct to express the superlative degree.

[13:11]  ⁴ tc The MT reads מֵהֵבֶל (mehevel, “from vanity”). The Greek and Latin versions (followed by RSV) reflect מְבֹהָל (mÿvohal, “in haste”) which exhibits metathesis. MT is the more difficult reading and therefore preferred. The alternate reading fits the parallelism better, but is therefore a less difficult reading.

[13:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “will become small.” The verb מָעָט (ma’at) means “to become small; to become diminished; to become few.” Money gained without work will diminish quickly, because it was come by too easily. The verb forms a precise contrast with רָבָה (ravah), “to become much; to become many,” but in the Hiphil, “to multiply; to make much many; to cause increase.”

[13:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “by hand”; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “by labor.”

[13:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “will increase.”

[14:19]  ⁵ tn Many versions nuance the perfect tense verb שָׁחַח (shakhakh) as a characteristic perfect. But the proverb suggests that the reality lies in the future. So the verb is best classified as a prophetic perfect (cf. NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT): Ultimately the wicked will acknowledge and serve the righteous – a point the prophets make.

[14:19]  ⁶ tn The phrase “will bow” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[14:19]  ⁷ sn J. H. Greenstone suggests that this means that they are begging for favors (Proverbs, 154).

[16:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “oracle” (so NAB, NIV) or “decision”; TEV “the king speaks with divine authority.” The term קֶסֶם (qesem) is used in the sense of “oracle; decision; verdict” (HALOT 1115-16 s.v.). The pronouncements of a king form an oracular sentence, as if he speaks for God; they are divine decisions (e.g., Num 22:7; 23:23; 2 Sam 14:20).

[16:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “on the lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause referring to what the king says – no doubt what he says officially.

[16:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “his mouth.” The term “mouth” is a metonymy of cause for what the king says: his pronouncements and legal decisions.

[16:10]  ⁹ sn The second line gives the effect of the first: If the king delivers such oracular sayings (קֶסֶם, qesem, translated “divine verdict”), then he must be careful in the decisions he makes. The imperfect tense then requires a modal nuance to stress the obligation of the king not to act treacherously against justice. It would also be possible to translate the verb as a jussive: Let the king not act treacherously against justice. For duties of the king, e.g., Psalm 72 and Isaiah 11. For a comparison with Ezekiel 21:23-26, see E. W. Davies, “The Meaning of qesem in Prov 16:10,” Bib 61 (1980): 554-56.

[16:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “he who is prudent” or “he who deals wisely” (cf. KJV). The proverb seems to be referring to wise business concerns and the reward for the righteous. One who deals wisely in a matter will find good results. R. N. Whybray sees a contrast here: “The shrewd man of business will succeed well, but the happy man is he who trusts the Lord” (Proverbs [CBC], 92). Synonymous parallelism is more appropriate.

[16:20]  ⁸ tn Or “he who gives heed to a word,” that is, “who listens to instruction” (cf. NIV, NLT).

[16:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “good” (so KJV, ASV).

[16:20]  ¹⁰ tn Although traditionally this word is translated “happy” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV, NLT), such a translation can be misleading because the word means far more than that. It describes the heavenly bliss that comes from knowing one is right with God and following God’s precepts. The “blessed” could be at odds with the world (Ps 1:1-3).

[16:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the one who trusts in the Lord – blessed is he.”

[19:11]  ⁸ tn Or “prudence,” the successful use of wisdom in discretion. Cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT “good sense.”

[19:11]  ⁹ tn The Hiphil perfect of אָרַךְ (’arakh, “to be long”) means “to make long; to prolong.” Patience and slowness to anger lead to forgiveness of sins.

[19:11]  ¹⁰ sn “Glory” signifies the idea of beauty or adornment. D. Kidner explains that such patience “brings out here the glowing colours of a virtue which in practice may look drably unassertive” (Proverbs [TOTC], 133).

[19:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to pass over” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, TEV “ignore.” The infinitive construct עֲבֹר (’avor) functions as the formal subject of the sentence. This clause provides the cause, whereas the former gave the effect – if one can pass over an offense there will be no anger.

[19:12]  ⁹ sn The verse contrasts the “rage” of the king with his “favor” by using two similes. The first simile presents the king at his most dangerous – his anger (e.g., 20:2; Amos 3:4). The second simile presents his favor as beneficial for life (e.g., 16:14-15; 28:15).

[19:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “is a roaring like a lion.”

