Proverbs 7:23

7:23 till an arrow pierces his liver ¹  –

like a bird hurrying into a trap,

and he does not know that it will cost him his life. ² 

Proverbs 24:12

24:12 If you say, “But we did not know about this,”

does not the one who evaluates ³  hearts consider?

Does not the one who guards your life know?

Will he not repay each person according to his deeds? ⁴ 

[7:23]  ¹ sn The figure of an arrow piercing the liver (an implied comparison) may refer to the pangs of a guilty conscience that the guilty must reap along with the spiritual and physical ruin that follows (see on these expressions H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament).

[7:23]  ² tn The expression that it is “for/about/over his life” means that it could cost him his life (e.g., Num 16:38). Alternatively, the line could refer to moral corruption and social disgrace rather than physical death – but this would not rule out physical death too.

[24:12]  ³ tn Heb “weighs” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV) meaning “tests” or “evaluates.”

[24:12]  ⁴ sn The verse completes the saying by affirming that people will be judged responsible for helping those in mortal danger. The verse uses a series of rhetorical questions to affirm that God knows our hearts and we cannot plead ignorance.