[19:12]  ¹¹ sn The proverb makes an observation about a king’s power to terrify or to refresh. It advises people to use tact with a king.

[25:11]  ¹⁰ sn The verse uses emblematic parallelism, stating the simile in the first part and the point in the second. The meaning of the simile is not entirely clear, but it does speak of beauty, value, and artistry. The “apples of gold” (possibly citrons, quinces, oranges, or apricots) may refer to carvings of fruit in gold on columns.

[25:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “on its wheels.” This expression means “aptly, fittingly.” The point is obviously about the immense value and memorable beauty of words used skillfully (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 148). Noting the meaning of the term and the dual form of the word, W. McKane suggests that the expression is metaphorical for the balancing halves of a Hebrew parallel wisdom saying: “The stichos is a wheel, and the sentence consisting of two wheels is a ‘well-turned’ expression” (Proverbs [OTL], 584). The line then would be describing a balanced, well-turned saying, a proverb; it is skillfully constructed, beautifully written, and of lasting value.

[26:11]  ¹¹ sn The simile is graphic and debasing (cf. 2 Peter 2:22).

[26:11]  ¹² sn The point is clear: Fools repeat their disgusting mistakes, or to put it another way, whenever we repeat our disgusting mistakes we are fools. The proverb is affirming that no matter how many times a fool is warned, he never learns.

[28:25]  ¹² tn Heb “wide of soul.” This is an idiom meaning “a greedy person.” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally, “soul”) has here its more basic meaning of appetites (a person is a soul, a bundle of appetites; BDB 660 s.v. 5.a). It would mean “wide of appetite” (רְהַב־נֶפֶשׁ), thus “greedy.”

[28:25]  ¹³ sn Greed “stirs up” the strife. This individual’s attitude and actions stir up dissension because people do not long tolerate him.

[28:25]  ¹⁴ tn The construction uses the participle בּוֹטֵחַ (boteakh) followed by עַל־יְהוָה (’al-yÿhvah), which gives the sense of “relying confidently on the Lord.” This is the antithesis of the greedy person who pushes to get what he desires.

[28:25]  ¹⁵ tn The verb דָּשֵׁן (dashen) means “to be fat,” and in the Piel/Pual stems “to make fat/to be made fat” (cf. KJV, ASV). The idea of being “fat” was symbolic of health and prosperity – the one who trusts in the Lord will be abundantly prosperous and fully gratified (cf. NRSV “will be enriched”).

[29:12]  ¹³ tn The Hiphil participle מַקְשִׁיב (maqshiv) means “to give attention to; to regard; to heed.” Cf. NASB, NCV, TEV “pays attention to.”

[29:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “word of falsehood” or “lying word.” Cf. TEV “false information.”

[29:12]  ¹⁵ tn The verb שָׁרַת (sharat) means “to minister; to serve.” The Piel plural participle here refers to servants of the king who attend to him – courtiers and ministers (cf. NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV “officials”; NLT “advisers”). This, his entourage, will have to resort to evil practices to gain his favor if he is swayed by such lies.

[29:12]  ¹⁶ sn The servants of the monarch adjust to their ruler; when they see that court flattery and deception are effective, they will begin to practice it and in the end become wicked (e.g., Prov 16:10; 20:8; 25:2).

[30:6]  ¹⁴ tn The form of the verb is a Niphal perfect tense with a vav consecutive from the root כָּזַב (kazav, “to lie”). In this stem it has the ideas of “been made deceptive,” or “shown to be false” or “proved to be a liar.” One who adds to or changes the word of the Lord will be seen as a liar.

[31:26]  ¹⁵ tn The first word of the seventeenth line begins with פּ (pe), the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:26]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew phrase תּוֹרַת־חֶסֶד (torat-khesed) is open to different interpretations. (1) The word “law” could here refer to “teaching” as it does frequently in the book of Proverbs, and the word “love,” which means “loyal, covenant love,” could have the emphasis on faithfulness, yielding the idea of “faithful teaching” to parallel “wisdom” (cf. NIV). (2) The word “love” should probably have more of the emphasis on its basic meaning of “loyal love, lovingkindness.” It also would be an attributive genitive, but its force would be that of “loving instruction” or “teaching with kindness.”

[31:29]  ¹⁶ tn The first word of the twentieth line begins with ר (resh), the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:29]  ¹⁷ tn Or “women” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[31:29]  ¹⁸ tn The word is the same as in v. 10, “noble, valiant.”